[Steve Derekson]

I have just gotten back from a week in North Korea, where everything is controlled, conversations monitored and bangs impossible.

But, I was amazed by the femininity of the women. By far the most feminine women out of any country I have travelled to, more than Russia, SE Asia... I felt like in a 1920's movie, overwhelmed by this "woman-ness" everywhere around me, needless to say they dress like 1950's housewives.

This got me thinking. Countries with a "red" recent history are wonderful in terms of women. The entire former Eastern Bloc, the Former Soviet Union, a few countries in Asia...

All of the "great" countries were recently communist. The only country that wasn't is Brazil. I don't include Scandinavia because, while easy, relationship quality is low.

I'd like to think it is because of traditional gender roles, but not even. Arabic women are not like this, and there are still countries where women work (like Russia, Poland and NK) and still maintain their feminine allure.

Perhaps capitalism kills the quality.

[Kaizen]

Nice, were you there on an All-Inclusive Package?

[Steve Derekson]

(11-26-2013 06:30 PM)bigxxx Wrote:  

Nice, were you there on an All-Inclusive Package?

It is the only way to go. Everything is upfront and goes to the government, guides don't even get paid and work slave labour. Unless you want to feel like a d*ck tip good. Very nice people though, you do feel bad for them very quickly.

Flirted with this one waiter girl who got so excited she took a picture of me from far away. Guide saw it and confiscated the phone. God knows what happened to her after leaving, people have been executed for listening to South Korean songs.

[Merenguero]

Have you been to Cuba? I'd be curious to see how you would compare the effect of communism on Cuba to its effect on North Korea and Eastern Europe.

[Parlay44]

Capitalism stimulates greed in both men and women. It really brings out the ho in women.

[Steve Derekson]

(11-26-2013 07:11 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  

Have you been to Cuba? I'd be curious to see how you would compare the effect of communism on Cuba to its effect on North Korea and Eastern Europe.

Cuba is different, but it is not that different. Gender roles are fairly traditional (in the way they are in FSU), and you will see a lot of money-for-sex after dates, a bit on the vibe of Latvia. Castro legalized prostitution because he knew it would be a good source of foreign currency. On the other hand, Castro's regime is pretty light, much unlike a somewhat more proper "red" in the Soviet Union. The education received by a Cuban teenager would have been very different than a young girl growing up in Belarus.

Cuba has the effect, but it is on the light side. But, having said that, my experience of Latina America is that Cuban girls come in a close second after Brazilian, if you speak Spanish.

[Vitriol]

(11-26-2013 07:28 PM)Steve Derekson Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 07:11 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  

Have you been to Cuba? I'd be curious to see how you would compare the effect of communism on Cuba to its effect on North Korea and Eastern Europe.

Cuba is different, but it is not that different. Gender roles are fairly traditional (in the way they are in FSU), and you will see a lot of money-for-sex after dates, a bit on the vibe of Latvia. Castro legalized prostitution because he knew it would be a good source of foreign currency. On the other hand, Castro's regime is pretty light, much unlike a somewhat more proper "red" in the Soviet Union. The education received by a Cuban teenager would have been very different than a young girl growing up in Belarus.

Cuba has the effect, but it is on the light side. But, having said that, my experience of Latina America is that Cuban girls come in a close second after Brazilian, if you speak Spanish.

The girls I've met who are RECENT immigrants to Estados Unidos from Cuba have been pretty great overall (maybe like a year or less before being corrupted by American culture). I don't speak enough Spanish to get a complete idea of what their personalities are like, but I haven't been disappointed.

Personally, I really like their look and (non bitchy) demeanor.

[DaveR]

Nothing to do with communism, IMO. Women are better in countries with a low standard of living and where men have all of the resources. Competition is great for a woman's figure.

Your hypothesis is indirectly correct because communism quickly leads to economic collapse. That in turn provides the necessary imbalance of resources and low standard of living, motivating women to compete.

Iran was actually pretty hot before it became a demented Islamic republic. Indian women are also very feminine once they get out of the poverty trap.

