CubaManiac
10-27-2002, 01:03 AM
Check-list 101 for Cuba posted by Sueno!! January 4th 2002
"I’m beginning to prepare my luggage, for departure next week (Waaaaooouuuuu).
I have not really a Check-list 101 for Cuba. If I ever had one, I progressively reduced it to the minimum necessited, which avoids me any luggage weigh limit problems and allow me to bring back a few bottles of rhum. So, my list is probably more ‘expressive’ for what is not in than for what I take. Most readers will probably disagree, and could be hurted if I say that I don’t understand why they travel with their home on their back.
So, let’s just say that I prefer to lazy in La Havana than to travel in all the island, that you can add in your own list what I exclude because your program is different than mine, and that I present you these exclusions so that you can make your own idea and not only because I like to play provocative. It’s not really by order of importance, more by thema or ‘what do I need to think in order to do my luggage’. It will allow also different posts. Don't hesitate to add your own things for any section.
Excuse my english, some terms will probably not be the most accurate. "
post #1
1. What is not in the luggage, but in the plane ?
What is not in the luggage, but in the plane ?
Passport and tourist card and plane ticket and money, obviously. Credit card, $$$ and your own local money. Don’t forget the change for the taxi on arrival : you will have problems with 50 $ or 100 $ bill, so at least one or two 20$.
I always do a reservation in an hotel by internet (even if I go directly to la casa) and have the mail with me, to pass the customs.
My own local money in order to buy anything in the airport, from a bottle of water to the gift I forgot to buy for. Also, to take taxi when I come back.
One or two books to read in the plane. Well, anything that can make you forget you will have some (usually 9 from Europe) boring hours. I like too much music to hear CDs in a plane, and I don’t want anything that can break, knowing perfectly the behavior of the average ‘plane seat neighbour’.
I usually go to Cuba with one jacket, the kind that can have warming effects in air conditioning situations like a plane or a jazz-club.
My own extra-strong aspirin because the one in the plane won’t help me if I get an headache. Also something to help me forget I won’t be able to smoke for a while. Only Cubana de Aviacion allows you to smoke.
2. Speaking of medicaments, what should I take ?
Speaking of medicaments, what should I take ?
Most of you readers are americans or canadians (the new world is more proeminent these days) and I don’t know all your medicaments names, so you’ll have to try to understand.
It’s easy to overload itself with medicaments because we always feel as ‘better to prevent, I sure will be happy to have that in case I need it’, and come back with that heavy steelbox with all kind of compress and bandages. So, what is the critical and in the non critical area, what should I take ? I solved this problem simply : critical and non critical.
Critical is what can avoid you problems you know you have. I have regular stomach problems and exceptional but very heavy headaches, so I take the ‘pepto bismol’ thing and the extra strong aspirin that will avoid me to ruin a day or a night.
Non critical things are things I bring to give to friends. And what do they most appreciate ? Well, what they most need. And we all have more chances to encounter a cold or a small cut than a fire or a broken bone. So, other medicaments are mostly the ones that can help me to breathe so that I can sleep and adhesive plasters in case I played stupid doing the cook.
I’m not a big fan, but cubans are, of Vicks Vapor rub green cream. It’s an appreciated gift, with all that help against asthma, very current among cubans.
I don’t need antihistaminic things. I never got a mosquito bite in La Havana, but you could use repellent if you travel in La Isla. As I said above, the first-aid travel kit is more heavy than useful, but you might disagree if you like to play Indiana Jones in the Jungle. Antibiotics, eyes drops, etc... are useless. I don’t have anything for any case, but I know where is a pharmacy and how to explain what I could need.
3. Cooking and eating section.
Cooking and eating section (if you do your own cooking).
If there is a kitchen, you will have only the most necessary : pans, plates, cups, forks and sthingys, salt. No more. The rest, you need to buy. There are some tourists who are greedy enough to rob a cuban, even a simple bottle opener.
Cubans all use the same old coffee machine nobody knows but your old grandma : pour with water, put the coffee in the special compartment, screw the cap so that it won’t explode when you put it on fire. Problem with these machines is you have just a small cup of dark coffee because it’s how they like it (with sugar), and you have to wait that it cools off to wash it and do another one. So I have my own travel coffee machine, the one where you put coffee and water together, make it boiling and press so that a filter separate coffee from the rest. I love plenty of dark coffee for breakfast.
Some scratch sponge to wash the pans and plates if you do your own cooking : you will only meet an old overused towel in the kitchen. No ‘special crokery liquid soap’ necessary, cubans use all purpose washing powder to wash anything : floor, clothes, plates, ...
There should be a can or bottle opener. If not, I say to the casa’s owner that I don’t want to break a knife opening a can, and he provides me one.
Towel papers are not so easy to buy, so I always have paper handkerchiefs.
I sometimes come with a bootle of champagne or good red wine, or some canned food when I plan a good dinner for a special occasion. No frozen beefsteak or things like that. You can if it’s well conditionned, but the people in the customs don’t know that you can. You will have to show them their own regulations : http://www.aduana.islagrande.com/regula3.htm. Look at the ‘Products of animal and vegetable origin’ section. As usual, it’s complete cuban psychology : you won’t have a problem with apples in your bag, although it’s prohibited, but can have a problem for a can of food, although it’s allowed.
The rest is to buy on place, although it’s not really easy to play gastronomy in Cuba : you will have to know the ‘how to’ simply to buy potatoes. So, it will be simple cooking most of the time (salads, eggs, cakes, ...).
