re: Cuba embargo to be lifted

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Here's my problem - if Puerto Rico hasn't exploded as a tourist destination, and they're actually part of the U.S., why do we romanticize about a Cuba that hasn't existed in over 50 years - the tourist Cuba that was created by the U.S. mafia.

Here's my prediction - this is going to end badly when more people realize how fricked up Cuba is and it is the Castros' fault that it is so fricked up.

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Cuba is already a tourist destination for most of the Western world. I've been, and I ran into tourists from all over Europe and Australia and Canada. Havana is a fabulous city (at least in the more accessible parts).

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) allow enterprise zones and U.S./multinational corporations to heavily invest in large all-in-one resorts, they might have something

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I think this is how they will very slowly start.

And from a documentary years ago(sorry can't remember name), friends in the service and reading history(everyone has wanted Cuba) I hear its a very beautiful and undeveloped land with world class fishing and coast lines. But I doubt after years of poor rule anything will happen fast or easily.

I backpacked across Europe including Eastern Europe right after the fall of communism and then visited the same place at various times later. My experiences on my initial visit were insightful and were very different than later visits.

In Prague my buddy needed socks. The best he could find had horrible elastic. The store products were horrible. Everywhere we went we saw in amazing singers and musicians in the streets and churches performing for tips. They lost their jobs after the fall.

On the plus side a huge arse beer was a quarter. We could buy tons of shite but couldn't exchange our money back. No one accepted it at exchanges. We visited with people we met and found their apartments looked like prison cells. Lots of prostitutes but who looked like decent respectable people. I was at Prague's lone gay bar and was hit on by a swarm of hot guys. This Aussie walks up to me and says "ya know, they're all prostitutes." Same thing in straight bars. People were jobless and broke/

Similar things in East Germany where people were incredibly rude. They had huge chips on their shoulders bc at that time the little crappy bit they had was taken from them at the fall and they had even less afterwards after expecting improvement.

Years later I saw western influence with huge American stores and hotels, franchises, Kfc, McDonald's etc. very commercialized.

IM very looking forward to seeing Cuba before American influence takes over to get the feel of Castro's Cuba before KFC takes over. Really looking forward. It won't be as dramatic as Eastern Europe bc the government hasn't fallen but it's gotta be cool to visit.

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Remember WHY the embargo went into effect to begin with?!?!

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Because we....

Invaded a country, took a chunk of it's territory then didn't like the leaders they had, so we put new ones in.. We then sent our "businessmen to divy up the island into a tourist/gambling destination until the revolution.
We have forgiven other countries for a lot worse. We have normal relations with Vietnam.
Japan has been our buddy since the 50's.

Yeah remeber why the embargo went into effect, and has it done anything? Look what free trade has done and is doing to other communist nations.
Hell our state is going to make millions on trade with Cuba, and I'm all for it. The Castros have a couple of years left, tops. And when the people see what new dollars does to their nation they will be hooked.

Plus with Putin acting like he is, getting Cuba on our side would deny a possible place for the Russian military to exploit.

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And I won't denigrate - New Orleans is a fabulous city to visit, as well, with a whole host of problems of its own.

But can the Cuban tourist infrastructure even compare to Florida's Gulf Coast, the Mexican Riviera, DR or the windward islands?

It's large and it was a gambling mecca in the 1950s. Beyond that, there is nothing particularly special about Cuba. If they do not allow some blended version of Communism and allow a profit motive to make it more welcoming, I continue to predict the surge will be a flash in the pan.

Now, if the Castros (and/or their successors - we're literally talking on a few years to go, now) allow enterprise zones and U.S./multinational corporations to heavily invest in large all-in-one resorts, they might have something.

What are the beaches like in Havana?

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explore this and other coastal regions, and then think about it. It looks to me like they have tons of nice resorts.

LINK

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Cuba is already a tourist destination for most of the Western world.


2.8 million - if they add 2 million, it might rival DR.

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I've been


Let's just assume for the sake of argument that it was legal for you to have done so - what is the draw of Cuba for the average American?

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Havana is a fabulous city


And I won't denigrate - New Orleans is a fabulous city to visit, as well, with a whole host of problems of its own.

But can the Cuban tourist infrastructure even compare to Florida's Gulf Coast, the Mexican Riviera, DR or the windward islands?

It's large and it was a gambling mecca in the 1950s. Beyond that, there is nothing particularly special about Cuba. If they do not allow some blended version of Communism and allow a profit motive to make it more welcoming, I continue to predict the surge will be a flash in the pan.

Now, if the Castros (and/or their successors - we're literally talking on a few years to go, now) allow enterprise zones and U.S./multinational corporations to heavily invest in large all-in-one resorts, they might have something.

What are the beaches like in Havana?

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making it a collection of all-in-one resorts would be the absolute worst thing they could do ...

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But, what else is there to see or do in Cuba? Is it safe for the average gringo to go there and see/do them?

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I went on a church mission trip in high school and we were literally allowed to wander around the beaches unattended. I smoke hand rolled cubans and drank mojitos til I puked. We went to a cool old bar with the youth leader from the host church. We checked out fireworks at a historic Havana fortress. Granted, there are two Cubas- the one accessible to tourists, and the Cuba of the oppressed. But there was plenty of safe stuff to see and do for us.

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but i think the long run would benefit from making sure things are uniquely cuban and not allowing international corps/horrible marketing to ruin the island

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Ruin the island? Seriously? There are jackwads who are skeptical about introducing flush toilets in African countries because it would disrupt the "culture
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Lissen to me richere. Communism is an evil ideology that extinguishes the souls of those who have any hope.

This move has the opportunity to blow up in the obamas face. Many Cubans expats were literally robbed at gunpoint from their possessions and now the dems are letting big businesses build on stolen land. They can lose florida over this for many years to come

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My GF's mother and three other women drove from NOLA to Central America on a birdwatching trip in 1970's.

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Which is completely relevant in 2014. You'd send them down there now with no hesitation? Just in a late model Honda Accord with an American Express card? Of course not. That would be insane. Things have changed drastically - especially on the border.

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With a reasonable degree of awareness, foreign travel is not a hazardous endeavor.

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I visited Mexico about 15 years ago. No problems. I've also been to Kosovo, New Orleans during/immediately after Katrina and Iraq.

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If you're scared, stay home.

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I'm not scared of much and, other than Mexico, I didn't have much choice, brah (except Iraq, I volunteered for that).