US-Cuba Relations warming up

[MeanGreenTexan]

Round 2 of "Normalization" talks coming up. Is this really going to happen? Would love to visit there someday.

Would also love to have the U.S. become a better friend of theirs than that loose cannon, Mr. Putin. Of course, that's going to be difficult seeing as how Putin just forgave most of Cuba's debt to Russia recently, and Russia is still their closest friend internationally.

http://news.yahoo.com/u-cuba-meet-second-round-normalization-talks-060421695.html

[Censored by Laurie]

Round 2 of "Normalization" talks coming up. Is this really going to happen? Would love to visit there someday.

Would also love to have the U.S. become a better friend of theirs than that loose cannon, Mr. Putin. Of course, that's going to be difficult seeing as how Putin just forgave most of Cuba's debt to Russia recently, and Russia is still their closest friend internationally.

http://news.yahoo.com/u-cuba-meet-second-round-normalization-talks-060421695.html

it isn't terribly difficult to get there now as a US citizen...and I'd strongly suggest making moves quickly before US/Cuba relations are fully normalized and Havana becomes infested with hoards of US tourists. Had my travel plans not already been sorted for 2015 I'd have made the trek this year. Now I fear it'll be at least five years before the luster wears off and I can go without seeing some fat family of seven complaining that no one speaks English or some Nassau County guido instagramming himself eating an "authentic" cuban while smoking an "authentic" cuban and drinking an "authentic cuba libre.

I'd worry about Hemingway's haunts becoming tourist traps, but let's be real...Americans don't read.

[MeanGreenTexan]

it isn't terribly difficult to get there now as a US citizen...and I'd strongly suggest making moves quickly before US/Cuba relations are fully normalized and Havana becomes infested with hoards of US tourists. Had my travel plans not already been sorted for 2015 I'd have made the trek this year. Now I fear it'll be at least five years before the luster wears off and I can go without seeing some fat family of seven complaining that no one speaks English or some Nassau County guido instagramming himself eating an "authentic" cuban while smoking an "authentic" cuban and drinking an "authentic cuba libre.

I'd worry about Hemingway's haunts becoming tourist traps, but let's be real...Americans don't read.

Gotta think Hilton, Marriott & the other chains are licking their chops to set up some resorts there for this kind of American. Don't think these folks would head into Havana. Right?

And you're not going to avoid the other guy no matter where you go.

[Censored by Laurie]

Gotta think Hilton, Marriott & the other chains are licking their chops to set up some resorts there for this kind of American. Don't think these folks would head into Havana. Right?

And you're not going to avoid the other guy no matter where you go.

there are already a bunch of those resort style places out the Varadero peninsula and on those northern barrier islands...you forget, it's still a big destination for Canadians and Europeans. Not sure how much more room there is to build new ones...certainly the US-held hoteliers will at least look to buy up some of them.

as for Havana proper...I highly doubt any big chain is gonna stand on sentiment when there's money to be made...hopefully it comes more in the form of investing in revitalizing some of the legendary places like the Nacional and the Santa Isabel rather than just modern construction

[MeanGreenTexan]

there are already a bunch of those resort style places out the Varadero peninsula and on those northern barrier islands...you forget, it's still a big destination for Canadians and Europeans. Not sure how much more room there is to build new ones...certainly the US-held hoteliers will at least look to buy up some of them.

as for Havana proper...I highly doubt any big chain is gonna stand on sentiment when there's money to be made...hopefully it comes more in the form of investing in revitalizing some of the legendary places like the Nacional and the Santa Isabel rather than just modern construction

Good call, but you gotta think if this thing opens up, the # of visitors is going to skyrocket, so new constructions are going to happen for sure.

I wouldnt be surprised to see a new resort area pop up out of nowhere.

[Censored by Laurie]

Good call, but you gotta think if this thing opens up, the # of visitors is going to skyrocket, so new constructions are going to happen for sure.

I wouldnt be surprised to see a new resort area pop up out of nowhere.

you mean displace an entire community of brown folk in the name of commerce? ya...that's totally going to happen.

[Quoner]

you mean displace an entire community of brown folk in the name of commerce? ya...that's totally going to happen.

A town may get sacked, but the economy will be saved imo

[MeanGreenTexan]

you mean displace an entire community of brown folk in the name of commerce? ya...that's totally going to happen.

Precisely.

