Cuba, Here I Come!

(Sorry, I should have put this in "beyond)
The wait is finally over!
I'm gonna go before the U.S. somehow screws it up.
President Barack Obama is allowing Americans to make unlimited trips and money transfers to family in Cuba and easing other restrictions Monday to usher in a new era of openness toward the island nation ruled by communists for 50 years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090413/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_cuba

Bring me back some cigars.

Havana club rum for everybody?
:wink:

Unfortunately you have to have family in Cuba right now. I will be happy when they open up travel for all Americans.

KK

Ya, I just caught that on another news report.
Hopefully he'll change that in time.
So to solve this minor problem, I'm changing my name to Unga Rodriquez.

Gracias and adios.

Hahahaha...muy bien amiga/amigo....:)

Kamaina Kraig Santo Domingo San Juan Carlos Viegues

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2009-06-26 19:43 ]

On 2009-04-13 14:32, Tipsy McStagger wrote:
..all the rum and teenage cuban girls any pedophile could ever want!!!...

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2009-04-13 14:34 ]

I think there is enough rum to make all the Cuban women look beautiful. At 55 years old I would rather have the older but wiser girl.

KK

Sorry to blow your sex tourist bubble, folks, those days are over. The government cracked down so heavy on foreign/local affairs in recent years that any too friendly chiquita cubana risks to end up in the slammer. You still get discreet offers by your hotel clerk, but it's not like it used to be, when they hung out in droves at your hotel entrance to be picked up. You can still get the rum, though. :D

"I'm gonna go before the U.S. somehow screws it up."

Please. Why should the Cubans be denied the convenience of a Walmart every five miles or the joy of a consistently prepared low priced meal at T.G.I. Viernes'?

Olive Jardín ¡Cuando usted está aquí usted es familia!

Don't get too excited just yet. Cuba itself still has to decide whether to allow Cuban-Americans unlimited visits to family.

Regarding any other US policy changes for Cuba, don't hold your breath. This particular policy change was an Obama campaign pledge. I don't think he ever said anything about opening trade with Cuba, although he did say he would be willing to meet with Raul Castro, which would be a nice change.

"I am Lono!" -- Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge

[ Edited by: arriano 2009-04-13 15:28 ]

A bill has been introduced in the US Senate to allow all Americans to travel to Cuba.

Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) came together in support of the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act (S. 428) yesterday. It was introduced earlier this year.

According to a press release, the bill would “eliminate travel restrictions” to Cuba and “allow Americans to travel there freely without U.S. government interference.”

S.428 appears to be in the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

One blogger writes:
This is certainly not the first time the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act (H.R. 874/S. 428) has been introduced, but there is reason to hope this year it may pass. This Act would prohibit the President from restricting travel to Cuba unless there is a war or it is a matter of public health or safety. Passage would be beneficial for Cuba partially because of the expected influx of American tourists, but Cubans would also have access to more American imports. Cuban Americans will benefit because current policy restricts the frequency of trips to Cuba, as well as the amount of money that they can spend there. The United States will benefit because this bill also addresses business travel restrictions, and it will become easier to sell American products in Cuba.

I'll be in Cuba for a week starting this Saturday.

I'll drink extra mojitos & smoke cigars for everyone!

I do hope restrictions are lifted soon. I'm going for my brother's wedding, and unfortunately our other brother won't be able to attend, because he's living and working in the US. If he were caught traveling there, he could be sent to jail and charged $10,000! Not worth the risk when you have a family to support.

P.S. Unga: if you'd like me to move your thread to beyond or travel I can.

On 2009-04-13 22:02, Tikiwahine wrote:
I'll be in Cuba for a week starting this Saturday.

I'll drink extra mojitos & smoke cigars for everyone!

Pix please. Tikiwahine, you've always been one of my favorites.

On 2009-04-14 07:31, Jungle Trader wrote:

On 2009-04-13 22:02, Tikiwahine wrote:
I'll be in Cuba for a week starting this Saturday.

I'll drink extra mojitos & smoke cigars for everyone!

