Pretty sure that's Helmut Kohl (then chancellor of West Germany)

In the US embassy suffering from the invisible ray.

Yeah! It’s pretty nice to walk in the same place as the revolutionaries and see how the Revolutionary unfolded.

As for tips, bring shampoo, wipes/toilet paper, any medication you think you need, and a lot of clothes. It’s very humid here and you’re going to be sweating through your clothes quickly and drinking alot of liquid. I regret not bringing shampoo personally. Also it helps to know alot of Spanish. Cuba is harder to get around compared to other Spanish speaking countries and I can’t tell you how many times I was just being a clueless American because I didn’t exactly understand what’s going on. Knowing someone who speaks Spanish or a local guide also helps.

That said, I can’t stress how much important it is to be wary of any scams that happen around Havana especially if you run into a Jinetero. Most of them speak English because they are targeting gullible foreigners. It’s not to say all English speaking Cubans are bad but if they start talking about either knowing “a lady for a good time” or they know “a bar to have really good rum or cigar”, RUNNNNNNN!!!!! Also as much as Cuba has been doing well despite the embargo. It is still a developing country and you will see problems that Cubans have but Westerners won’t so be prepared to be a little bit upset because that’s the reality of what the inhumane blockade is doing to Cuba.

Any type of meds such as Tylenol will do. I would make sure to check your local customs rules as well as the Cuban customs rules for importing/exporting. I’m pretty sure (check to confirm) that Cuba recently removed the limit for the amount of medication you can import duty free.

Lol. The irony of the category name when the US does the opposite.

I have pictures of the armored train :)

Will need to get some. Thanks!

Not really. I mean I met Cubans that live in Florida but visiting home though I wouldn’t call them gusanos since many of them just want a better quality of life but don’t really blame the government. I would say the closest thing I’ve met to a Gusano are westerners that are living in Cuba for years since some of them just straight up went on a speech about how the Cuban government makes so much money from hotels and such but pay their workers very little and that the government is starving the locals by hoarding the food for themselves (because the officials are apparently fatter). Also heard from them that it’s impossible for locals to protest their living conditions because they get sent to prison or killed.

Smoked a cigar just to say I did it though I never will smoke anything ever again since I’m not a smoker and don’t like cigarettes. Am planning on drinking some rum before I fly off.

I’ve seen a lot of Ladas though it feels like Peugeots and Hyundais are more common.

In general, I’ve found people to be content with their daily lives but at the same time it’s still pretty dire since they don’t have access to medication because of the embargo as you need foreign currency to buy at the government stores. I’ve definitely seen a good amount of locals active within the party. It’s important to note that Cubans aren’t a monolith when it comes to political opinions. Most are pretty supportive of the government but do give criticism where it’s necessary such as regarding the bureaucracy or the existence of MLC stores. A very few have a pretty negative opinion of the government mostly due to the dire situation they are in and believe the government is full of elites that are just sucking off money from government owned hotels.

A lot. Smoking is very common in Cuba and is pretty much a pastime for many to be smoking a cigarette.

You would need to ask the locals that.

Pretty much a suitcase of medication is good for Cubans. Most contacts I got with locals before hand was through the Airbnb reservation I made at a Casa Particular. I can guarantee you that even if your host doesn’t need your medication, they know someone that does and will be happy to give it to them. Mostly been just checking out the streets lately though I’ve also been visiting monuments and museums such as Granma and the plaza. I have seen old computers around but most Cubans have been walking with somewhat modern Androids.

Could try but most Cubans speak only Spanish sadly.

In terms of how much money it costs me:

Around $400ish for the flight ticket and another $200 for expenses for other things such as needing stuff to prepare for international travel, visa, SIM card. My lodging costs about $72-90 since there are places on airbnb for $9 a night. If my calculations are right. I’ve used about $600 over the span of week but that’s honestly dependent on how much you’d like to be spending. I generally tried to have $200 per each day I’m in Cuba to account for any huge expenses.

The hurricane has definitely impacted Cuba especially since some buildings are very old but I would say a lot of stores are still open. Many Cubans operate stores directly from their house so it’s literally common to see things sold from the side of the street.

It’s sorta been a long dream of mine to visit Cuba especially since I was curious to see how it’s been able to operate under the blockade. Having studied a good amount of Cuban history as well, I wanted to see some of the monuments and memorials in Cuba and decided to come here to see those as well as interact with the Cuban people. I am an American but it’s not hard to visit Cuba as an American besides filling out a scary OFAC affidavit before your flight stating that you’re not traveling to Cuba for tourist purposes but under a general category (most Americans circle Support for the Cuban People since that encompasses many things). Much easier compared to the 2000s where you pretty much couldn’t go to Cuba at all and as a result need to fly to 3rd country and make sure your passport wasn’t stamped. Now there’s direct flights from US to Cuba.

Been coping it by enjoying some coppelia here and there as well as giving a middle finger to Amerikkka.

So I went solo and did almost a lot of booking beforehand such as airbnb for my casa particular and getting my SIM card/viazul bus tickets booked in advance in the US. However, there’s a lot that’s going on in Cuba that honestly it’s probably best to go with someone knows Spanish very well (unless you know a lot of Spanish yourself). I was a pretty clueless traveler so there were certain things I didn’t understand in Cuba and combine that with my broken Spanish. Can be hard to go through some of the bureaucratic stuff. But that said I don’t regret going solo.

It’s good to know some level of Spanish because most Cubans except like jineteros only speak Spanish.

Cuba is really really safe and I would even argue it’s safer than US. But petty theft is sometimes a problem. Of course be aware of any jineteros that try to offer you things such as prostitution. Overcharging is pretty common if you’re a tourist but personally I don’t mind paying a little extra especially since it’s dire times for Cubans.

Can access pretty much any western media including CNN even the Spanish versions of them so not really any censorship in that regard and just tried accessing radio free Europe which works too. But yes, internet infrastructure in Cuba is still developing but almost every Cuban I’ve met has a phone and like to use WhatsApp.

(EDIT: important to add that there’s a lot of websites that don’t work not because of Cuban censorship but because of the blockade that prevents websites from operating here)

Most Cubans generally treat westerners well and recognize that most of us are just people like them. That said, westerners that just spend time only in Varadero staying in their privileged resorts does give us a bad rep with the Cuban people especially when they act out of touch with what local Cubans go through. It goes without saying that we have so many privileges that local Cubans don’t have since they been subjected to the imperialist blockade for years so it’s always good to be always as respectful as you can especially of the local customs (of course don’t be afraid to ask anything if you are in doubt about something, many Cubans are helpful and do their best to accommodate you).

Very friendly. Super easy to ask help for anything. Never really drank at bars but I have visited them. They are generally okay but feel like it’s either filled with rich people or tourists. The beaches in Havana are pretty amazing especially the view from Malecon.