Found this on Club Stogie. It's a shame things are only getting worse.
http://www.miamiherald.com/851/story/373566.html
CUBA
Why tourism is no longer promoted
Posted on Thu, Jan. 10, 2008
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By BILL PERRY
drbillperry@comcast.net
I decided after my last trip two years ago that I wouldn't be going to Cuba again in the near future. It was just too depressing -- nothing works, everything is falling apart, and the agony of the Cuban people and their day-to-day living are hard to tolerate on a constant basis. That and Fidel Castro's new anti-tourism efforts, such as charging people 20 percent of the money they bring into Cuba, made that decision easy.
So why did I go back in December? I have some very dear friends in Havana whom I missed. That and the fact that once Cuba gets under your skin, there is always a pull to go back. This time, unfortunately, despite things rather than because of them.
The situation has deteriorated and continues to do so. People are more angry, depressed and desperate than ever. During the ''Special Period,'' when the Soviet Union left Castro high and dry, people had money but there was nothing to buy with it. Nada. Not even food. One day, or so it seemed, all the cats in Havana disappeared. Now, it's the inverse: There are lots of things, but no money with which to buy them. If you think about this for a minute, it is easy to see how this is even worse. The people are tormented on a daily basis -- seeing things, food and clothing that they cannot buy.
Why is it worse? It's the decline in tourism and tourist dollars, much of which went directly into the hands of the Cuban people. With newfound oil reserves, Hugo Chávez and China, the government of Cuba no longer needs tourism, which it always accepted reluctantly anyway. Now tourism is actively discouraged. I mentioned the 20 percent fee on money. In addition, police are cracking down heavily on Cubans associating with foreigners. Cuban women being seen with tourists, no questions asked, are being put away for two to six years.
Yes, I said years. In the past, I couldn't walk 10 feet without someone wanting to strike up a conversation with me (for better or worse), and this time no one would approach me, nor would people respond if I tried to talk to them. I just got a look that seemed to say ''I'd really love to, but I just can't!'' It was so different, and for the first time in my 12 visits to Cuba, I felt lonely there.
Why doesn't Cuba want tourism? Because the last thing Castro wants is foreigners coming in and giving ''dangerous'' ideas to Cubans -- ideas like freedom, that sort of thing.
Meanwhile, the infrastructure is crumbling fast. I didn't see any construction work on the decaying buildings and roads. I saw a lot of cosmetic work being done on tourist hotels, though, and the tourist section of Old Havana.
Do you want to know the truth about the Cuban medical system? It's abysmal, unless of course you are a foreigner seeking treatment in Cuba (or Michael Moore). People are desperate for medications. Doctors refuse to see them without being bribed. If you want an ambulance, you better be prepared to bribe the drivers.
The people's goodness
No money? Tough luck.
Sick? Go wait six hours at a clinic and get a prescription for something that you could never fill, even if you had the money. All this while foreigners get superb medical care and get to walk wherever they want and stay in hotels built by people who aren't allowed near them.
Because of abject (and appropriate) fear of the police, I couldn't go anywhere with my Cuban friends. The only places we could be together were secretly in their homes, like rats hiding in a basement.
Despite the above, the trip was enjoyable and meaningful for me, thanks to the goodness of the Cuban people. I finally understood the hatred that most Cubans feel toward Castro. I understood it because I now feel it myself. And I won't be going back anytime in the near future. But I guess I said that before, didn't I?
Bill Perry is a psychologist in San Francisco.
http://www.miamiherald.com/851/story/373566.html
CUBA
Why tourism is no longer promoted
Posted on Thu, Jan. 10, 2008
Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email
By BILL PERRY
drbillperry@comcast.net
I decided after my last trip two years ago that I wouldn't be going to Cuba again in the near future. It was just too depressing -- nothing works, everything is falling apart, and the agony of the Cuban people and their day-to-day living are hard to tolerate on a constant basis. That and Fidel Castro's new anti-tourism efforts, such as charging people 20 percent of the money they bring into Cuba, made that decision easy.
So why did I go back in December? I have some very dear friends in Havana whom I missed. That and the fact that once Cuba gets under your skin, there is always a pull to go back. This time, unfortunately, despite things rather than because of them.
The situation has deteriorated and continues to do so. People are more angry, depressed and desperate than ever. During the ''Special Period,'' when the Soviet Union left Castro high and dry, people had money but there was nothing to buy with it. Nada. Not even food. One day, or so it seemed, all the cats in Havana disappeared. Now, it's the inverse: There are lots of things, but no money with which to buy them. If you think about this for a minute, it is easy to see how this is even worse. The people are tormented on a daily basis -- seeing things, food and clothing that they cannot buy.
Why is it worse? It's the decline in tourism and tourist dollars, much of which went directly into the hands of the Cuban people. With newfound oil reserves, Hugo Chávez and China, the government of Cuba no longer needs tourism, which it always accepted reluctantly anyway. Now tourism is actively discouraged. I mentioned the 20 percent fee on money. In addition, police are cracking down heavily on Cubans associating with foreigners. Cuban women being seen with tourists, no questions asked, are being put away for two to six years.
Yes, I said years. In the past, I couldn't walk 10 feet without someone wanting to strike up a conversation with me (for better or worse), and this time no one would approach me, nor would people respond if I tried to talk to them. I just got a look that seemed to say ''I'd really love to, but I just can't!'' It was so different, and for the first time in my 12 visits to Cuba, I felt lonely there.
Why doesn't Cuba want tourism? Because the last thing Castro wants is foreigners coming in and giving ''dangerous'' ideas to Cubans -- ideas like freedom, that sort of thing.
Meanwhile, the infrastructure is crumbling fast. I didn't see any construction work on the decaying buildings and roads. I saw a lot of cosmetic work being done on tourist hotels, though, and the tourist section of Old Havana.
Do you want to know the truth about the Cuban medical system? It's abysmal, unless of course you are a foreigner seeking treatment in Cuba (or Michael Moore). People are desperate for medications. Doctors refuse to see them without being bribed. If you want an ambulance, you better be prepared to bribe the drivers.
The people's goodness
No money? Tough luck.
Sick? Go wait six hours at a clinic and get a prescription for something that you could never fill, even if you had the money. All this while foreigners get superb medical care and get to walk wherever they want and stay in hotels built by people who aren't allowed near them.
Because of abject (and appropriate) fear of the police, I couldn't go anywhere with my Cuban friends. The only places we could be together were secretly in their homes, like rats hiding in a basement.
Despite the above, the trip was enjoyable and meaningful for me, thanks to the goodness of the Cuban people. I finally understood the hatred that most Cubans feel toward Castro. I understood it because I now feel it myself. And I won't be going back anytime in the near future. But I guess I said that before, didn't I?
Bill Perry is a psychologist in San Francisco.
