[QatzelOk]

All my life, I have wanted to visit Latin America.

So this year, I saved some money and decided to take my bicycle to somewhere in Latin America to explore the countryside and towns alone on my bike.

I needed somewhere safe from crime and safe from cars.

After doing research, there was only one country where I was unlikely to get killed by a car or robbed by criminals, and that country is... Cuba. Communist.

All of capitalist Latin America is made up of dangerous shit-holes for singly guys on a bike. In Cuba, there are few cars and fewer crimes. People are trusting and kind because... it's safe to be trusting and kind.

At all other Latin American destinations, the visitor is a prisoner of the resort and of guided tours.

Capitalism is an abject failure.

[skinster]

In the book I bought about Cuba, it taught me how huge bike-use is in Cuba and that made me so happy. I plan to visit in the upcoming weeks/months. I dunno how much it'd cost to take my bike over, figured I'd just hire bikes when out there.

I've also heard from two women I trust that Cuba is a safe place to travel alone as a lady.

[Stormsmith]

That's funny. If I go, it will bring to try the horses.

What i admire about Cuba is how much they have achieved to better the lives of Cubans on a threadbare shoe string budget.

[QatzelOk]

In the book I bought about Cuba, it taught me how huge bike-use is in Cuba and that made me so happy. I plan to visit in the upcoming weeks/months. I dunno how much it'd cost to take my bike over, figured I'd just hire bikes when out there.

I've also heard from two women I trust that Cuba is a safe place to travel alone as a lady.

It's better to bring your own bike because the locals have mainly Amsterdam-style beaters that can't necessarily go fast or far. From Montreal, it only costs between 30 dollars (one time) to 60 dollars to bring your own.

Also, bring your own tools and patches and extra tools. If you have any left, give them to a local ponchero or bike mechanic. Also, tie-wraps are like gold here.

Not sure about a woman travelling alone in Cuba by bike. You mostly see men on bikes. I saw more women on horses or driving horse-drawn carriages.

Also, I went to Holguin which is farm country (Oriente). People say Hola to one another as they pass on the street. And people are always helping one another and it's virtually impossible to be lonely because the streets are full of people (walking, biking, riding) instead of hermetically-sealed cars. The food is all organic and no GMO - it tastes great and fills you up fast. There is a smell of horse that pervades the air, but after a few days, you don't notice it. And now that I'm back, I miss that smell. Smells like team spirit - for real.

I actually cried (alone on my bike) three times when I was there because of the beauty of the people and their social organization.

Now that I'm back, I'm finding it hard to get used to how paranoid and mean-spiritied consumer society makes us. Fat people in SUVs, skinny phone-watchers eating alone, lack of cooperation or group discussion. We're pretty sad, from a social point of view - especially our suburbanites.

What i admire about Cuba is how much they have achieved to better the lives of Cubans on a threadbare shoe string budget.

Well, housing, food, education and health care are basically free. And for everything else, you have to use your mind instead of your credit card. This seems ideal and sustainable to me.

[skinster]

Thanks for the heads-up, Qatz.

People say Hola to one another as they pass on the street.

I experienced this everywhere on my travels in Mexico, it's lovely.

[QatzelOk]

At the hotel, an anglo woman is gushing to her friends that she interrupted a school session to give children some toys she brought with her from Canada. 'Those children looked so happy when I have them the presents!'

A few days later, I saw her again with her own kids. They were all obese, and wearing commercial logos (to look attractive?) and I had the pleasure of being in a long lineup with them as they talked about their favorite superheroes and videogame platforms.

Cuban kids are slim and get lots of outdoor activities and adults are always around for guidance. Canadian kids get toys and sugar from parents who watch TV and drive large, dangerous toys.

[Stormsmith]

housing, food, education and health care are basically free. And for everything else, you have to use your mind instead of your credit card. This seems ideal and sustainable to me.

It's more than that. It's programmes for evacuation if a hurricane is forecasted to hit, or the clean-up. It's programmes to restore architectural treasures. Even their diplomats, who are mainly doctors or teachers.

[QatzelOk]

Another visiting northerner mentioned that Cubans can't get much beef or potatoes in their diet, eating lots of rice and black beans. (I don't eat beef or much potatoes). She asked - to no one - why Cubans can't consume whatever they want.

In Atlantic Canada, fish used to be cheap and you could eat as much cod as you wanted. This is how commercial fishing killed the Grand Banks. It seems like only in a communist country is it possible to protect the environment from consumption.