[lavidaloca]

Cuban woman are great but they expect the man to take care of them. Especially in Havana which is becoming more capitalist every year. There is a lot of date + sex + tip afterwards going on in Cuba. It's unfortunate but it's reality. Cuban guys who can are doing it as well its not just foreigners. It makes it a difficult place for a foreigner on a week long trip who wants to get a bunch of bangs but doesn't want to pay. Most girls who are willing to go home quickly are going to expect some currency or clothes to change hands afterwards. Hence, why it's difficult for a guy no matter how good looking or how air tight his game is to roll into Havana and be getting "free" pussy left right and center. Any girl you date there will expect you to pay for the dates in full, including cab fare both ways, it can be maquina fare which is cheap (less than a dollar). She will also expect you to help her out with stuff occasionally. Generally speaking this means buying her a dress and clothes here and there. I know quite a few Cuban guys who work non stop just to be able to satisfy their girlfriends need for shit. But for us foreigner it's generally pretty cheap.

To give you an idea, my gf in the provinces receives 100 CUC a month. About 105 Canadian.

My gf in Havana receives 150 CUC a month. About 157.50 Canadian.

You may consider this prostitution. But reality is when I'm not there it allows them to live reasonably well. They have money to go out occasionally. Eat in local restaurants and money to help their families. When I'm there I don't give them an allowance and I usually come with lots of clothes, cologne, deodorant, shampoo etc. I'm there about 5 months a year. In the other 7 months maintaining my girlfriends roughly costs me 1500 + 500 + 250 for emergencies for phone calls so 2250. I don't think its a particularily great deal financially wise as with 2000 dollars I could go many places and have shit loads of hookers if we are talking about simply sex. However, it also makes me feel decent about myself that I'm helping people and it really costs me very little in the grand scheme of things. My gf's are 19 (recently turned) and 21 respectively and this allows them to do some stuff they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford. Today my gf in Havana went to the coppelia (it's cheap). Last week she bought a stroller for her sister. My gf in Holguin had the money to go out on Saturday night to a local cabaret with friends of mine. She also has money to rent her own little apartment. (25 dollars a month). Both of the girls are ballerinas. The one in Havana is far better looking and more connected and has quite a few upcoming opportunities to work abroad dancing a short tours. (1-3 months). However, when in Havana she may make 20 dollars in an average month. Before me to make ends meet she'd do all kinds of shit. Selling cake for 2 dollars a day. Helping people put nails on etc just to have some money to spend. The other girl was named teacher of the year at her school last year. Shes a dance professor and I think she got a raise from 17 dollars to 21 dollars a month. People rely in Cuba a ton on money sent from abroad (generally from family).

The further outside of Havana you go, the less capitalist like the people are. Less scams, more integrity. But it comes at a cost. They are also far less interesting and far less knowledgeable.

[Big Nilla]

Lavidaloca,

Any idea on how easy it would be for a Cuban girl to live overseas, say in the DR?

[lavidaloca]

Hi Big Nila, what is it you mean by living overseas? Do you mean for example you invite her on a visa to go to the DR?

If you are talking about visa's it really depends on where it is. There are a few places that they can go to without a hitch. I believe Ecuador is one of those places, Honduras another. The Dominican republic there are opportunities but I'm not sure how the invitation process works. My one gf had a dance contract their that fell through due to an injury she suffered in training. It really is dependent on who the sponsor is as well as the girls circumstances.

If you are asking can a cuban girl simply get a passport, buy a ticket and fly to DR. The answer is unfortunately no.

There is a large screening process in many countries due to the fact that many Cubans upon landing on a visitor or work visa over stay it or simply never return to Cuba. Some countries are far easier for them to go than others.

Canada is notoriously difficult for them to go to. Getting a girl to come on a TRV (tourist visa which is valid up to 6 months) meaning the girl can spend up to 6 months at one time in Canada is notoriously difficult. (assuming she isn't your wife, or a family member of your spouse). The government really wants proof that she will go back to Cuba. This includes things like children, assets, reason for coming, work, life history, family history etc. For them to travel they also need permission to leave work as well generally speaking.

Sure there are a few Cubans who bounce around Europe in the summer, US in the fall etc. But that is exceptionally rare. Very few people on the island have ever travelled outside of the island.

The funny thing is those that leave, spend all their vacation time going back and post on facebook non stop about how much they miss Cuba. It really isn't a terrible place. It's tough to make money without a doubt. But people make due with what they have. They appreciate things that to us are ridiculously small.

