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  • S Landreth
    replied
    Originally posted by S Landreth View Post

    Recently viewed this thread and thought I should update it. We did make it there a few years ago. Lovely place and hope well be able to return.

    Our hotel (US citizens unable to stay there any longer.)

    I should explain……..

    The Obama Administration lifted all restrictions on family travel and remittances in 2009. In 2011, the Administration eased restrictions on other types of travel, including travel related to religious, educational, and people-to-people exchanges, and allowed any U.S. person to send remittances to individuals in Cuba. As part of President Obama’s major shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba in December 2014, which moved the U.S. approach away from a sanctions-based policy toward one of engagement, the Administration took actions that considerably eased restrictions on nonfamily travel and remittances. In 2015 and 2016, OFAC amended the embargo regulations five times to implement the new policy. It initially authorized travel by general license for all 12 categories of travel set forth in the CACR; eliminated traveler per diem limits; increased the amount of nonfamily remittances; and permitted other types of remittances. OFAC subsequently removed dollar limits for donative remittances to Cuban nationals; authorized people-to-people educational travel for individuals; and removed value limits for the importation of Cuban products, including alcohol and tobacco products, by U.S. travelers as accompanied baggage for personal use.

    In June 2017, the Trump Administration announced a partial rollback of U.S. engagement toward Cuba that included the elimination of individual people-to-people travel and restrictions on financial transactions with companies controlled by the Cuban military, intelligence, or security services or personnel. To implement the policy changes, OFAC amended the embargo regulations in November 2017, and the State Department took complementary action by issuing a list of restricted entities, including more than 80 hotels.

    Hotels controlled (major portion held) by the Cuban government: https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL31139.html

    Where we stayed was controlled by the government - Hotel Saratoga:


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  • S Landreth
    replied
    • This thread was moved from the news section because of my last post so I should explain how the Thai girlfriend was able to visit Cuba. It was easy.


    She was required to fill out a simple Cuban tourist card, which a Miami travel agent did for us. I think at the time the cost was about 7.00 US dollars???????

    Tourist Visa (tourist card):

    The tourist visa or tourist card is only used for trips of foreign citizens who wish to make tourism to Cuba. Valid for a single entry to the national territory on a 30-day trip and you can extend 30 days at the hotel desk where you are staying or before the immigration authorities.
    Underage must have their tourist card even if they are registered in the parents' passports.

    Documents needed to obtain directly from the consulate:

    Valid passport
    Form
    Plane ticket with arrival and return date
    Must pay the consular fee stipulated for this service
    Documents needed to obtain it by postal mail

    Legible photocopy of the valid passport
    Legible photocopy of the flight ticket with date of entry and return
    Must pay the consular fee stipulated for this service
    Envelope with sufficient stamps and return address
    NOTE: If the request is made by mail or through a third person, the consular fee stipulated for this service will be charged in addition.
    All payments must be made in cash, by means of payment certified bank or bank transfer. The cash sent by mail will be rejected and returned at the risk of the applicant.:
    http://misiones.minrex.gob.cu/en/usa...s#visa_turismo


    ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES FOR THE CUBA VISA

    ANY OF THE EXPECTED FUTURE TRAVELERS TO CUBA THAT IS A CITIZEN OR NATIONAL FROM THE ANY OF THE COUNTRIES LISTED BELOW ARE PERFECTLY ELIGIBLE TO APPLY ONLINE FOR AN CUBA VISA.:
    https://www.cubavisaonline.com/?gcli...SAAEgJgGvD_BwE

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  • S Landreth
    replied
    Originally posted by S Landreth View Post
    When does that first boat leave from Miami? I want to be on it. My first crush (Isabell) was on a girl from Cuba.


    [ATTACH=CONFIG]1866[/ATTACH]

    https://www.facebook.com/TheCutestCubanGirls





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  • S Landreth
    replied
    Obama Endorses Removing Cuba From Terrorism List

    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/wo...list.html?_r=0

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  • S Landreth
    replied
    US, Cuba leaders meet for first time in more than 50 years, vow to turn page on old enmities

    http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/...rday-in-panama

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  • S Landreth
    replied
    Poll shows vast majority of Cubans welcome closer ties with U.S.




    The poll of residents on the island shows a people unhappy with the political system, eager to end the U.S. embargo and disenchanted with their state-run economy. More than half of Cubans say they would like to leave the country for good if they had the chance.

    The survey, conducted in March through 1,200 in-person interviews by the Miami-based Bendixen and Amandi International research firm on behalf of the networks Univision Noticias and Fusion, is reported in collaboration with The Washington Post.

    [View full results from the Cuba poll]

    With its restricted press and limited Internet and phone access, getting an accurate sense of public opinion in Cuba can be difficult. Public surveys are very rare, as opinion research is strictly controlled by the Cuban government. Some, conducted surreptitiously, have been sponsored by anti-Castro organizations and have been viewed as biased. On the island, Cubans have an aversion to discussing politics: three-quarters of those surveyed in the Univision poll say they felt they need to be careful about expressing themselves. While some believe the Cuban government does privately conduct focus groups and surveys, there are not regular public polls.

