by Pa Rock
Traveling Fool!
This Saturday, April 30th, 2016. I have just arrived back in the States after spending one full week in Cuba. Unfortunately, I was not able to access the Internet with my computer while I was there, so I wrote a posting each evening as Word documents and saved them. I will now begin posting those "Dispatches from Cuba."
Spoiler Alert: The trip was wonderful and I hope that comes across in these ramblings. I had expected to be in some sore to bleak and depressed police state, but nothing could have been further from the truth. The Cuban people were open and friendly - and very used to tourists. (Although the United States has restricted travel to Cuba for decades, most other countries have had open access the entire time, During the week we were there I saw less than a dozen uniformed military personnel and only two police cars.
One thing I learned on the trip, something that will rankle some in the United States, is that there is almost no crime in Cuba. I felt completely safe walking the streets of Havana late at night. And what accounts for this strange lack of criminal activity? The answer is that there are basically no privately owned guns on the entire island. Some might argue that "no guns" make us safer.
Six days in Havana - and one in a rural town three hours outside of Havana called Vilanes. The following posts tell the story of my week in Cuba. Please enjoy. If you have questions or comments, please attach them to this blog and I will respond.
Traveling Fool!
This Saturday, April 30th, 2016. I have just arrived back in the States after spending one full week in Cuba. Unfortunately, I was not able to access the Internet with my computer while I was there, so I wrote a posting each evening as Word documents and saved them. I will now begin posting those "Dispatches from Cuba."
Spoiler Alert: The trip was wonderful and I hope that comes across in these ramblings. I had expected to be in some sore to bleak and depressed police state, but nothing could have been further from the truth. The Cuban people were open and friendly - and very used to tourists. (Although the United States has restricted travel to Cuba for decades, most other countries have had open access the entire time, During the week we were there I saw less than a dozen uniformed military personnel and only two police cars.
One thing I learned on the trip, something that will rankle some in the United States, is that there is almost no crime in Cuba. I felt completely safe walking the streets of Havana late at night. And what accounts for this strange lack of criminal activity? The answer is that there are basically no privately owned guns on the entire island. Some might argue that "no guns" make us safer.
Six days in Havana - and one in a rural town three hours outside of Havana called Vilanes. The following posts tell the story of my week in Cuba. Please enjoy. If you have questions or comments, please attach them to this blog and I will respond.
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