If your question is in regards to how well they'd adjust. Thats tough to say. Just about every Cuban loves being back in Cuba. This includes girls and guys. I understand why the guys like it. I mean what guy doesn't like cheap booze, beautiful woman. But the girls also seem to love going back. I think they can adapt but you can't take the Cuba out of a Cuban. I haven't been to Miami or Florida in years so I don't really know how Cubans in the US are.

A lot of tourists you'll meet get duped and / or talk about how all Cubans are out to get you and full of shit. The problem is they end up in touristy areas and end up hanging around with people who make their money via tourism, cigar dealers, pimps, hookers etc. The majority of Cubans are honest.

I have had upwards of 6k openly available to grab, in places where both my gfs know it is and not locked. I've never missed a dime. Well once I was missing just short of 2 dollars (40 moneda nacional) because the one girl decided to take a bici-taxi to visit her friend in the rain. But you get the point. I imagine if I left a large amount of money in the open like that in many places I'd never see them or my money again.

I imagine a Cuban girl would adjust far better to a place like DR where she can go out and dance, speak her mother tongue, hang out at the beach then if someone were to take a Cuban girl to Mississipi or Germany for example.

A lot of people give Cubans hate and post about shit like marriage fraud. When you find out the story the woman was 45 the guy was 23, worked at the hotel and they had spent all of 4 weeks together before getting married. That is just downright stupidity.

Cuba is also very different depending on where you go. Havana is 100x more materialistic than the eastern provinces. The life is way faster there as well. In a capitalist society people from Havana will likely on average be far more successful than people from Holguin. They have a mindset far more similar to that of Americans, Canadians and Western Europeans. The one thing though that many of them lack is the mindset of saving money for a better future. They tend to spend everything they have. That is something that if they were to move abroad may take some time to change. I imagine thats why you see many Cubans abroad who are dressed as though they have a lot of money or are fairly successful. (I have a Cuban friend in Miami for example who wears expensive designer clothes, gucci loafers, zegna suits etc.) He clears like 1000-1500 a month in his under the table job but he spends every dime on his wardrobe. Appearances are big there. I took my one gf to a 5* in Varadero recently and she was probably the best dressed person in the hotel. Yet, she was also without a doubt the poorest.

[DaveR]

(11-27-2013 01:34 AM)lavidaloca Wrote:  

Canada is notoriously difficult

Also for Russians. Canada is the most difficult country to get a visa for, followed by Australia and then the UK.

[bojangles]

that was great lavidaloca, gives me memories of cuba and how I want to go back. Varadero is just for fucking canadian chicks

[lavidaloca]

I did my Varadero tour of duty a couple weeks ago for a well although I had a Cuban girl staying with me at the hotel. It was fun but it was about as far from a real Cuba experience as possible. Best night there was without a doubt at Cabaret Continental (Thursday I think.) That place was pretty fun. There were a couple Cuban stunners who I saw just about anybody with an ounce of balls trying to holler at without any success. But the reality is if they live in Varadero and are really good looking, they can practically pick and choose foreigners as they have so many passing through that they can be incredibly selective. I would guess the majority of the Cuban stunners that may be seen at nightclubs in varadero have quite a few "sponsors" from various countries sending money each month.

I think Varadero would probably be the best place for any non spanish speaker in Cuba. Outside of Varadero as a non-spanish speaker in say Havana it will be very difficult to get normal girls who aren't expecting a "regalo" afterwards. I know a lot of tourists who spend 6+ months a year there every year for years and still don't know spanish beyond cerveza. They then complain about their inability to meet good woman. They don't accept that the problem is them and is easily fixable. Keep in mind when I say Varadero would be the best for any non-spanish speaker I say that because there will be the most english speaking people there whom aren't Cuban.

I'd go back to Varadero but personally I'd only go if I brought a cubana with me. There are a couple crazy weekends in the summer where some well known groups host parties and people on the island get ridiculous deals to stay in 4* hotels in Varadero. (I believe 150 for 3 or 4 nights) However, finding out about these events more than a week in advance is near impossible in my experience as they are basically unadvertised. I only ever heard about them through word of mouth a couple days before they were set to happen. I'll try to check one of these out this summer.

If you are back in Cuba this December / January or anytime in the summer let me know bojangles and I'll do my best to hook you up / send you in the right direction.