Maybe not a ton of people, but some land owners around a desirable area on the coast somewhere will be made wealthy... and it will be a total rip-off for them.

[Censored by Laurie]

A town may get sacked, but the economy will be saved imo

needs more monorail

BIH, P, Nimoy!

[oldguystudent]

Wasn't Havana already a super upscale resort town before 1959? I'm intrigued with Cuba as is, but I don't have much desire to go there when it's 100% Sandals resorts. I'll find a less beaten path to traverse.

[Army of Dad]

Wasn't Havana already a super upscale resort town before 1959? I'm intrigued with Cuba as is, but I don't have much desire to go there when it's 100% Sandals resorts. I'll find a less beaten path to traverse.

Try to the prisons...oh you said less beaten.

Nevermind.

[oldguystudent]

Try to the prisons...oh you said less beaten.

Nevermind.

Eh, I know it's a big "Libral" joke, but it's not so much about the politics for me as it is about traveling to the real streets of a given destination. I've never been much one for the resort life.

[UNT90]

it isn't terribly difficult to get there now as a US citizen...and I'd strongly suggest making moves quickly before US/Cuba relations are fully normalized and Havana becomes infested with hoards of US tourists. Had my travel plans not already been sorted for 2015 I'd have made the trek this year. Now I fear it'll be at least five years before the luster wears off and I can go without seeing some fat family of seven complaining that no one speaks English or some Nassau County guido instagramming himself eating an "authentic" cuban while smoking an "authentic" cuban and drinking an "authentic cuba libre.

I'd worry about Hemingway's haunts becoming tourist traps, but let's be real...Americans don't read.

Why do you hate Americans so much?

#Hipsterissmarterthanyou

;-)

[UNT90]

Eh, I know it's a big "Libral" joke, but it's not so much about the politics for me as it is about traveling to the real streets of a given destination. I've never been much one for the resort life.

I've never been one to want to experience the life of a third world peasant.

Such an odd pair we are.

[oldguystudent]

I've never been one to want to experience the life of a third world peasant.

Such an odd pair we are.

It comes from spending years overseas in my early twenties. Certain aspects of life become addictive and the resort environment whitewashes those things clean away.

[FirefightnRick]

it isn't terribly difficult to get there now as a US citizen...and I'd strongly suggest making moves quickly before US/Cuba relations are fully normalized and Havana becomes infested with hoards of US tourists. Had my travel plans not already been sorted for 2015 I'd have made the trek this year. Now I fear it'll be at least five years before the luster wears off and I can go without seeing some fat family of seven complaining that no one speaks English or some Nassau County guido instagramming himself eating an "authentic" cuban while smoking an "authentic" cuban and drinking an "authentic cuba libre.

I'd worry about Hemingway's haunts becoming tourist traps, but let's be real...Americans don't read.

But your perfectly fine when an illegal family of 7 that speaks no English comes to the U.S. and lives off of your taxes.

Rick

[GreenMachine]

But your perfectly fine when an illegal family of 7 that speaks no English comes to the U.S. and lives off of your taxes.

Rick

you are so right on but probably won't get a straight response from certain feel good wusses.

[oldguystudent]

Exceptions apply

[Censored by Laurie]

But your perfectly fine when an illegal family of 7 that speaks no English comes to the U.S. and lives off of your taxes.

Rick

apparently.

[FirefightnRick]

apparently.

Damn grammar police!

Rick

[KingDL1]

I go to Cozumel quite a bit and its a quick skip over to Cuba from there. I have met several Americans that go but most just do it for an outlaw thrill of sorts. I met several other nationalities that have visited also. Seems like everyone we meet say the same thing, they all said it sucks for the most part. Mostly because it is rundown, and there is food shortages where most of the restaurants never have a very full menu. The diving is bad because of old air pumps for filling the scuba tanks and crappy scuba tanks. (Also really crappy dive equipment if you rent. I don't like to rent dive gear anywhere) Then the diving has not been protected and the reefs are pretty beaten up and over fished. On the neat side is always about the old cars. We were going to make the trip in the late 90s early 2000s but we just go bad report after bad report and the outlaw side of it became less intriguing to my group.

Maybe something has changed lately but last I checked about two years ago it still sounded the same. Last summer when I was in Cozumel I don't think it came up. Not a fan of Communist Parties so I hope that goes away, I would like to see Cuba healthier and be a nice scuba dive option.