Cuba's Friend

Capricorn, You maybe right for yourself and I have to admit that the info gained from my visit to Cuba where not what I had hoped for, but still it was a beautifully vacation and eyeopener. Several facts make Cuba (not the resorts) interesting: the people of Cuba are amassing, friendly and cheerful; once off the big centers, take along hitchhikers that line the roads anywhere and talk to them, ask careful and don't insult them and their government, but ask about the normal day to day live and you will gather amazing inside of what goes on in Cuba. Most importantly, I have never felled as secure as anywhere in Cuba. The beggars and solicitors are only in the big cities, but not on the land. Buy fruit at a stand along the road and pay with CUC, remembering that the normally ask for pesos, 1CUC:24 pesos so figure 1:15 or 20 and you provide this stand with nice money. One thing that bothered me, normally living far away from a city, is the noise level even in the smallest village around the clock, if it is not chicken and roosters, then it is the 'zillions of docks barking or people talking, most unusual for me. I am a farmer and look at everything from a farmers perspective and non of the farmers in Canada or the US would continue under the circumstances thus fellows operate, without parts, lack of supplies, lack of new equipment etc. Chatting to some sugar cane harvest crews with six to ten harvesters in the field, only half are operational at any given time, if that is not enough, the support trucks to move the shopped cane to the mill come not as planned and if that is not enough, the mill brakes down, not for an hour, but sometimes for days, because parts have to be made by hand. I looked at one mill, decommissioned in 1999 and turned into a museum, the lovely guide mentioned that about 45% of all mill capacity was cut in the past ten years because the mills could not be repaired anymore, but the Government stated the world sugar prices as the reason. Looking at this plant, initially started in 1886, the most modern equipment, a steam engine was from 1929! We bought three travel guides before we left and found several tourist attractions being closed now because the where unsafe to enter, that where still in the 03, 04 and 06 guides. My thesis of Cuba is the following: 1959 the communists stopped the clocks in Cuba and since then they are running in reverse When I look at land, I classify it and what is standing on it, the potential for Cuba to produce if equipped with more modern tools, some careful improvement to modern days is amazing, with great potential in many tropical crops, if just initiatives where there and commonsense marketing approaches and available markets could be addressed without the rejection from possible markets because of the political scenario at present day. It is a shame what has been lost in valuable building structures during the 50 years of communists. Not only in Habana, but in any town, village, farm etc. It drives my hair up and makes me angry, because Cuba must have been a flourishing economy at some day in the past, witnessed by building that still stand today. I somewhat blame the Spanish and US together with the leading 'crust' in Cuba in the 150, or so, years before Castro not to manage to give more wealth of to the lower classes of Cuban society, because with small changes in the distribution of wealth into more households Fidel would have never the grounds for his success. But this is hind side now and I hope for Cuba, that the people that will rule for the next 50 years will have a better vision. To end this, do travel to Cuba and have a open mind! Cheers, JK

Man 19......, It makes me wonder too, what you are trying to achieve with this thread. Germany and German people have accepted this darkest part of German history and all will agree, that this is to be remembered forever, not only by Germans and their affiliates at that time, but by any country and it was the UN's duty (in part) to avoid anything like this in the future, sad it has failed so many others that have been eliminated by equally cruel and disrespectful governments. JK, Cuba's Friend

Hello, I just returned from a two weeks trip to Cuba. Not to a resort, but traveled with a small (very small) car from Habana to Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus, Santa Clara, Colon, Matanzas, Pinar de Rio, Vinales and back to Habana. 2000 km with lots of stops and look-arounds and talking with people. Please note: Fidel was well respected by me until I visited Cuba and then the respect turned to anger. Not because of the blood on his and most of his revolutionary friends, but because of the total destruction this man and his comrades have brought to Cuba. I have seen this in Middle Germany ( the former GDR), Poland, USSR and other so called peoples republic's, but never with the insanity as in Cuba. Let's start at the infrastructure: roads, railways, waterways, harbors, in short anything needed to move goods is in total disrepair. Agriculture is on its knees, because supplies, equipment, seed, new varieties, people are not available to operate the agricultural side of the Cuban economy. Town and village structure: this again is in collapsing mode, houses are not repaired, the sewage is coming out of the manholes, roads are just potholes, again total destruction. The Cuban people deserve better then this One issue became very clear: A Cuba after Castro is only possible from within! Not by the USA prescript and forced, because of the inherited dislike of Cuban people to the Yankee's politicians and exploitations. It can be possible with gentle help from outside by countries the Cubans trust. What is equally insane is, that when and where ever socialisms/commonisum is on its end the capitalism's has to come in and fix the mess. This is my short and narrow minded view from a farmer and business man side. JK, Cuba's Friend

Boy o Boy Dimitri Gallos, You must be plainly kidding (in a very bad way) to even think the thoughts you write about one of the biggest butcher on his own people in history. Compared to him, Hitler was a child. God, how can people be so narrow? Enjoy your funny world. JK

Well August 1991, I guess you are not well traveled, particularly south of the 49th around the world to say what you did. Sure we have some road problems and this has been discussed before about -20°C and more and inadequate subsurface under our Can#1 as example. But I truly believe that Canada is by a good chunk richer then our fellow friends down south. If you consider the accumulated deficit and current crisis in the US economy and banking system, I am glad (for a while until the US misery hits our economy) to live in Canada and like to stay if I can. Please note, I am not a Canadian citizen, only landed immigrant, because I have not had the hard to give my citizenship away, yet, even so my wife and children are Canadians. I have seen many part of the the World, including the US and I stay here! Because I love this country and its way of living and not telling the rest of the world what to do and when to do it. Kind regards, JK

Hello, I am new to this forum and was wondering if this subject is still active or if it has been closed, since no new postings have appeared for over a year. Kind regards, Cuba's Friend (I did choose this name carefully, being Cuba's Friend, not a friend of the regime, but of the common people)