[Ternarydemonite]

Would a solo trip to cuba be worth it? My friends are either betas or broke.
How much money would you reccomend for a 4-5 day trip and a couple of bangs from a pair of 19-21 year old? I have heard there are houses which rent rooms for foreigners, including a young girl which will cook and clean for you, with full service from her, at monetary expense of course.

[lavidaloca]

Ternary it seems you are asking a more p4p oriented question. But I'll assume you aren't as I'd rather not respond to anything that would get me banned here.

Assuming you speak spanish and you are on a 4-5 day trip. Budget atleast $100 a day. This is a short trip so your expenditures will increase accordingly.

I'm not sure who gave you the idea that the maids will service your every need. I'm sure this does in fact happen but I've never seen a maid that I really had a desire to fuck in the first place.

It depends on how outgoing you are, if you speak spanish, your looks and to some extent your game. If you don't speak spanish your going to spend 4 or 5 days holding your dick at the end of the night likely. That may not be the answer you want to hear but it's honest. Your best chance of getting laid without paying for it as an english only speaker would be in places like Varadero where there are tons of tourists. Sure without spanish you may be able to get a lay or 2 off of badoo but the girls are ugly on their in comparison to what you see once you land. I wouldn't ever go to Cuba for some online lays.

I had good looking non spanish speaking friends visit me this summer and they honestly did very poorly. I had spanish speaking friends visit me who did very well/and some not so well. I do have some english only speaking friends whom do exceptionally well there but they also effectively live there and have really high social status, not to mention tons of friends, hookups etc.

[Ternarydemonite]

Spanish is no problem. Neither money. It is not about p2p but rather the easy hoockup with a girl who expects a "gift" from you. Not sure if there is a difference between that and prostitution, other than one asks for money upfront and other after finishing at your room.

[DaveR]

(11-27-2013 02:29 PM)Ternarydemonite Wrote:  

Spanish is no problem. Neither money. It is not about p2p but rather the easy hoockup with a girl who expects a "gift" from you. Not sure if there is a difference between that and prostitution, other than one asks for money upfront and other after finishing at your room.

If you give her a 'gift' every time you have sex, it's P4P.

[lavidaloca]

Yea, its a fine line. As a tourist you will be entering strictly p4p in those situations. Girls aren't likely going to go home with you and then just "hope" to receive something after. You will run into straight up p4p.

I think my statement about gifts was misconstrued in part for my own faulty explanation. As a tourist though, even if you say that you live there (they will know its bullshit because you won't be enough familiar with the area) you will be running into straight up p4p. Girls aren't easily going to go home with you because they "hope" to receive something in the morning + they like you. They will be going home with you for ___ dollars prenegotiated. That will sound really offensive but its the honest truth. The girls you meet as a tourist whom will do this will be hookers without question. Not amateurs from the university. They will flat out be hookers. Some Cuban girls are known to do this with Cuban guys and will have several who take them on dates and after fuck them for money/ gifts. These girls are hookers.

The vast majority of girls aren't going to go home with you for money or for a gift or anything of that sort. Here's your problem, if you want to go up on the looks scale, why would she fuck a likely uglier foreigner than she could a Cuban whom doesn't provide her anything more than any other handsome Cuban guy in the nightclub could. This is why on a 4 or 5 day trip, you are at a huge disadvantage. No offense to foreign guys but Cuban guys on average are far better looking than Canadian guys, American guys etc. They are slim, lean, have better hair, etc. Less processed food makes for less acne. They also dance better than nearly all foreigners. There are some foreigners who of course are better in all aspects but this is the exception and not the rule.

As to what I was saying as to date + sex + gifts. I poorly explained that and as a result it has led to misinformation. As an example one my gf's dated a Cuban guy who spent every single dollar he made on her. He'd work his ass off and come home every few weeks to a month with something for her, be it a dress, purse etc. That was what his labor was directed towards. She didn't date him because he bought her a dress here and there. This I wouldn't classify as p4p. She certainly wasn't dating him cause he bought her a dress or purse here and there.

I really don't want to turn this into anything to do with p4p. I was explaining more so from a relationship perspective in that a guy dating a girl is expected to take care of her and provide for her. In terms of tourists going there and banging girls for "gifts" this is simply hookers fucking johns for cash. Not average college girls. But hookers.

Now if you want to date up on the looks scale. Say you are a 7 and shes an 8.75 and you have time it can be done.

