Trip to Havana.

Just wanted to start a thread of a trip I'm currently finishing. We are sailing back to Tampa after spending an amazing day in Havana.

We took an 8 hour tour in a 59 impala. With a/c.

pics????

In reply to oldtin:

There will be some. The amount of pre 59 cars is a little overwhelming. But the number of eastern block cars still running is pretty awesome. So many Ladas and even some polish fiats.

alfadriver wrote: In reply to oldtin: There will be some. The amount of pre 59 cars is a little overwhelming. But the number of eastern block cars still running is pretty awesome. So many Ladas and even some polish fiats.

Further out in the country and newer - French cars - Citroens and Pugs!

Obligatory GRM thread on Cuban travel

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/took-a-trip-to-cuba-for-christmas/125260/page2/

Need to find a step by step guide on how to vacay there!

Some risk to disclosing this if you own the boat. Cuba is back on the no fly list.

yupididit wrote: Need to find a step by step guide on how to vacay there!

Easy - drive to another country (for example, if you lived in Boston - I see that you don't), book trip to Cuba out of Montreal, drive to Montreal, fly there, vacay, fly back and drive home. In your case - Mexico?

yupididit wrote: Need to find a step by step guide on how to vacay there!

Right now, I would suggest taking a cruise. We were on Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas.

The process is pretty easy, and the reason behind why you are allowed is well documented.

Not to start a fish story, I will point this out just once- the stated reasons for the US rules have the opposite effect in reality. Understandably, supporting the government is seen as bad. But the rules force you to be on organized tours, aka government sanctioned ones. If we were able to engage individual entrepreneurs, the desired effect would happen.

NOHOME wrote: Some risk to disclosing this if you own the boat. Cuba is back on the no fly list.

Are you sure? There are many more cruises to Havana over the next two years, and we've booked two more trips next year.

You spending any time in the Tampa Bay Area?

In reply to hobiercr:

No, just about to board the plane. This was a quick, surprise trip.

Just got home, with a real keyboard to type with.

Pretty awesome experience, to be in Cuba after so many years not being legally able to go. And made it before turning 50 by ONE day.

Again, this was a surprise trip for me- my wife reserved it back in Feb, and took a lot of time understanding what to see, and how to see it. And then almost has a heart attack on June 16, when some restrictions were put back into the system. In the end, it worked out just fine.

She found a company in Miami that connected with independent tour operators in Havana, so that satisfied the "people to people" requirement. This was considerably less expensive than taking a cruise line tour- which most people took because of the confusion and risk for our legalities of going.

The tour was scheduled to be a 6 hour driving/walking tour, which turned into more 7.5 hours. The driver took us in a Nissan powered 59 Chevy Impala, as I mentioned earlier- I'll try to upload some pictures this weekend. It was a great tour- we stared by driving under the harbor over to a large statue of Christ, seeing a monument to the October Crisis (we call it the Cuban Missile Crisis), and the old fort. Came back over to main Havana- seeing La Floridita (Hemmingway's bar), the capitol building (1 ft higher than the US- built well before the revolution), Revolution Square, dinner at a house, the Tropicana, drive down the Malecon, and then a walk through old Havana.

It was pretty amazing. If you have the time and money- seeing Havana via a cruise seems to be a pretty amazing option. Many of the resorts are sky rocketing in price, and the change to more modern and high end stores is real and is going on.

the cars were very interesting- there were a lot of modern cars, Pugs, VW, and Renaults were all over the place, but most of the cars we saw appeared to be of Chinese origin. Lots and lots of Soviet era cars- so many Ladas, the occasional Trabant, quite a few Polski Fiats. And the American cars up to 1959. Apparently there are about 75k of them are in Havana- all of them are taxis for tourists. Or at least the nicer ones. Thanks to the high cost of fuel, only about 10% of the cars have their original V8. It's a lot less about the parts and a lot more about the cost to operate. We were told by our cruise ship that the classic cars pay about $600/mo to the government to operate it.

We liked it enough to book a back to back set of cruises next Sept- it we are allowed. We want to do an overnight stop so we can go to a club.

When you said "Sailing" I was thinking more Jimmy Buffet sized vessel, not a cruise liner.

In reply to NOHOME:

Ah. Right now, it's a good way to get to Cuba.

Insanely jealous! Cuba has been on my hit list since I heard the doors were opened some years back. I really need to make it a point to get out there.

Sorry about the delay- but here's an album of car pictures.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm1zKHdF

Of all the cars- this one may be the most interesting to this group as a whole-

Saw a lot of these- and knew it was a Fiat, even if it looked really small. It's a Fiat Polski. Which I read as a Fiat made in Poland. Given the rest of the cars of this age (apparently) were 90% Ladas, some Trabants, and the odd Moscva, it makes sense that it's a car from the eastern block.

Heading back for Labor day. Anything people are interested in that they want info for? I'll try to get some pictures of the more obscure soviet era cars.

We went to Cuba and were at a terrible resort in Varadero (although you won't find a nicer beach) and decided to rent a car and drive to Havana. It was the best decision we made. We stayed at the Inglaterra Hotel and walked 10 miles a day around Havana, taking pictures and enjoying the best Mojitos. [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/17411_10155462811305710_4139366381527222991_n_zpsrsdbzbrx.jpg.html][/URL]

Diesel motor in a 56 Chevy

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/11138521_10155462810515710_6820226403593323352_n_zps6hhzomtk.jpg.html][/URL]

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[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/11102888_10155462798760710_8438619135422336353_n_zpskbrbourb.jpg.html][/URL]

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In reply to loosecannon:

You are Canadian, right? So for us in the US- the part about staying at a resort on the beach isn't possible. We actually have some specific requirements to meet while there to make it a legal trip.

We are staying at a privately owned BnB in Havana, and have a few tours lined up. Kinda sucks that we are restricted like that. But it is less today than it has been, so we are just going back before it's harder, again.

In reply to alfadriver:

Yes, I'm a Canuck. You will love the war museum. Here is a picture of the wall of cretins, featuring a few of your former presidents, and the jet engine from the American spy plane the Soviets shot down over Cuba in 1961

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/11114046_10155462766995710_6049378960421421834_n_zpsajooyvcv.jpg.html][/URL]

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