On
a personal note
I met a really nice casa owner in Cienfuegos on a trip and
we quickly became good friends (a common thing in Cuba). On
a trip back, I called several times to make casa arrangements
to stay there again. To make a long story short, he was caught
with some marijuana and is currently serving a 20 year prison
sentence! Not your idea of a vacation in Cuba right?
Pornography
& Sex
pornographic material is against the law. Taking pictures
of naked Cubana(o)'s constitutes pornography. Get the idea?
The legal age of consent in Cuba is sixteen between Cubans,
not Cubans with foreigners. 18 is the legal age of consent
for tourists. Technically, US citizens can be prosecuted by
the US government for having sex with minors even outside
US. If that, along with your conscience, isn't enough to deter
you consider this: In the US, pedophiles are typically separated
from the general prison population to protect them from other
prisoners. In Cuba, to the best of my knowledge, no such precautionary
measures exist.
And
who said there is no justice in Cuba?
The
bottom line is that if you get caught breaking the law in
Cuba, chances are they have no mercy in their punishment.
Sure, you can contact your embassy, but perobably they won't
be much help. You are bound to the laws of the country you
are in. They tend not to be very sympathetic to your stupidity.
| Scams |
| From
Debbies Forum and thanks Terry ;)
May
2005
Violent
crime against foreigners is (almost) unheard of,
and the so-called “scams” in Cuba
are invariably bush league when compared to other
destinations in the developing world.
You’re
(usually) looking at losing a few bucks, and a
bit of pride, that’s all. No big deal. (There's
always exceptions, of course, so don't make the
mistake of blindly jumping on the "Cuba
Is So Safe" bandwagon to the point
where you're being stupid. Sadly, it's NOT
as safe as it used to be!)
If
you want a chuckle about some REAL scams, read
threads on the Indian Subcontinent branch of the
Thorn Tree. Cuban scams are innocently naïve
in comparison...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please
don’t take this thread as a slam against
Cuba. IT'S NOT!! I’m simply pointing out
a few issues that all tourists should be aware
of, and a few scams that with a little common
sense are non-issues for a prepared traveler.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| 1.)
Violent Crime: |
Still
(almost) unheard of - against tourists, that is.
(Cuban to Cuban is a different story.) Like the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police of olden times,
the Cuban Police always “get their man.”
I doubt there’s any place that can boast
the almost 100% success rate for solving violent
crime that the Cuban police do. Justice is swift
and brutal. Result: Your chances of being shot,
knifed, raped, car jacked, etc. are minuscule.
(That
said, I’ve had one very good friend and
one mutual acquaintance - both foreigners - murdered
in Cuba. They were both being very stupid, and
put themselves in situations that anyone with
the slightest bit of common sense would never
consider. Their murders are a complete non-issue
to the average, smart traveler.)
|
| 2.)
Snatch & Grab: |
Unfortunately
this is becoming more common in tourist areas.
Never stroll around with your purse/knapsack casually
slung over your shoulder. Never carry a camera
in your hand without strapping it to your wrist.
Many times the Snatch & Grab thieves work
in pairs, with one riding a bicycle, thus offering
both thieves a quick getaway.
|
| 3.)
Pickpockets: |
This
is unfortunately now rampant in some areas. If
you’re being jostled in a crowd situation
in Havana or Santiago you will suffer pickpocket
attempts. It’s inevitable.
I
don’t have much sympathy for the victims
though, because pickpocketing is one of the very
few crimes that is 100% preventable.
A pickpocket can’t magically teleport something
from you. A pickpocket has to physically get their
hands on your belongings. Inside pockets, properly
secured, and measures like money belts, etc. make
pickpocketing almost impossible. Be prepared,
and this very common crime becomes a non-issue.
(CSI
Miami – the crime show – is one of
the most popular television programs in Cuba.
When I take a Cuban bus – knowing full well
that I’ll have a pickpocket attempt –
sometimes I’ll put a 1 Cuban Peso note in
my back pocket, and write on it, “We now
have your fingerprints and DNA. Please turn yourself
in to the nearest police station.” One kid
actually screamed, and begged me to take back
the bill.
|
| 4.)