If I wrote here about securing first night lays left right and center in Cuba I'd be full of shit. Because in terms of ONS prospects there are honestly much better prospects than yourself or myself likely in terms of looks, appearance, dancing and hell probably fucking based on how many of these guys dance. At higher end nightclubs the guys are dressed very well. Better than 99% of foreigners I see who venture in the same night clubs as well.

Neither of my girlfriends I got via one night stand or even second dates. Just about every first night lay when it involves a foreigner is transaction based. I'd estimate well over 95% and probably 99%. Hence why on a 4 or 5 day trip it will not be easy. Over a few months you have much more time to take your prospects out and date them and over time fuck them which allows for far better results. You also will carry less of that "sex tourist stigma."

In my 4 month trip this summer I could count the amount of first night lays I got on one hand.

Why not read the reports of some of the more respectable guys who are involved in this lifestyle like krauser whom went there. It was by no means a first night lay paradise for any of them.

[Ternarydemonite]

Fair enough. I know this is not the place to discuss p4p. Self explanatory.

Also, your insights as for chances of a ons, competition from cuban men and other factors are useful. But then again a short trip based on sighting, rum, food and p4p doesnt sound so bad, provided that you have enough cash. I see no point on trying day game in short trips, and as a foreigner you will have little chance in night game which doesn't involve direct cash transactions.

[lavidaloca]

It all depends. There are some guys I can tell from here who would walk in and kill it in a 5 day trip. But the overwhelming majority would not.

Havana specifically isn't generally a great first night lay place. Logistics are brutal. Nightclubs are all over the place. Girls who go there may very well live 20km in another direction. Theres no, strip which is "the place to be" and as such it's not so simple logistically.

Sure you could set up shop right by a club you like. But when that club is only popular once a week what are you going to do the other 4 nights.

In terms of non pros day game is better for Havana. Simply because finding non-pro nightlife in Havana is somewhat tricky and changes week to week. Remember the majority of girls don't go clubbing and if they do go clubbing their boyfriend is paying for it and likely with them.

With all of that said with ample time one could easily date up their and find a pretty good catch or 2, 3, or heck even 10. It just isn't a place designed well for same night lays.

[bojangles]

cheers lavidaloca, I enjoyed Varadero, I was in Cuba for 2 weeks, all in a 5 star all inc hotel called Barcelo Solymar, it was full of young canadian sluts, fucking banging. I also got to know a local in the area, I knew that we needed to take old clothes because they don't get branded items, him and my cousin double teamed some cuban girl one night when he took us out, it was literally under a bridge .

I did a tour to havana and pinar del rio, hooked up with a dancer from club tropicana cabaret club and hit a jazz club there. I remember being lost at 5am one night, looking for my hotel thinking fuck, none of these fuckers speak english.

It all worked out, some girls were walking back from a bar and they showed me back, thought that was fucking sweet.

[lavidaloca]

I swooped a Tropicana girl a couple years ago as well. I'll never forget some of the shit she did to me in bed. Lets just say she had some outstanding flexibility.

It's really nice how safe Cuba is compared to a lot of places. I wandered home fucked up to Old Havana during Carnival at like 4 AM and felt relatively safe despite walking around the "edgier" part of the city. I walk around all the time in Cuba, heck sometimes when I'm going home alone I'll walk home several kilometers at 4 or 5am and I've never been on edge. With that said robbery does happen against tourists but it's usually guys walking around with cameras the size of a golf bag and robbery against other Cubans.

I think one thing that throws a lot of people off about Cuba is they see the wages. They then make the assumption that every girl will be in to them. But they forget that while the majority make really shitty wages. A fair amount have lots of disposable income. They aren't paying mortgages, car loans, student loans etc. There are a sizeable amount of people who have money to blow. So while yes, the typical mediocre chick probably doesn't have many suitors who have good financial resources...the more attractive woman still can easily find a Cuban whom does. This is why you still see guys in there 60s rolling with 20 year olds. The 20 year old they are with is far from the cream of the crop... but as they say the worst 20 year old is better than the best 50 year lookswise.

With that said 2 chicks stand out to me as the best looking girls I've ever seen. One was with a Cuban who was young, wealthy (had an audi in cuba, il assume it), deezed guy.