[Stormsmith]

Well, a lot traces back to the American blockade

Cubans couldn't import livestock, nor those hormone treatments we pour into our animals. So they developed an agricultural programme designed to make the most of their indigenous livestock. And since tourism is a huge money maker, I suspect the best is sold to the high end hotels and restaurants.

One of the positive effect of this imposed isolation programme is that the south side of the island is home to the healthiest coral reef in the world.

As to the fishing thing, because it is in international waters, it wouldn't have made any difference if the govt was communist or fascist. The Portuguese and Spanish fishers still would have used their vacuums on the ocean floors. Yes. Vacuums.

[QatzelOk]

The Portuguese and Spanish fishers still would have used their vacuums on the ocean floors. Yes. Vacuums.

The government of Nova Scotia operated ten of those vacuum boats.

Canada itself destroyed the Grand Banks, and signed 'trade deals' with other countries that allowed them to help us destroy them.

Capitalist media creates as much (or more) stupidity than Pravda ever did.

And the lack of technology in Cuba means that the people are not allowed to destroy too much of the environment too quickly. This is another advantage to the blockade - it kept poison technology out of Cuba.

[jimjam]

I have known for many years that the American culture consisted of vapid values. Americans are conditioned to dance to the dollar in a, largely, intellectual wasteland. I saw this, instinctively, as a kid and, in later years my instincts crystalized into words. I came to realize that i was a stranger in a strange land.I am a child of the 60's. We spontaneously recognized the repulsiveness of the culture we were born into and proceeded to develop our own "counter culture". The slogan of the day was "turn on, tune in, dropout". The "establishment" was quick to recognize a real threat to their comfortable status quo and proceeded to mock and ridicule the emerging counter culture. Participants were labeled "hippies" and shown in the most derogatory of circumstances. The movement ran it's course and drowned in a sea of ridicule. I took something away from all of this and "dropped out" in my own way. I could see that money was the tool they used to destroy people's minds and enslave them. An old Italian fisherman said to me one day a long time ago, "Money make you crazy." I handled money with great care and, at this point in my life, i have largely removed money from my life.

I digress. Yes the "capitalist" culture sucks and promotes a society of walking dead.

Cuba ............ i will travel there for the first time in the next few weeks. What i have seen so far are packages that offer 2 days in Havana plus a visit to various other islands. This stinks. I would like to spend a week or so on the island itself. Due to politics and stupidity this appears problematic. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Stormsmith]

Are there flights from you to Mexico to Cuba? What about a Canadian Route? Hubby flies Victoria->Toronto, then to Cuba. There are two airlines flying out of TO to Cuba, one is Canadian, t'other is Cuban. I think Montreal is the same. Qatz might know.

Anyway, Hubby's spends a lot of time in Havana, but he always takes breaks, a few days at a time to explore. He has a family stays with in the city. He also mentioned one of those on line set ups (air b&b) is a huge rip off. Oh, I should mention he always packs his favourite spiceys sauces. Those are hard to find. I could pm you his email address if you want to ask him anything.

[Sasa]

You are partially right, as most communist countries (Cuba/China/North Korea etc) are "safe", while you are more likely to be arrested by the authority. So here we are, you choose which safety is more important.

I was told by Chinese people how safe China is over and over again. The thing is I'd rather to be exposed to the danger of other stuff while my bottom line is I need freedom.

[Rich]

It's better to bring your own bike because the locals have mainly Amsterdam-style beaters that can't necessarily go fast or far. From Montreal, it only costs between 30 dollars (one time) to 60 dollars to bring your own.

Also, bring your own tools and patches and extra tools. If you have any left, give them to a local ponchero or bike mechanic. Also, tie-wraps are like gold here.

Said without irony, it seems so called capitalism has been rather successful. But Cuba seems to provide an excellent holiday destination for lefties. the improvement, terrorisation and humiliation of a people is a small price to pay to give Liberal nostalgics a dream holiday location. Cuba has become the leftie version of West World.

Oh by the way Qatz what do you think of Cuba's homosexual laws?

[QatzelOk]

Said without irony, it seems so called capitalism has been rather successful. But Cuba seems to provide an excellent holiday destination for lefties. the improvement, terrorisation and humiliation of a people is a small price to pay to give Liberal nostalgics a dream holiday location. Cuba has become the leftie version of West World.

