Travel tips for Havana, Cuba?
I'll be traveling to Havana, Cuba for 4 or 5 days this Fall and I am asking for any recommended activities or destinations to put on an itinerary.
My main interests are (1) anything to do with the history of the Cuban Revolution and (2) social and technological measures taken to cope with constraints of the trade embargo (and yes, this even includes maintenance of old automobiles); and I'm not particularly interested in Ernest Hemingway, smoking cigars or getting drunk on rum. I will have a 12 and 14 year old kid with me, so I'm also looking for some interesting, age-appropriate activities for them. I will make an effort to take a day trip to the Che Guevara mausoleum in Santa Clara, but the rest of the time will be in or very near Havana. What do you recommend?
A bit offtopic, but my previous landlord used to vacation in Cuba every year. He would buy a bunch of small consumer electronics here in Canada to take with him, and then sell them there in order to pay for his trip, and/or use them to barter for things/services/accommodations. I obviously wouldn't recommend doing that, since he was a bit of a hustler, and that is very likely illegal... but it's what he did anyways. ;)
Unrelated, but since you said you're interested in technological measures taken to cope with the trade embargo, this video from Cloth Map from a few years ago might interest you: Cuba's Underground Gaming Network
Thanks. That's a really interesting video, especially seeing how SNET was set up and operated. It sounds like SNET is no more now, but I'll be interested to see current practices in the internet and computing.
I definitely wouldn't try selling things for profit there, but this definitely makes me think about what small things I can take as gifts. I wonder if people would like some Raspberry Pis? I have a few old ones lying around that I could take.
Raspberry Pis would probably only appeal to a particular type of electronics-minded person, but I imagine they would still be a great gift idea to those that are! This thread from /r/cuba has a bunch of other, more practical suggestions though:
https://old.reddit.com/r/cuba/comments/11fc6dy/things_to_bring_with_me_to_cuba_for_cubans/
E.g. Top comment:
Thanks again! That thread is full of good, practical ideas. And good point about the RPIs.
My sister went a few years ago. She took blue jeans and makeup to give away. She and her son went fishing with a guide, which was fun. She says that Cuba remains the most special and unique place she has visited so far.