The other was rolling with a Greek or Italian guy who was a bit overweight, 40s, but suited up and had the best table in the club every time I saw him...(seemed he had some kind of gmanifesto game going on).

I think Cuba is a great destination as long as people go with reasonable expectations. It isn't Thailand or the Phillipines.

There really isn't much if any of an expat community which for long term monolingual speakers may be an issue. Personally I like this as it forces me to interact with Cubans. Plus to be honest most of the expats I've met their, seem to start boozing at 9AM and fall asleep after boozing to 10 or 11PM every day. Not exactly my idea of living but to each their own.

Another issue is the lack of ability to just buy a sim card for your phone. Only Cubans can and they are limited to one per person. This makes it extremely difficult to plan dates. When you get a girls number and you have to call her from a landline to her cell phone she has to pay the call! Guess what, at 35 cents a minute 99% of the time she won't pick up and if she does its cause she mistook it for a relative. You can go to some etecsas and rent a phone line for 3 or so dollars a day. But it requires passport, id + paperwork. Not exactly what most people have in mind when going on vacation.

Accomodations are somewhat overpriced in Havana. I think Julio can attest to that. His friends had a place that was 400 dollars a night. While the place was nice and had a pool, in a 3rd world country it's pretty steep. A reasonable place by north american standards will run you around 35 dollars a night. Kind of silly considering I just rented an apartment for one of my girlfriends to the tune of 25 dollars a MONTH.

The other big issue is registering. In everywhere except Havana and perhaps Santiago (not sure) when you bring a girl back she will have to sign a book which is brought to immigration the next day. Her name is recorded and details of the stay. If shes found a few times she can be arrested for a charge that is similar to prostitution. This makes bringing girls to your place an issue. Thankfully in Havana theres a what the eyes dont see doesn't matter attitude in most apartments/houses.

The cops are serious and will stop you walking with girls in Cuba. I was stopped probably 5-8 times this summer alone. Considering all the girls were within 5 years of my age and I tend to lighter skinned ones this is surprising in itself.

1. Police stopped me in a cab home while I was with a gf of mine. (cab driver was his buddy from school thankfully. what are the odds.)

2. Police stopped me in a cab going home a few nights later with the same girl from above (she was white and about 5'11 could easily pass for Canadian based on dress too.) The taxi driver took care of it as they do in the 3rd world.

3. I was stopped when my current ballerina gf took a piss on the street. They radio'ed the police station with her id. Nothing showed up as she hasn't had experience with foreigners before thankfully. This same girl was taken to the police station overnight because she was walking without her ID at one point (not with me). I'm guessing when they called in the details she gave, it now showed up she'd been with a tourist recently.

4. They stopped me while I walking from 23rd avenue to a buddies place with a gay guy and his best friend (hot chica). I convinced the cops I knew her from her hometown and had brought her to Havana with me. She would've been fucked as she wasn't their on a in transit visa as she had gone quickly to take care of her grandma without getting permission. I later banged the hot chica on my buddies bed bareback while he took her gay friend out to buy more drinks

5. I met a girl at a rooftop pool one day with a buddy. Hotel Deuville. Probably the shittiest pool you can find in Cuba. I invited the girl out that night. I happened to invite her out to a bar that is known for prostitution because the bands performing were top class (Charanga Habanera). I went with my canadian buddy, a cuban friend, my date and her sister. Once we left the place they stopped my date, her sister and my cuban buddy. The 3 of them were brought to the station. The sister and my buddy were let go. My date is now serving time...(I was told she must have had a history. But who knows. I called the next day and was told by a guy that she no longer lives there and only found out a few months later when her sister was raging at my Cuban buddy who was with us that night.)

6. I was having a beer with a hooker whom friend of mine walking back from a store. Lone behold a police car drives right infront of us and stops her. They bugged her for about 30 minutes and then let her go.

I tell you this to point out that there are actually risks for girls in being with foreigners. Heck half the cops basically know who I am by appearance in the main areas cause I'm there so much but they still stop me. All of these incidents were in Havana. This is why many girls won't want to go to public places with you. (atleast the smarter ones) unless you seem like a potential suitor. Unfortunately at times I suspect girls who you seemed to connect with choose to not see you again due to this fear or atleast people in their lives telling them about it and I can't blame them. Getting stopped by police isn't fun anywhere. One thing I will say about police in Cuba is they are very polite and generally helpful.