Pix please. Tikiwahine, you've always been one of my favorites.

:blush: What, you want something from Cuba? :wink:

Pics? You bet! I'm hoping to make it to El Polinesio (a former Trader Vic's, now run by the government)

Great Minds Drink Alike

[ Edited by: Tikiwahine 2009-04-14 09:21 ]

On 2009-04-13 14:59, bigbrotiki wrote:
Sorry to blow your sex tourist bubble, folks, those days are over.

I know you guys are kidding, but please let's get one thing straight, this thread is in no relation to anything of that category.

Tikiwahine, I hope you have a great time.
I pray to God America does not put a "Disneyland" in there, but it would be incredible to change El Polinesio back to Trader Vics.

On 2009-04-13 14:59, bigbrotiki wrote:
Sorry to blow your sex tourist bubble, folks, those days are over. The government cracked down so heavy on foreign/local affairs in recent years that any too friendly chiquita cubana risks to end up in the slammer. You still get discreet offers by your hotel clerk, but it's not like it used to be, when they hung out in droves at your hotel entrance to be picked up. You can still get the rum, though. :D

......while you folks are busy getting ginned up over this recent development keep in mind that sooner or later, everything you love about cuba and what makes cuba appealing to us (i.e. googie mid century architecture, pristine beaches, uncluttered old worlds skylines, etc...) will be gone once the floodgates are opened...where you once saw vast stretches of beach you will see a days inn or marriott hotel chain....where you saw quaint eateries, you will see the cancer that is mcdonalds and KFC....trader vics will eventually get demolished like they do over here....anything remotely 40 or so years old is gonna get a big facelift...cuba is gonna change, no doubt about it...but i fear it will be a change for the worse....cuba will eventually become new jersey!!

" In a perfect world...Elvis would still be alive ....and all the elvis impersonators would be dead!!"

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2009-06-26 19:44 ]

Where once you saw poverty an oppression, you will see rejuvination and prosperity?

On 2009-04-13 16:38, christiki295 wrote:......and it will become easier to sell American products in Cuba.

This is assuming that the Cubans have money to spend on American products.

Having been there three months ago, I am willing to assert with some certainty that they do NOT.

On 2009-04-14 09:57, rugbymatt wrote:
Where once you saw poverty an oppression, you will see rejuvination and prosperity?

perhaps you are right,..but i better not see anyone here belly achin and crying that they remodel the trader vics or demolished the cool 50's style hotels...there is a price to be paid for saving the world from itself...it's part of "progress"...as we have seen time and time again in our culture....

on the upside, this will be a great money making opportunity stock wise as well as in other ways.......and if you are into old cars and want to get em'cheap, i'm sure the junk yards of cuba will be filling up with them once those little electric hybrid golf cart lookin things hit cuba......just gotta figure a way to get them shipped back here.....but if you are a vintage car dealer and that is your business it shouldn't be a problem....

On 2009-04-14 09:21, Tikiwahine wrote:

On 2009-04-14 07:31, Jungle Trader wrote:

On 2009-04-13 22:02, Tikiwahine wrote:
I'll be in Cuba for a week starting this Saturday.

I'll drink extra mojitos & smoke cigars for everyone!

Pix please. Tikiwahine, you've always been one of my favorites.

:blush: What, you want something from Cuba? :wink:

Pics? You bet! I'm hoping to make it to El Polinesio (a former Trader Vic's, now run by the government)

Uh huh, a shot of you puffin a fat cuban,........cigar would be cool.

---

Great Minds Drink Alike

[ Edited by: Tikiwahine 2009-04-14 09:21 ]

For now, this policy change is a wonderful relief for the impoverished Cuban citizens. They will get badly needed economic support from some of the 1.5 million mainland relatives, plus families will be able to re-unite. I know folks there who have never met their granddaughter!

Of course we all on Tiki Central know what the ideal travel guide for our first trip to Havana will be :D :

Not only does this book have maps to all the coolest mid-century locations...

