I think the more valuable tourism is not of the well-off middle class people buying package tours to stay in fancy hotels and vegetate on patrolled beaches from which cubanos are banned, but of the travelling young* who work a few months at some bartender or waiter or like job, save up a little cash, and then wander, extending their money as long as possible in order to experience more fully the cultures with which they are in contact ... not to mention the casual sex and recreational pharmaceutical aspects -g- ... this is more common among european, canadian, and downunder youth than among US young in my experience ... which is a sad thing for that nation.
For hot running water south of the US the price of the hotel room goes up six or ten or more times ... this is absurd, you don't need hot water, the whole thing is a ripoff ... but worst of all, it separates you from the people ... when i go to Cuba it will be with a single small pack, a good pair of sneakers, and i will wander ... trick is to avoid english, unless it comes from a cubano who would just like to practise the language ... but if i see an english sign i'll walk away, that's not Cuba.
* - 'young' ... that's a state of mind you don't need to leave behind -g- |
