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Travel to Cuba
with
The Cigar Renaissance
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The Cuban Embargo Debate
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Ask most Americans what their thoughts are on the embargo against Cuba and you will receive an earful of opinions, despite a general lack of familiarity with the embargo’s parameters or the impact it has had on Cuba. Cuba is a very touchy subject for many people and if you go into any bulletin board on-line that involves Cuba, you will see what I mean.
A recent trip to the country enlightened me to a few interesting factors which play a very important role in the debate on the Cuban Embargo. First, the United States is the only country with an embargo against Cuba. No other industrialized nation (or third world country for that matter) restricts trade with Cuba. Second, the Cuban people are suffering. They live in a socialist economy on sub-standard wages, very little food, and without the right to vote. Third, Cuba no longer poses the military threat it once did while under Soviet influence. |
An effective embargo requires international support. Embargoes are ideally quick and effective. The American embargo has been, quite honestly, a failure. Castro remains in power and the Cuban people consequently suffer from the deprivation of U.S. aid, availability of products, and an overall stronger economy. The United States wishes to keep faith with the people of Cuba, but have been undoubtedly ineffective in sanctioning the totalitarian Castro regime. Castro is merely thorn in the side of America’s deep commitment and moral obligation to promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people. |
Americans purchasing any Cuban products anywhere in the world is a violation of the Trading With the Enemies Act. However, the Trading With the Enemies Act is intended to be used only during times of war. The current administration would like us all to think that we will be charged with Trading With the Enemy if we do business with Cuba or purchase their goods. Is this likely to happen? Of course not. The Clinton Administration is quite aware of this and is extremely careful about the extent to which they punish those who spend money in Cuba, or on Cuban products. |
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So, where does all of this leave us? It leaves us with the simple fact that we still cannot legally buy Cuban cigars or go to Cuba and spend money. Does this actually stop people from smoking Cuban cigars and going to Cuba? Of course not. In fact, I am living proof, and next month I will tell you exactly how I got there and what I found. In the meantime, please give your support to any politician who is open to the idea of lifting the embargo. It serves no purpose anymore and is hurting innocent Cubans who want only to be able to get a decent meal and make acceptable wages. |
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The Road to Cuba
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When the call came in that the Cuban government had issued us formal invitations to tour Cuba, it didn’t take much convincing to get us to go. All we had to do was figure out how to get there. It still is, after all, impossible to get flights directly from the U.S. to Cuba. We posted a few notes on the Internet, spoke with a few people who knew the best way to get there, and laid down our game plan. |
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After much debate, we decided to book our flights via Toronto. We had been told that flying through the Bahamas could be dangerous because there is a U.S. Customs office right where the plans flying back from Cuba land. Since Toronto is an airport with heavy volume and Customs is very busy, it would be easier to pass through with no problems. |
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The day finally came for us to travel and we were up at the crack of dawn. The trip down to Veradero, Cuba took 15 hours thanks to the long layover in Toronto and the Cuban Customs official who spent an hour going through our bags. They were more than happy not to stamp our passports when asked, but decided that it then gave them the liberty to look through everything we had. |
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When we woke up the next morning we were greeted with two things you can always count on in Cuba, clear blue skies and horrible food. There is a tremendous food shortage in Cuba and no one, including tourists, is exempt from it. After picking at some stale pastries and rancid fruit, we headed straight for Casa del Habano.
The first thing that you notice at Casa del Habano is the lack of cigars. They don’t sell single cigars and they don’t have much when it comes to Cohiba, Montecristo, or Hoyo de Monterrey. If you’re lucky they might have a box or two, but not much more than that. Even if they do have some, it is usually off sizes that most people are not interested in. |
Making friends in Cuba is easy, especially if you are a sucker. Within a five minute period in Havana you are sure to encounter 3 or 4 guys who claim that they have the cigars you are looking for and at prices that are too good to be true. As one person in the cigar industry in Havana told me, "110% of the cigars on the street are counterfeit". Should any of you choose to journey down to Cuba, we would strongly discourage you from buying your cigars anywhere but at the factories in Havana or at the Casa del Habano in Veradero. Even some hotels have been known to carry counterfeit cigars, so be on your guard and be willing to spend a little more to ensure you are getting the real thing. Believe me, spending an extra $30 is better than losing $50-$100. |
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Next month I will tell you about the Cuban people and how they are surviving. |
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The Cuban People
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The first thing that you notice about the Cuban people is how smart they are. Whether truth or Castro propaganda, Cuba claims to have a 98% literacy rate. Almost everyone I met was fluent in both Spanish and English, and many Cubans also spoke German and Italian. Not bad for a little island just south of a country with a very high illiteracy rate and a population who generally only speaks one language. |
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For a country that looks so run down and depressed, Cuba feels extremely safe. There is very little crime in Cuba thanks to a very tough police force and residents and tourists alike can walk the streets at night alone without any problem. It also helps that the Cuban people are generally so friendly. They are not bitter, hostile or even afraid to strike up conversation. They are very proud of their heritage and happy to remind you of the struggle that the Cuban people have endured. Without the tourists who come to smoke the best cigars in the world and play on some of the most beautiful beaches the Caribbean has to offer, the Cuban economy would be in even worse despair than it’s already in. For this reason, the Cuban know to make tourists feel welcome and safe in the hopes they will return again to the country they are so proud of. |
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For a population that is not allowed to take taxis, cannot enter most of the hotels and clubs, and is often paid as little as $8 per month, they are survivors. They have endured more than many of us could imagine and have come away from it with a sense of pride. As one young man said to me as he handed me change at a store, "Every time you look at this coin, remember the Cuban people. When you are back in the United States, think about what you have and what the Cuban people struggle for everyday." |
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