Another recommendation I have is not to ever fight with a Cuban with fists no matter how bad they deserve it. Its pretty common for people to carry small knifes as protection. I don't know anyone who does that in Canada but there quite a few of my friends do. It's not worth it. Who knows if the guy recently had the love of his life stolen from him by some foreigner and hates us all. It's far better to er on the edge of caution. Trust me when I say you will get scammed in Havana and it will piss you off. You will if you are someone who gets even a remote amount agitated (assuming you realized you were hustled) at some point in a week or 2 stay be angry.

I think most guys would enjoy visiting Cuba but only a select few would find it a place they like for longer term stays. Is it a pussy paradise? no. Are there lots of attractive woman? If you go to the right places, even a blind man will say so.

[Big Nilla]

lavidaloca,
As a Canadian, are you strictly staying in Cuba for about 5 months a year on a tourist visa? If you have some sort of residency visa, how hard was that to get? Can you get money out of ATM's (do they even have a lot of ATM's, especially in Holguin?) with your Canadian debit card, or like Americans you have to rely solely on cash?

[lavidaloca]

a) I stay on a tourist visa. Canadians can stay 180 days straight. After 90 days they have to get some stamps and then go to immigration + pay a small fee. I believe it is $25 to renew the visa for 90 more days to a maximum of 180 days. This length of time is not available to other nationalities. Generally speaking other nationalities can stay 30 days + 30 days (upon renewal).

b) residency visa is available but generally foreigners whom get it apply for it after being married or having children in Cuba. In Cuba nothing is fast so I imagine this process wouldn't be very swift.

c) Atm's exist. Generally speaking ATMs are more available and function better in denser tourist areas like Havana and Varadero. There are limits on withdrawl amounts and only specific listed card types are accepted. An american affiliated card will unfortunately not be accepted. I believe the withdrawl limit is around 400 CUC...roughly 420 Canadian. I wouldn't want to rely on ATM's as they may very well eat your card. Then you'd be screwed. The ATMs are dated in general. In Holguin my friends were unable to get the ATMs to work last time I was there. I don't foresee many tourists spending more than a small amount of time in a place like Holguin due to its rather limited activities available.

d) Depending on the trip length I adjust the amount of cash I bring. Last summer I believe I brought $6800 Canadian with me. This lasted roughly 2 months. I then used my credit card and debt visa card to make further withdrawls...both of which I prepaid before withdrawing. Generally I'd go to the bank with these cards and withdraw the equivalent of what the bank would give me for $1000 Canadian. Most people would probably be best advised to not bring large amounts of cash if they don't have a lot of Cuba or Carribbean travel experience. It's very easy to make friends who seem like good people but are really tiburones (sharks). A lot of the friendliest people you will meet are hustlers. I do know of a tourist who was robbed of a few 1000 dollars by one of her "friends." I've been pickpocketed going out before without a doubt. I learned my lesson. I think I was taken for a couple hundred. A friend of mine was pickpocketed of his passport...(Why they wanted his passport was unclear to me...until one of his "friends" told him he could find out who had it and "sell it back to him.") Bring an amount of cash that you can afford to lose if worst comes to worse. When I go out, unlike the Cuban guys who want to appear rich (you'll see some Cubans at bars carrying literally there entire net worth to the tune of 500-1000 bucks) I guess they are implenting "bankroll game." I tend to bring more modest amounts. 60-100 dollars is generally what I'll carry with me when I go out. If you are spending more than 100 dollars at a disco in Cuba you are doing something wrong or getting taken for a ride. When beers are at the highest like 3 dollars, you either have a serious alcohol addiction, you are getting taken for a ride, or you brought to many people with you who aren't really your friends.


Cuba is not a great in and out quick lay destination. It takes time to get your feet wet and generally speaking by the time your feet are wet and you've started to get a grasp of things your flight home is soon awaiting. It is a huge learning curve. I don't think I really figured out Havana whatsoever until perhaps July this year. I was fucking up a lot. 5 nights out of 7 I'd be unable to find anything but nightclubs with pros. I'd make bad choices on where to go out, where to meet girls etc. I would be stunned if any visitor in any less than a 1 month trip is able to consistently find non-pro nightlife. Even after a month you'll probably still be making bad location choices non stop. I was. If you asked me where to go this Thursday I could make some guesses what would be good, but as to who will show up be it pros or non pros it would really be a guessing game. You may be inclined to think you can just bounce club to club easily but you are forgetting the size of Havana. It is huge and nightlife is spread out. Nightgame guys would find this to be a big deterent.

