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Apr 19, 2017 23:45:16 #

Those of you who have been talking of going to Cuba May find this interesting

Those of you who have been talking of going to Cuba May find this interesting

A 77 yr old guy goes to Europe,
Canada, Mexico and now Cuba for bicycle road trips. I
Thought you might enjoy reading this gentleman’s report of
His bicycle trip to Cuba:
On February 1st I flew to Atlanta, met some friends
And we flew to Cancun, Mexico. We spent 4 days there,
Mostly touring the Mayan ruins of Tulum and Chichen Itza and
Getting ready for the next part of the adventure. Seven
More people flew in and we all boarded a Mexican airline,
Interjet, and flew to Havana for a week of bicycle riding in
Cuba.
Cuba, where nothing works, including the people.
Unemployment is 48% and of those who do work, 8 out of every
10 work for the government. Before heading to the western
Part of the island, we spent a night in Havana at the
Riviera Classic, the finest hotel at the time. 20 stories
With 3 elevators, but only one worked. Contrary to what I
Found in the rest of the country, my shower only had hot
Water. Turn the knobs all you want, but you only got hot,
Scalding water.
The stories about the old cars is quite true, but
Many of those cars are used to take tourists on tours of the
City. $30.00 gets you 2 hours in 1952 Cadillac convertible
And you can pile in as many people in as you want. Old
Chevys seem to be the most popular and a few are quite
Nicely restored. They all fell in the 1941 to 1957
Range. I saw nothing newer than a 57. By restored, I
Mean they look good on the outside, but as our Cuban tour
Guide said, there would not be a V8 under the hood. The
Original had failed decades ago and with no parts to fix it,
Other means had to be found. Generally that involved
Putting a 4 cylinder Russian made diesel in and making the
Necessary changes to get it to fit and mate up with an
Unknown t***smission.
Outside Havana, the country is still in the 19th century.
Many people walk, but equally as many use horses, both to
Ride and pull carts. I saw wagons pulled by oxen on the
Highway. We traveled by motor coach, stayed in crude
Motels, and ate in restaurants; all owned by the
Government. Staying clean was a challenge. In the public
Restrooms washing your hands was interesting. You need
Three things to wash your hands; water, soap, towel to
Dry. Well the towel was your shirt or pants, because there
Never was any towels. In 1/3 of the toilets there was no
Water and in one case, there was a lady standing beside the
Sink with a bottle of water to pour over your hands. In an
Equal number of places, there was no soap.
If you thought not having soap and water in the
Rest room was a problem, imagine not having a toilet SEAT.
Yep, no toilet seat and it wasn’t just confined to public
Facilities. One of the rooms we stayed in had no toilet
Seat, which was matched by the fact there was not toilet
Paper. In its place, somebody had carefully torn
Individual sheets of toilet paper from a roll and placed
Them on the back of the toilet.
Free health care and education is one of the things
Castro brought with his revolution. The health care is
Generally limited to the bigger cities. Our guide told us
That a taxi driver in Havana earned more in tips each day
Than a medical doctor earned in salary in
One month. Oh, and the doctor can be arrested and
Jailed if he attempts to treat people on the side for extra
Money. Education is free, but the reality is that most
People cannot afford to stay in school. Our tour guide was
The exception. He completed college and got a Master’s
Degree in computer technology, but can’t find a job in
That field, so he conducts tours.
We visited a tobacco farm, where we had the opportunity to
Purchase genuine Cuba cigars for $3.25. The farm had been
In this man’s family for 3 generations, but only recently
Had actual title been put back in his name. The government
Claimed it after the revolution. After harvest, the
Government takes 90% of the tobacco, leaving the farmer with
Just 10% for his “own personal use”. He chose to
Demonstrate how to hand roll a cigar, then sell it to
Tourists. I asked our guide if all farmers lost 90% of
Their crop to the government. His reply, “Oh no,
Vegetable farmers only give up 60% of their
crop”.
The roads looked like they had been carpet bombed
with huge pot holes everywhere. Add that to the very steep
hills we encountered and it made for slow biking. While I
am no speed demon, one day I averaged just 4.5 MPH as I
attempted to find bits of pavement between the holes in the
road. In many cases, there was no road, just dirt and when
the trucks went past, we were engulfed in a storm of dust
and exhaust fumes. A few of the trucks were left over
Russian military vehicles. Personal t***sportation in the
rural area was provided by stake bodied trucks. People
would stand by the side of the road and climb aboard when
such a truck came by. The fare was around 8 cents and you
stood packed in the bed of the truck with several dozen
other people.
Those on well fare receive $25 a month, plus a ration of
beans, rice, and cooking oil. The money came from the
Cuban government, but the Russians provided the food. Each
month a supply cargo ship docks with beans, rice, and
cooking oil sent by the Russians. Speaking of them, the
Cuban version of the Missile Crisis is quite different from
what we heard in the US.
Glad I went, but have no desire to return. Cuba makes our
inner cities look like paradise and the poverty is
staggering. After two weeks abroad, we flew home and I
spent the night in a Hampton Inn at the Atlanta airport,
before catching an early morning flight back to Seattle.
Took the longest hot water shower every after having a
cheeseburger, fries and two gin & tonics for dinner. I
was really glad to be
back.

Dedicated to all Bernie Sanders supporters and
other DUMMYCRATS that believe
"Government Socialism" is so much better than our
country that was built on "Capitalism."