ADMIN: to be continued
"I’m beginning to prepare my luggage, for departure next week (Waaaaooouuuuu).
I have not really a Check-list 101 for Cuba. If I ever had one, I progressively reduced it to the minimum necessited, which avoids me any luggage weigh limit problems and allow me to bring back a few bottles of rhum. So, my list is probably more ‘expressive’ for what is not in than for what I take. Most readers will probably disagree, and could be hurted if I say that I don’t understand why they travel with their home on their back.
So, let’s just say that I prefer to lazy in La Havana than to travel in all the island, that you can add in your own list what I exclude because your program is different than mine, and that I present you these exclusions so that you can make your own idea and not only because I like to play provocative. It’s not really by order of importance, more by thema or ‘what do I need to think in order to do my luggage’. It will allow also different posts. Don't hesitate to add your own things for any section.
Excuse my english, some terms will probably not be the most accurate. "
post #1
1. What is not in the luggage, but in the plane ?
What is not in the luggage, but in the plane ?
Passport and tourist card and plane ticket and money, obviously. Credit card, $$$ and your own local money. Don’t forget the change for the taxi on arrival : you will have problems with 50 $ or 100 $ bill, so at least one or two 20$.
I always do a reservation in an hotel by internet (even if I go directly to la casa) and have the mail with me, to pass the customs.
My own local money in order to buy anything in the airport, from a bottle of water to the gift I forgot to buy for. Also, to take taxi when I come back.
One or two books to read in the plane. Well, anything that can make you forget you will have some (usually 9 from Europe) boring hours. I like too much music to hear CDs in a plane, and I don’t want anything that can break, knowing perfectly the behavior of the average ‘plane seat neighbour’.
I usually go to Cuba with one jacket, the kind that can have warming effects in air conditioning situations like a plane or a jazz-club.
My own extra-strong aspirin because the one in the plane won’t help me if I get an headache. Also something to help me forget I won’t be able to smoke for a while. Only Cubana de Aviacion allows you to smoke.
2. Speaking of medicaments, what should I take ?
Speaking of medicaments, what should I take ?
Most of you readers are americans or canadians (the new world is more proeminent these days) and I don’t know all your medicaments names, so you’ll have to try to understand.
It’s easy to overload itself with medicaments because we always feel as ‘better to prevent, I sure will be happy to have that in case I need it’, and come back with that heavy steelbox with all kind of compress and bandages. So, what is the critical and in the non critical area, what should I take ? I solved this problem simply : critical and non critical.
Critical is what can avoid you problems you know you have. I have regular stomach problems and exceptional but very heavy headaches, so I take the ‘pepto bismol’ thing and the extra strong aspirin that will avoid me to ruin a day or a night.
Non critical things are things I bring to give to friends. And what do they most appreciate ? Well, what they most need. And we all have more chances to encounter a cold or a small cut than a fire or a broken bone. So, other medicaments are mostly the ones that can help me to breathe so that I can sleep and adhesive plasters in case I played stupid doing the cook.
I’m not a big fan, but cubans are, of Vicks Vapor rub green cream. It’s an appreciated gift, with all that help against asthma, very current among cubans.
I don’t need antihistaminic things. I never got a mosquito bite in La Havana, but you could use repellent if you travel in La Isla. As I said above, the first-aid travel kit is more heavy than useful, but you might disagree if you like to play Indiana Jones in the Jungle. Antibiotics, eyes drops, etc... are useless. I don’t have anything for any case, but I know where is a pharmacy and how to explain what I could need.
3. Cooking and eating section.
Cooking and eating section (if you do your own cooking).
If there is a kitchen, you will have only the most necessary : pans, plates, cups, forks and sthingys, salt. No more. The rest, you need to buy. There are some tourists who are greedy enough to rob a cuban, even a simple bottle opener.
Cubans all use the same old coffee machine nobody knows but your old grandma : pour with water, put the coffee in the special compartment, screw the cap so that it won’t explode when you put it on fire. Problem with these machines is you have just a small cup of dark coffee because it’s how they like it (with sugar), and you have to wait that it cools off to wash it and do another one. So I have my own travel coffee machine, the one where you put coffee and water together, make it boiling and press so that a filter separate coffee from the rest. I love plenty of dark coffee for breakfast.
Some scratch sponge to wash the pans and plates if you do your own cooking : you will only meet an old overused towel in the kitchen. No ‘special crokery liquid soap’ necessary, cubans use all purpose washing powder to wash anything : floor, clothes, plates, ...
There should be a can or bottle opener. If not, I say to the casa’s owner that I don’t want to break a knife opening a can, and he provides me one.
Towel papers are not so easy to buy, so I always have paper handkerchiefs.
I sometimes come with a bootle of champagne or good red wine, or some canned food when I plan a good dinner for a special occasion. No frozen beefsteak or things like that. You can if it’s well conditionned, but the people in the customs don’t know that you can. You will have to show them their own regulations : http://www.aduana.islagrande.com/regula3.htm. Look at the ‘Products of animal and vegetable origin’ section. As usual, it’s complete cuban psychology : you won’t have a problem with apples in your bag, although it’s prohibited, but can have a problem for a can of food, although it’s allowed.
The rest is to buy on place, although it’s not really easy to play gastronomy in Cuba : you will have to know the ‘how to’ simply to buy potatoes. So, it will be simple cooking most of the time (salads, eggs, cakes, ...).
ADMIN: to be continued