....but it has an amazing amount of historic and cultural information so you will not feel like an ignorant stranger:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=29208&forum=12

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=29211&forum=1

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=29210&forum=10

...and last not least:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=29209&forum=2

...big sigh.......i'm gonna miss those places when they're gone big bro......so everyone get there when you can before they go!!

Tikiwahine, where's the pics of you in Cuba? Thought you were going for a wedding.

It was a great trip, but I haven't got any photos of myself at the moment(unless you count the one of my feet). Here's a few, you can see the rest on my facebook page, along with numerous smart ass/enlightening comments from yours truly.

P.S. Jungle Trader, I promise to post a photo of me smokin' a fat cuban...

cigar asap. Also, my rum, coffee and cigar haul.

That 3rd pic from the bottom is nice. Give's me a warm fuzzy feeling, want to sit there now. Thanks!
Is that an image of Humphrey Bogart in one?
What's the attitude among ordinary Cubans towards Americans now, any hint?

[ Edited by: Jungle Trader 2009-05-01 22:06 ]

Great photography, TW! Very crisp and good angles! I am glad it's still all there.
Did you have the book with you?

On 2009-05-01 21:55, Jungle Trader wrote:
That 3rd pic from the bottom is nice. Give's me a warm fuzzy feeling, want to sit there now. Thanks!
Is that an image of Humphrey Bogart in one?
What's the attitude among ordinary Cubans towards Americans now, any hint?

The Cubans don't get very much international news. Hardly anyone has access to the internet, and TVs are very hard to come by. With regards to lifting the embargo they seem to be cautiously optimistic, but they're not expecting any radical changes. They see themselves as a free people, but not being able to leave the country does seem like a major oxymoron to me. They're a very warm, friendly people, and I think Americans would be welcomed into their country.

Rum is $5-$7 per bottle, so you can bet I was happy as a clam.

On 2009-05-01 22:43, bigbrotiki wrote:
Great photography, TW! Very crisp and good angles! I am glad it's still all there.
Did you have the book with you?

Thanks bigbro! I wish I had more time to set up my shots. I didn't have a tripod, and with a hungry 2 year old I was limited in time. I think my Dad took some good shots, I'll see if we can upload them to Critiki asap.

I don't have 'Havana Before Castro' yet, unfortunately, I'll have to ask for it for my birthday or Christmas! It sure would have been nice to browse before & during the trip.

We hired a private driver and a tour guide that was very open about politics and has a vast knowledge of history. Apparently the Cuban people know nothing of Castro's private life. When we asked him about his family, all he knew was that he had many children, and nothing more. So very different from our respective representatives!

Both the House & Senate versions of the bill each are still in committee. The Hosue has 50 co-sponsors, which doesn't seem like enough to carry the day, even on a party-line vote.

Sooo, for the time being, I still would keep any transactions involving Cuba on the down low.

My Cuban adventures are here:

http://www.tydirium.net/writings/Cuba2009a.html

Tipsy McStagger you do belong in HELL your perverted comment about "young Cuban girls" should have been caught by TC moderator. You are a professed pedophile and should be arrested and NOT be allowed to post on TC>

On 2009-06-26 14:10, HinaHinawahine wrote:
Tipsy McStagger you do belong in HELL your perverted comment about "young Cuban girls" should have been caught by TC moderator. You are a professed pedophile and should be arrested and NOT be allowed to post on TC>

oh calm down...that's been posted for weeks or more now and suddenly you have an issue??? I wasn't being serious about it, just having alittle fun with the poster and his trip to cuba....sorry you have to be such a nazi about it...but really, it's quite childish and just alittle psycho on your part...all i was doing was stero typing what cuba was known for in the past....

if anyone else wants to tear me a new one over this, do it in a p.m. please..not here...it's not my thread. thanks!

" In a perfect world...Elvis would still be alive ....and all the elvis impersonators would be dead!!"

