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46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
This Book is a ..., don't even think about buying it., June 19, 2001
By A Customer
This book is merely a tourist guide, and a bad one. The author makes asumptions like in the future things will change, and things are bound to get better, hardly an investment guide. I have been to Cuba over 30 times, and everyone knows that it is almost impossible to buy property, the few condos that were available to the public were highly overpriced, over $350,000. and any other kind of transaction either rent or sale of housing is illegal and banned.The author talks about the excellent health care system, but forgets to mention that medicines and first class services are only accesible to tourists, and none of them compare to the services in the US; if you ever go to regular hospitals, you have to bring your own sheets, syringes swabs and have to look for the prescribed drugs in the black market, since public hospitals cannot afford them. The author talks about the affordability of the country, and that's a lie, since everything is available through the black market, everything is overpriced, restaurants and bars of average quality are overpriced,take the Tocororo restaurant where your bill might go as high as $50.00 per person without wine and the restaurant is of average quality compared to those in the US or Mexico, drinks are expensive in the clubs, take the one in the hotel Comodoro where one beer costs 8.00 dollars and one mojito costs 10.00 The author talks about some cracks having appeared in the political system due to a poor economy, but it still has a stable government. There was famine for Gods sake in 1994, those are not cracks and the governments stability is due to repression of its own people, sure as a foreigner you are treated nicely and courteously, but the repression of the beautiful Cuban people is a fact hard to overlook. When the author talks about the people he says that they prefer the urban lifestyle, about 70% live in cities. That's because there is no access to dollars in the country, and therefore no access to black market goods like milk, beef or cheese, and farmers risk being jailed by going to the city to struggle to make a living and get some dollars for their families, that's why we see the prostitution of the "Guajiras". In another chapter the author writes about "Finding Companionship" and the fame of Cuban women's "Derires" maybe he tried to say derrière. Pathetic. He also states that these women tend to be more devoted to the North American males than to Cuban males since they find them (Cubans) too macho, I'd like to see Mr Howard's credentials in order to make that statement that seems derogatory from all sides. When he talks about investments his ignorance shines, making business in Cuba is one of the hardest things to do given the bureocracy, sure he gives a list of good bussines ideas, what he doesn't tell you or he doesn't know is that most of these ideas are forbidden by the Cuban government. Cuba's government wants you doing business directed to exportations or tourist services, he doesn't want you meddling with the local consumer, and if you invest in tourism they only want you to invest in big projects with them as an equal partner, they don't want you setting up a small restaurant or bar or cafe, the government wants you there only if you mean big business, and that means anything over a million dollars, otherwise visit as a tourist. I don't mean to criticize Cuba, I mean to criticize a book that seems like a ... leaflet. Cuba even with all its shortcomings is still to me one of the greatest destinations in the world, and I wouldn't give it up for any of the other great resort projects of the world, its charm and style are unique as well as its people, but this book will only confuse and deceive and form an opinion in its readers of a country that has nothing to do with what is described inside its pages, investment wise and living wise. Really it has nothing to do with it.
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