Spain traded Florida for Cuba, and the two destinations couldn't be more different.

I had to decide if I wanted to ride around a country with virtually no personal cars and no crime... or a crime-addled asphalt hell of fastfood and fat people driving massive SUVs.

The choice was so obvious. What you call 'West World' could also be called 'Sustainable World.' Notice that the rich countries are further from sustainablity than ever despite all the propaganda we read about LEED bungalows that are a half-hour drive from an asphalt-surrounded mall.

...what do you think of Cuba's homosexual laws?

They haven't had anti-homo laws since the 90s. But I visited a farming region, where men are men, so I was as discreet as I would be in any rural area of anywhere. There are lots of gaybars in the big cities that I didn't go to.

And the quality of the men in Cuba is top-notch. In overdeveloped countries like ours, men are like women, punching away at keyboards all day and gossiping about co-workers. And women are like nasty men, pushy, selfish, alcohol-addled pariahs who only think about their own status symbols. In Cuba, the men are male, and the women are female.

[Hong Wu]

I wonder how safe it is to not use a bike in Cuba, though.

[Crantag]

You are partially right, as most communist countries (Cuba/China/North Korea etc) are "safe", while you are more likely to be arrested by the authority. So here we are, you choose which safety is more important.

I was told by Chinese people how safe China is over and over again. The thing is I'd rather to be exposed to the danger of other stuff while my bottom line is I need freedom.

China has a population about 4 times as large as the US, yet the US has considerably more people in prison than China (or any other country in the world).

The idea that America is a land of positive human rights and freedom is essentially a founding myth and nothing more--which I feel even less brash saying today than I might have a few years ago.

America is a country where you are constantly fined, both by the authorities, and by private companies, at every opportunity for punitive action.

In China probably virtually no average person you will meet will have any stories at all of their run-ins with the cops, because this is an imagined thing. The American cops are more aggressive, there isn't a national problem in China of the cops shooting down their citizens because their trigger finger itched.

[jimjam]

Are there flights from you to Mexico to Cuba? What about a Canadian Route? Hubby flies Victoria->Toronto, then to Cuba. There are two airlines flying out of TO to Cuba, one is Canadian, t'other is Cuban. I think Montreal is the same. Qatz might know.

Anyway, Hubby's spends a lot of time in Havana, but he always takes breaks, a few days at a time to explore. He has a family stays with in the city. He also mentioned one of those on line set ups (air b&b) is a huge rip off. Oh, I should mention he always packs his favourite spiceys sauces. Those are hard to find. I could pm you his email address if you want to ask him anything.

Yes, please give me your husband's email if he wouldn't mind. A few tips may be invaluable if I have just a week. In real life I am quite polite, unlike my pofo persona. I come here mostly to vent but occasionally I stumble into a rational debate by accident . For Americans Cuba is a tough nut to crack due to the cancerous effect of politicians. I am spending Winter in South Florida and do not want to catch a flight from Canada of Mexico when Cuba is only about 100 miles distant. Maybe i'll make the trip in a row boat

[Sasa]

China has a population about 4 times as large as the US, yet the US has considerably more people in prison than China (or any other country in the world).

The idea that America is a land of positive human rights and freedom is essentially a founding myth and nothing more--which I feel even less brash saying today than I might have a few years ago.

America is a country where you are constantly fined, both by the authorities, and by private companies, at every opportunity for punitive action.

In China probably virtually no average person you will meet will have any stories at all of their run-ins with the cops, because this is an imagined thing. The American cops are more aggressive, there isn't a national problem in China of the cops shooting down their citizens because their trigger finger itched.

Not so sure if the US houses more prisoners than China, but is it true every American is threatened by cops with guns everyday? You obviously exaggerated the fact. In China you would be arrested if you discuss something about Xi Jinping or the communist. But yes I'd be 100% safe if keeping silent.

[Crantag]

Not so sure if the US houses more prisoners than China, but is it true every American is threatened by cops with guns everyday? You obviously exaggerated the fact. In China you would be arrested if you discuss something about Xi Jinping or the communist. But yes I'd be 100% safe if keeping silent.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/u ... 2page1.stm

The US has 2,193,798 and China has 1,548,498.

America is also #1 in prisoners per 100,000 people, with 737. Russia is second with 615, whereas China is down in 12th, below England/Wales, Scotland and Australia, with 125.

There you go, now you know.