While daygame there are plenty of options many of the targets people select will inherently be pros. The woman will show some sort of interest which makes it "easier" to approach. Unfortunately this ends up being pros far to often. Also people you meet aren't necessarily going to be available to come meet you on a whim. They won't have cars. They will not want to pay a taxi or maquina or even a bus to come meet you at another time. They especially won't want to meet you if they can't contact you to make sure you are at the meeting place. This is working against you. Along with the fact that they may very well not have a cell phone. Most girls are not going to desire Tony from Italy calling her house and having her grandmother pick up the phone. My one girl is 21 years old and still doesn't have a cell phone. (I met her when she was 18) I have bought her 2 junkers but she has a habit of getting into clothing debt and having to give up her cell phone to pay her debt. Why people sell clothes and give people 2 months to pay is beyond me. My girlfriends explained to me that this allows them to buy clothes they otherwise couldn't buy. I then explained to them you could wait to you have enough money in hand but they wouldn't have any of it. (the logic escaped them) The other one I met when she 18 and while she claimed to have had a cell phone previously (I'm guessing she never did but was embarrassed as she went and put a sim card in her name when I bought her one and she didn't have a sim card previously, (can only have 1 in your name)) I was calling her sisters cell phone and a girl in her dance troupe to make plans with her. This is in part why I say time will be an issue. It's not as easy as dialing her number, making plans, meeting up. Its more often than not, calling someone related to her, waiting for them to pass the message to her, having her call you back a day or 2 later (on your minutes), you trying to make plans, her agreeing, then firming up again before she meets you. It is a pain in the ass. Your other issue is that almost all pretty girls in Cuba will have a boyfriend or someone the are "seeing." They have to bullshit them to be able to see you / wait for an opportunity for their boyfriend to be doing something else for the night. While Cuban guys are macho they damn well are protective and jealous of their girlfriends. People in the barrio will mention that they saw ___ go out last night dressed up and gossip. When Sally fucks some guy from the same barrio, by the next day the entire barrio knows as people gossip like crazy. My one girlfriend has specifically told me that she never has fucked anyone from her barrio for this very reason. Sometimes boyfriends aren't an issue cause the boyfriend wants his gf to fuck tourists in hopes of economic gain, I had this happen to me once knowingly this summer.

These issues make it difficult to go in, get quick bangs and get out. As well as the police, registration and economic issues. So while you have a lot going for you, being a tourist has many handicaps and disadvantages be it a long or short term tourist. This is why in terms of sexual opportunities a place like DR is much more free.

I think it's easy to find a wife in Cuba but difficult to find a bunch of free sex. Don't let documentaries like Travelbum fool you. Look at the area in which he is wandering in day time. I believe hes around the Obispo. Go walk there yourself. You'll find about 100 hookers, pimps and cigar dealers all very open to meeting you. The hookers in many cases you may not recognize unless you stroll the area for several weeks as you may mistake them for normal Cubans. But after you see them every day there, you begin to realize what's up. I wouldn't ever day game a girl I met there. I lived in that area for a few months this summer which I now regret and it was the same people strolling the area every day. The tourists changed but the Cubans didn't. You have many obstacles in your way. But you also come with some positives that help balance those negatives (far more financial security, bigger bankroll, more time than when working.)

I think Cuba will get more player friendly once there is more money in the economy. Woman will then be more likely to have cell phones (makes things a lot easier.) Plus, will have more money to go out to restaurants, lounges, nightclubs etc, making it easier for guys searching for non-pros. At the moment there are a lot of barriers.

A lot of tourists won't notice the lack of cell phone issue as they will meet girls exclusively in nightclubs. The problem is the girls there are either pro's, or have more access to money than 95% of the Cuban population. It isn't very representative of the true demographic.

Some of you guys are probably mixed race and/or believe you can pass for Cuban. Your clothes/ demeanor will likely give you away. If you dress like this guy, you could pass for a poor Cuban... http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread...=154275551 although I think any serious Cuban would probably think you look ridiculous. Cubans seem to be able to tell who is Cuban instinctively.