    [Read: How do you survey Cubans under the Castro regime?]

    So the Univision poll provides a rare glimpse of Cuban opinion at a historic time given the changing relations with the United States. The survey was conducted without government authorization by local Cuban residents who were trained in survey interviewing. Thirty-nine percent of households where interviews were attempted completed the survey.

    After a half-century of hostilities, the Obama and Castro governments late last year announced their intention to normalize diplomatic relations

    Americans also endorse the normalization of relations with Cuba. A December Washington Post-ABC News poll found nearly two-thirds in support of establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba. And there was higher support for ending the trade embargo and lifting travel restrictions.








    The beautiful Capitol building in Havana Cuba is undergoing a major renovation. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

    American businesses have already started making moves in Cuba. Airbnb, the online home-rental service, has started allowing bookings in Cuba. Netflix started streaming its video offerings in Cuba. A New Jersey-based telecom company struck a deal with the Cuban government to offer long-distance calling on the island.

    Despite optimism for the future, the survey reveals deep national discontent. Fifty-five percent would like to leave the country, including more than two-thirds of Cubans younger than 35. Roughly half of those who would like to leave name the United States as their top destination, where almost 1 in five Cubans say they have relatives. Right after the Dec. 17 announcement of changing relations, U.S. officials noted a spike in Cubans leaving the island, apparently out of concern that U.S. immigration rules granting residency to any Cuban who makes it to the United States might be changed.


    Children line up before classes to sing the national anthem in the morning. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)


    A performer dances with a group of Japanese women he brought to Cuba to promote Cuban culture. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)





    President Obama, meanwhile, seems to enjoy vast popularity in Cuba, according to the poll, with 80 percent giving him positive marks, on par with how Cubans feel about Pope Francis, who was a key advocate of normalization. While Obama gets high marks, views of the United States overall are more mixed. Just over half see the United States as a friend, a rating well below that of neighboring countries in Central and South America. Only 10 percent say the United States is not a friend, however, with twice as many unsure.


    A group of children play outside Manuel Valdes Rodriguez Municipal Primary School in Havana. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

    Later this week, Obama and Raul Castro will see each other at the Summit of the Americas in Panama, the first time that Cuban leaders will attend the regional conference.


    The poll reflected large and consistent generational differences in Cuba, with young people tending to be more optimistic and positive about the United States across a number of measures than older citizens. The younger people are also more likely to be critical of the economic and political system.

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  • socal
    replied
    How about contributing more then just your puba circle jerk?

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  • S Landreth
    replied
    Fidel Castro appears in public for first time in over a year

    http://www.demanjo.com/news/world/10...14-months.html

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  • sabang
    replied
    The Cuban revolution is old, very old. The Cuban missile crisis is old, too. All I know is that by excluding themselves from Cuba, the US has been excluding itself from one of the two cultural powerhouses of the Hispanic world (along with Brazil)- and to who's benefit? Quite some years ago now, over 100,000 people came to see Sylvio Rodriguez live in Buenos Aires, for example. Then of course, there are the missed business opportunities.

    This policy shift is long overdue, and the small minority of begrudgers are exactly that. Marginal, at best.
    Last edited by sabang; 04-02-2015, 10:29 PM.

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  • S Landreth
    replied
    Home holiday rental site Airbnb has added Cuba to its list of destinations.


    More than 1,000 properties in the Caribbean nation are already listed, but can only be booked by users in the US.

    The San Francisco-based site is restricted from showing the listings elsewhere because of a US trade embargo against the island.

    Nevertheless, Airbnb said Cuba could eventually become one of its biggest markets in Latin America.

    "We are actually plugging into an existing culture of micro-enterprise in Cuba," said the firm's regional director Kay Kuehne.

    "The hosts in Cuba have been [renting out rooms to travellers] for decades."

    http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-32161086

    Hope, in time Onefinestay will start services in Cuba. They might be a bit better: http://www.onefinestay.com/?gclid=CN...&awsearchcpc=1
    Last edited by S Landreth; 04-02-2015, 08:39 PM.

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  • S Landreth
    replied
    Poll of Cuban-Americans shows support for new Cuba policies growing



    http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nati...e17056742.html

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  • S Landreth
    replied
    http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/r...perty-29975221

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  • S Landreth
    replied
    A third round of negotiations over the restoration of full diplomatic relations ended after a day of talks, Cuban and U.S. officials said Tuesday. Hours later, Cuban President Raul Castro delivered a toughly worded attack on the United States for levying a new round of sanctions on his country's closest ally, Venezuela.

    Neither Cuba nor the U.S. provided details on whether progress was made toward a deal on reopening embassies in Washington and Havana.

    The two countries have been trying to strike an agreement on embassies before presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro attend the Summit of the Americas in Panama on April 10-11.

    Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Relations said the talks took place "in a professional atmosphere" and "the two delegations agreed to maintain communication in the future as part of this process." Jeff Rathke, a U.S. State Department spokesman, said that "the discussion was positive and constructive and was held in an atmosphere of mutual respect."

    But Castro later delivered a searing defense of Venezuela at an emergency meeting of leftist Latin American governments called in response to U.S. sanctions levied on seven Venezuelan officials last week. In announcing the move, the U.S. declared Venezuela a threat to U.S. national security.

    Washington has asserted that the Venezuelan sanctions wouldn't affect its negotiations with Cuba, but Castro made clear in Caracas that he sees the two issues as linked.

    He described Obama's declaration of detente with Cuba as a recognition that a U.S. policy of hostility to Latin American socialism had failed.

    "Nonetheless, the spokesmen of his government have made clear that the objective remains, only the methods have changed," Castro said. "The U.S. must understand once and for all that it's impossible to seduce Cuba or intimidate Venezuela."

    Neither Cuba nor the U.S. said Tuesday whether they had resolved any of the obstacles to reopening embassies, which include Cuba's continuing presence on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and Cuba's objections to U.S. diplomatic contact with dissidents on the island.

    The secretive atmosphere was a striking contrast to previous discussions about U.S.-Cuban detente. After two earlier meetings, U.S. and Cuban diplomats engaged in wide-ranging exchanges with reporters from both nations that were broadcast on Cuban state television.

    Cuban state media dedicated virtually no coverage to Monday's talks, focusing instead on statements of support for Venezuela.

    Despite the heated rhetoric, Julia Sweig, an expert on U.S. relations with Cuba and Venezuela, said early Tuesday there was no sign the increasingly strained U.S. relationship with Venezuela was affecting the warming of relations with Cuba.

    "What's so interesting is that it doesn't seem to derailing the bilateral process, which is exactly as it should be," said Sweig, a senior research fellow at LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin.

    http://abcnews.go.com/International/...ended-29693944

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  • socal
    replied
    S Landreth stopping by to plug his timeshares again

    Do you contribute anywhere else on here ?

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  • S Landreth
    replied
    U.S. and Cuban diplomats meet in Havana for third round of talks
    Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta S. Jacobson was in Havana on Monday for more talks aimed at renewing diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba and opening embassies.

    The talks were to take place on Monday and could be extended beyond a day if warranted, said a senior U.S. State Department official who briefed reporters Friday on the trip.

    "There's not a historic nature to this one," said the official who added that the ongoing conversations had progressed to a point that both sides thought another face-to-face meeting was a good idea.

    During this third round of talks, Jacobson will once again meet with her Cuban counterpart, Josefina Vidal, director general of the U.S. division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Although time is running short, the Obama administration is still hopeful relations can be renewed and embassies opened by the April 10-11 Summit of the Americas in Panama.

    "We will see whether we can get there," said the State Department official.

    The United States' half-century-old policy of isolating Cuba has caused tensions with other countries in the hemisphere and the administration would like to show significant progress on Cuba before the Panama meeting.

    Both President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro plan to attend the summit.

    The leaders announced on Dec. 17 that the two countries were committed to re-establishing ties and opening embassies in their respective capitals.

    The Cuban and U.S. delegations last met in Washington on Feb. 27 and have been in communication on various topics since then.

    The U.S. delegation plans to work on some of the same issues that were discussed in earlier conversations, such as its desire for American diplomats to travel freely outside Havana and talk with the Cuban people, staffing levels at the future embassy and unimpeded access to the U.S. diplomatic mission.

    The official said a review of Cuba's continuation on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism is continuing: "That review is underway. We will complete it as quickly as we can. We have always said that it shouldn't be linked to reestablishing diplomatic relations and reopening embassies."

    Part of the review process involves getting information from the Cuban government, the official said.

    The U.S. side is disappointed but not surprised at the Cuban position on recently announced U.S. sanctions against some Venezuelan military leaders, the official said, but those differences "will not have an impact on these discussions."

    Since the Feb. 27 talks, the two sides have met to discuss civil aviation and air travel links. "Those talks were quite productive," the official said.

    The two sides also met to discuss human trafficking, and a U.S. delegation will head to Havana for a March 24-26 dialogue on a U.S. proposal to open the Cuban telecom market to more participation by American companies.

    A dialogue on human rights also is expected to be held before the end of the month, but no date has been set yet. Asked about the high number of short-term detentions of Cuban dissidents and activists - even with the talks underway - the official said that the United States remains concerned about the tactic.

    Still, the official said progress is being made in improving relations between the two formerly hostile neighbors.

    "I think since the second round (of talks), there's been a real seriousness of purpose," said the State Department official. "I am pleased with that and think we're making very good progress. As the president and secretary have said, you don't overcome 50 years of policy in a month."

    The official added that legally and diplomatically, re-establishment of diplomatic ties and opening of embassies don't have to occur at the same time, "but we believe they should happen simultaneously."

    http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/03/1...s-meet-in.html

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