My ultimate goal is to change the simple-minded discussion about whether Fidel is a good guy or a bad guy, to a serious dialog about what’s best for the future of the people of Cuba. It has become clear that the governments of both Cuba and the U.S. are incapable of normalizing relations, due to the internal politics of both countries. So while President Obama continues to publicly criticize the government of the Castros, his administration quietly encourages more people-to-people programs, which allow Americans to visit Cuba legally, make contacts, and make up their own minds.

   I came across a 30-minute video that provides an international contemporary Cuba perspective and its attempts at economic revival. It seems to be middle-of-the road, and I think it can help update those who have been following the situation there closely, as well as those with little knowledge of the country.

   To view, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeieWJs6dck

Note: If this link isn’t active, you may need to copy and paste it to your browser bar.

   Our flight from Cancún to Havana will be on Saturday, March 17, and our flight back will be on Monday, March 26, 2012. We’d like you to meet at the Cubana Airlines office at Cancún Airport at 1pm. Our flight departs at 3:35 pm. Some of you will be in Cancún for a few days before our flight, some will come in the evening before, and some will take overnight flights and arrive at the airport in the morning before our flight. It depends on your budget and travel style. I suspect that most of us will stay at the same hotel on Friday night, so let’s have a get-together.

   We are scheduled to arrive in Cancún on Monday, March 26 at 2:25pm. If you will be flying home that day, please book a flight departing at least 2 hours later, or 4:30pm. Some of you will be staying over by choice, and a few of you won’t be able to get a later-leaving connecting flight until the next day. The following information may seem confusing, but it will eventually make sense. Let me know if you want me to recommend specific flights. Our official expedition begins on Satuday March 17 at 1pm at Cancún Airport.

   To find flights, I suggest that you start with a website such as Priceline.com. Check the schedules and prices from your closest airport and surrounding airports. For example, if you live in San Francisco, also check the schedules from Oakland, San Jose, and even Sacramento. It is more convenient (and sometimes more expensive) to fly non-stop. After you have checked-out Priceline.com and found possible flights, go to the actual website of the airline (for example, United.com) and compare rates and schedules. Unlike in the past, there is usually no additional charge for booking one-way flights. You may find it more convenient to fly to Cancún on one airline and return on a different one. You may also find that you can save a lot of money by flying in a day or two earlier, and this difference pays for your extra night in your hotel.

  There is a wide variety of hotels to stay at in Cancún. Some of you have discounts or “points” available with various chains. The cost for taxis to take you away from the airport are really expensive, and many of the hotels are more than 10 miles distant. Once you hail a taxi away from the airport, you can usually negotiate the cost down a considerable amount. If you are just looking for a basic hotel to stay at, close to the airport, you might consider the Comfort Inn Cancun Aeropuerto. It is about 1.5 miles from the airport and is reported to have free breakfast and free internet. Most of the hotels in Cancún are many miles from the airport, so when you search on Prceline.com (or wherever), consider specifying in the box that you are searching for hotels close to the airport.

   Once you have used Priceline to compare the different hotels, I suggest you go directly to the hotel’s website to book. I have discovered that you will almost always pay exactly the same rate whether you book directly through the hotel’s website or through Priceline. (Sometimes hidden fees are not obvious, so that one site may appear to be less expensive at first.) By booking directly through the hotel’s website, you eliminate the third party, and you should expect to find it easier to resolve any problems with booking or anything else.

Okay—I said I would limit my comments in this newsletter to items about travel to Cuba, but I want to inform my readers about current events so that they can make educated decisions about traveling there. The recent death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il provides an opportunity to discus the current situation in Cuba on many different levels. A headline in today’s Reuters report caught my attention: “Cuba mourns death of North Korea leader.” The article begins: “Flags flew at half-staff on Tuesday as Cuba began three days of official mourning for late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in a show of solidarity with its fellow communist state. The Council of State decreed the mourning period without comment and said flags would be lowered at all government buildings and military installations. A book of condolences was opened at the North Korean embassy in Havana, with a big photo of the dead leader and flowers in the entrance.”

   I am amazed that such a reputable news agency as Reuters would print such an article without further in-depth reporting. No doubt every word in the article is true. It’s just that any casual, observant tourist in Cuba would understand how misleading this article is. Indeed, there is a North Korean Embassy in Havana–it is located on Paseo (Avenue), one of the main thoroughfares through Havana. It is right across the street from the Casa de la Amistad, a “friendship house” visited by many Americans on organized tours. I’ve been there several times, and I’ve always been surprised that our Cuban hosts never pointed out such a dramatic and significant structure. It is a huge mansion with multiple communication towers and satellite dishes jutting above the top floor. Outside the first security gate, and accessible from the street, is a display of North Korean “culture” that is best described as goofy and silly. Similar scenes are currently being shown on video clips on the nightly news, as the smiling and happy residents of DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) show their dedication to their strong and fearless leader. It’s a joke, a sad and tragic joke. The Cubans know this, and the embassy is an embarrassment. That’s why their travel guides never point out this unique and fascinating building.

   Havana has no embassy of South Korea, the avowed enemy of DPRK. Yet every year, South Korea ships hundreds of millions of dollars worth of merchandise over 13,000 miles to Cuba. Everywhere you go in Cuba you’ll see washers, dryers, refrigerators and air conditioners made by LG, a South Korean company. Many of the wide-screen TV’s and other electronic equipment are made by Samsung. You’ll see Kias and Hyundais on the roads. If you rent a car, it will likely be one made in South Korea. Some of you might be wondering why American companies can’t ship their vehicles and appliances from the large port at Tampa just 330 miles to Havana. The answer is the embargo, and this is just one of hundreds of examples of America’s Cuban policy penalizing America’s own companies. At least South Korea (along with the rest of our allies) is benefiting from trade with Cuba. Keep in mind that South Korea would not even exist if not for the United States military. It seems that if the Cuban embargo was actually important to the national security interests of the United States, pressure could have been applied to the South Koreans to stop “trading with the enemy.”

   I sometimes hear Cuba and North Korea mentioned as somehow being comparable. They are not.  Wayne Smith, the former chief of the U.S. Interests Section (“Embassy”) in Havana, said that on a dictator scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst possible dictator, Fidel Castro was a 2 or 3.” North Korea’s Kim Jong-il was a 10.

   One last point–North Korea, Libya under Khadafi, and Cuba were all placed on the United States list of state sponsors of terrorism. North Korea (with its nuclear weapons) and Libya (which blew up an American Airliner) were removed from that list in the last few years. Cuba remains on that list, even though senior U.S. military officials almost unanimously agree that Cuba’s “terrorist” activities ended decades ago. Go figure.

MOVING FORWARD

  My goal  is to bring readers up to date with issues pertaining to Cuba travel by Americans. There is a lot going on just under the radar these days, especially in terms of economic and political changes. For now, I am going to try to focus on the different ways Americans can legally travel to Cuba and back. For those of you who don’t realize it, Cuba is beautiful, historical, and intriguing. Most important, it is one of the world’s safest countries for tourists, and Cubans love meeting and interacting with Americans.