Other Thievery: |
Never
leave your belongings unsecured. Sitting a purse
down on a bench and looking away for a moment
is asking for trouble. Minor crimes of
opportunity are very common, so don’t give
anyone the chance.
Most
unique bit of thievery I witnessed: A purse stolen
because it was left too close to a window –
the thieves reached in through the security bars
with a long stick, and silently spirited it away.
|
| 5.)
Money Exchange: |
Take
a calculator with you so you know the exact amount
of Convertible Pesos coming to you. If you don’t
have a calculator, do NOT accept any transaction
that doesn’t come with a printed receipt.
No printed receipt invariably means that you’re
being short-changed. Ripping off tourists during
money exchange transactions has become a very
common occurrence.
There
are no service charges to exchange money at a
bank, so don’t listen to that crooked teller
– demand honest service.
Lots
of Cubans working money exchange scams, including
the flight check-in personnel at the airport.
It goes without saying that any traveler is an
idiot to exchange money anywhere except at a proper
institution, or between trusted friends. (And
as noted above, even at the bank you have to be
frigging careful.
|
| 7.)
Credit Cards: |
| Never
let your credit card out of sight, and always
keep your carbon copies. Twice I’ve had
monster cash advances taken out on my credit card,
and processed through Spain. I discovered it when
I tried to book a flight, and my credit card was
maxed.
|
| 8.)
Restaurants and Bars: |
Never
run a bar tab – always pay as you go. Keep
a menu so you can compare the final bill against
the real prices. In some places like Barrio Chino
(Chinatown) in Havana it’s a given that
your bill will always be padded.
|
| 9.)
Fake Menus: |
The
Bar Nepuno in Havana is a typical Cuban bar of
very questionable repute, just down the street
from my casa. A beer or a mojito is $1.
I
can’t count the number of times as I’ve
walked home that I’ve saved distraught tourists
from that little hellhole because they’ve
allowed themselves to be talked into buying their
new “fren” a drink, and after a couple
of rounds discover their bar tab is $75. When
they express outrage/dismay, a “menu”
is quickly produced by the bartender, showing
a mojito going for $7.50. Always ask the
price, before you buy…
By
the way, I reached behind the bar once and stole
the fake menu. It’s now framed, on a wall
in my casa. It’s a source of great hilarity
for Cuban friends.
|
| 10.)
Taxis: |
If
you’re not running the meter, always confirm
the full price before you start the trip. The
metered rate is the same as anywhere else –
simply what the meter says, and no more. Some
taxi drivers will try and convince you the tariff
rate, kilometre rate and the taxi rate has to
be added together. Pretty funny, actually.
|
| 11.)
Customs Duty Coming Into Cuba: |
If
you have too much luggage, or you’re carrying
something suspect (ALL luggage is X-Rayed upon
arrival in Cuba) you’ll be red-flagged and
hauled into Secondary Inspection.
Cuban
Customs Regulations are quite simple and straightforward.
If you’re trying to bring in something out
of the ordinary (especially electronics) familiarize
yourself with the regulations and refuse to pay
any duty that is not correct. Waving a copy of
the Regulations and not speaking Spanish is actually
an advantage in these situations. (I derive perverse
pleasure from hassling crooked Customs Agents.
)
http://www.aduana.islagrande.cu/pasajero3.htm
|
| 12.)
Overweight Baggage Charges Exiting Cuba: |
When
you’re leaving home always check the exact
weight of your checked luggage at the airport.
When the Cuban check-in agent tries to tell you
you’re overweight on your return leg, don’t
put up with that crap. Canadians in particular
are singled out for this scam because they’re
too polite, complacent and easily bullied. Believe
me, the Cuban check-in agents would never try
to pull this stunt on a plane full of Italians!!!
(I’ve
seen weights taped to the back side of the scales
at Varadero, and when I made a big scene they
all expressed horror at the deception, claiming
the “other shift did it.” Very, very
funny.
|
| 13.)
Cigars: |
The
cigars you bought from your best friend bartender/guide/cleaning
lady/taxi driver who has a father/brother/uncle
working at the cigar factory are counterfeit.
They were not taken from the factory, they are
counterfeit. No matter how well
you know your fren, they are counterfeit.