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2009-06-26 19:42 ]

Fantastic pictures, Tikiwahini! Are there outtake shots we can see? And what's this I hear about Feet? :P

The shot of the picturesquely crumbling building facades shows up a prime problem Cuba has, and will continue to have for the foreseeable future: although they have 100% literacy, decent medical care, and a Kick Ass Baseball Team, they're lacking hard currency reserves, they lack big ticket exports to get any, and their infrastructure is crumbling around them. Those Mid-Century beauties that we love may have to be torn down if they rot from the inside while Cuba is unable to make any substantive repairs.

On 2009-06-26 14:10, HinaHinawahine wrote:
Tipsy McStagger you do belong in HELL

We told him that when he joined.

ha!

So,just to be clear here. I'm in my fifties and if I go to Cuba any girl younger than say 50 down would be a young girl to me. You mean that commits me to hell?
There's something here I'm not getting?
Tipsy, this is all your fault. I thought this thread was about the 6-7 $ rum in Cuba. What about the old rum? Now there"s something I'd like to know more about. The older the better. :wink:
Edited for Tiki political correctness.

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2009-06-27 17:44 ]

FINALLY!

Obama seeks to resume full diplomatic ties with Cuba

Hooray !!! We can finally use credit cards there to pay for teenage prostitutes !! Thanks Obama !!

lolol, hooray for historic posts! ;D

“Relations with the Castro regime should not be revisited, let alone normalized, until the Cuban people enjoy freedom — and not one second sooner,” said House Speaker John Boehner in a statement. “There is no ‘new course’ here, only another in a long line of mindless concessions to a dictatorship that brutalizes its people and schemes with our enemies.”

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a key GOP foreign policy hawk, said he “will do all in my power to block the use of funds to open an embassy in Cuba.”

Far from a done deal, it appears.

A couple thoughts:

1. Visitors can only part with $100 of cuban cigars/alcohol...so that doesn't leave much for the taking. A bottle of Havana Club 15, at least stateside, is about $130.
2. Will this bring a sudden surge of supply/demand problems in due time where prices will skyrocket?

That price reflects embargo though, it should actually plummet the price of Cuban goods now that a legal route has been opened.

It will also likely have a similar impact on the demand that Google Glass experienced when it let the unwashed masses buy the product. The test pilots got mad that they were no longer special and ditched it.

Since we are not talking about a product that was universally banned, you could still buy rum and cigars that were equal to or superior to said country's exports, the allure is lost one the embargo is lifted.

http://www.foodrepublic.com/2014/12/17/what-ending-cuban-embargo-means-rum-drinking

Travel to Cuba for Americans has been legal for years if you do it like this

http://insightcuba.com

So... worst case scenario nothing happens, best case it is cheaper. Likely floor is going to drop out simply because it is no longer contraband. Still expensive, but when the notion that you could do hard time/be stuck with a hefty fine for consuming said goods (yes, you can) in places where it is legal, it loses a lot of the allure.

well you can always run a marathon.
http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/bodywork/in-stride/Americans-Can-Now-Legally-Run-Cubas-Havana-Marathon.html

Robert Burr of the Miami Rum Festival is interviewed by the New York Post:

“We think we’ll see Havana Club rum enter the US as Havanista rum to avoid the trademark issue.”
http://nypost.com/2014/12/17/cuban-rums-are-creating-a-buzz-as-us-restrictions-are-eased/

More on Havanista:
http://thefloatingrumshack.com/content/index.php/122-havana-club-rum-celebrates-two-decades-of-success

Apparently Bacardi also has a plan for when the embargo is lifted. According to the brand's global category director:

"We have a plan, but I won't go deeply into what that plan is. A lot of things will change. We were born in Cuba, it is where the business started. That's still where the heart of the brand, the business and the family belongs. We want to return to Cuba: We're in exile, and we want to go home."
http://www.just-drinks.com/interview/bacardis-global-category-director-for-rums-dmitry-ivanov_id115469.aspx

It's going to be interesting as those titans clash, but I'm more looking forward to all the smaller Cuban rums that nobody has ever tasted outside of Cuba.

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[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2014-12-18 11:18 ]