Thanks Orchid. We have the same feeling, about impending changes...while they will hopefully bring better employment possibilities and improve the lives of the Cubans, the changes will also bring side effects. Hopefully it won't spoil the the generosity-of-heart of the Cuban people which is what most tourists see as the real beauty of Cuba.

Cuba is still very much a 3rd-world country. Most of the people in the area where we go don't have running water, intermittent electricity, only the most basic of food staples (this year, since the hurricane, they can't even get bananas or potatoes until the new crops start yielding - everything was destroyed in the hurricane). The only meat most people there have access to is fish or chicken (and the chickens are quite scrawny, so not much meat on the bones!) Most of the Cubans we know eat rice, beans, tomatoes and fish. But I only know first-hand about the specific area we travel to.

You only see older cars...and it's amazing and mind-boggling how ingenious these people are at keeping those cars running! Our area had its annual festival while we were there in February. It was a trip back in time to see all the old cars cruising by. Gasoline is very expensive, and most people can't afford cars or gas, so many of these cars only come out on special occasions, like the festival. Most people travel by bicycle or foot, or hitch rides on the backs of trucks.

I think Cuba would be an amazing place for cycling...you could spend a couple of weeks cycling from hotel to hotel...I think there might be special cycling tours in place, but we've seen many tourists venture out on their own...fly into Havana and then make their own arrangements as they go (which can be risky at the height of the tourist season, since many of the hotels would be full).