-
I’m not saying they’re bad cigars.
- I’m not saying they weren’t a great
deal.
- I’m not saying you won’t enjoy a
good smoke.
I’m
simply saying they’re 100% fake. Accept
this, get over it, and enjoy them! |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
There’s
lots of other things I could mention, but really, they’re
not important.
It
all boils down to one simple thing... Cuba is NOT a
difficult destination (as a matter of fact, it's incredibly
easy to travel there) but always
USE COMMON SENSE!!!
|
| From
the Lonely
Planet Thorn Tree: |
Rip
Offs
My boyfriend and I spend a month in Cuba earlier this
year - I just wanted to warn people about a scam that
I think is quite common.
|
On
our very first day there, totally confused by this system
of el peso convertible, we were standing in the queue to enter
the Capitolio in Havana. This Cuban girl, early 20's, came
up and started talking to me. (My boyfriend and I both speak
fairly fluent spanish). She was with her boyfriend too, and
they were both sooooooo friendly. "Oh, its your first
day in Cuba, how wonderful!" "Oh how i love your
tattoo.." "taking and taking away. My boyfriend
and I were both really pleased. We had been travelling without
stopping for ages and oit was nice to meet someone local we
could talk to.
We
went in to the Capitlio with them, still chatting away to
each other. They started dropping into the conversation that
there was this system where "tourist pesos convertibles"
was like hard currency. They were worth the some as "normal
peso's convertibles" but everyone wanted the tourist
ones to get to Florida. They were saying that there was this
guy, who owned a market or something, that would happily give
tourists double the value of "normal pesos convertibles"
if they gave him their "tourist pesos convertibles".
SO, for example, they said, if we gave him $300 worth of pesos
convertibles, he would give us $600 worth back.
And
so they mentioned this once, and dropped it. They were getting
really enthusiastec, following us around talking to us really
happily. They invited us to go for some beers. We went along
happily.
They
kept on mentioning this trade off. We kept on saying, over
and over again, that we didnt understand why someone would
give you double for nothing. Money, especially that amount
of money, does not just fall out of trees in a place where
people dont have all that much spare cash.
Anyway,
over beers, which they insisted on paying for, they were really
pushing this point. We should change our money, they said.
No one else would tell us about this because they wanted out
tourist money for themselves without us getting anything back
for it. We were friends, so they were trying to help us out,
they said. We were getting bought more and more beers. They
were so friendly. They wrote down their names and addresses
for us, invited us over for dinner, which we couldnt go to
as we had other plans that night. They seemed really annoyed
about that, and then started telling us that today was the
only day we could change our money, as there were only a few
days a month when it was allowed, and today was the last one.
When
we kept on saying that we didnt really understand why this
guy would give us double, they started getting pretty rude,
saying "oh you westeners, you think your so great, but
yo0u dont no anything about the way Cuba works, nothing. Hah.
FIne, we were onyl trying to help." Etc etc.
Now
you might think "Obviously a scam!" but at the time
we were hiping that it wasnt. These had invested so much time
and trouble into spending the day with us - buying us drinks,
inviting us for dinner etc. We wanted to believe the best
in Human Nature.
We
told them that we didnt have any money on us. They girl told
me to stay with her while her boyfirend and my boyfriend went
to get the money. We said taht we had to do some internet
bnking first. They started dragging us towards an internet
cafe. Eventaully we told them that we only had $20 anyway
and you should have seen their faces fall. They looked like
they were going to cry!
So
we left without giving them any money, still not 100% sure
if it was a scam or not. If it was, it was nasty, we though,as
they tried to get us to think that we were friends.
We
asked everyone we met and everyone told us it was rubbish,
but we weren't sure until we met an English guy, who was travelling
on his own.
Exactly
the same thing had happened to him, except he had given them
$100, and they gave him back...200 cuban pesos. About $5.
I
had an amazing time in Cuba, and met so many genuinely nice
people. I just wanted to let people know incase the same thing
happens to them.
Its
not a good attitude to take - trust no one. But I think generally
quite a good rule is, if they're asking you to do anything
that invloves money, dont trust them until you know them really
really well. Same goes for anywhere, right?
Leila
|
