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[bonbon123]

Has anyone ever taken a LapTop Computer to Cuba ?? If so, how were the Airport Customs ??

[peacefrog]

Has anyone ever taken a LapTop Computer to Cuba ?? If so, how were the Airport Customs ??

I have not myself, but I definitely know of people who did a few months ago, and I can ask them, if nobody answers here. Or I can ask Cuban friends, but they don't travel.

Email me if I forget!

Cheers

[starlagurl]

Just curious but why would it be different from any other place? As long as you can show the security guards it works and is not a bomb, why would you have a problem?

[bonbon123]

Just curious but why would it be different from any other place? As long as you can show the security guards it works and is not a bomb, why would you have a problem?

A travel Agent had told me to check about computer's to Cuba as you can not take walkie-talkie's, GPS's etc. Agent told me that if they took the LapTop then you probably would never see it again...so that just got me a bit worried.

[peacefrog]

Just curious but why would it be different from any other place? As long as you can show the security guards it works and is not a bomb, why would you have a problem?

Censorship and communication control.

When I went to Burma, cell phones were forbidden, and laptops too I suppose.

Smuggling a laptop or video camera in Tibet right now would seem a bit tricky to me, for example.


It seems that Raul is opening up the legislation on communications media. Bonbon will let us know about that, right?

As for customs, they got really annoying, as I was flying in from Colombia without cash... But I don't remember being searched at all.

[starlagurl]

Ohhhh, wow I had no idea. So is there no internet in Cuba or what? Like what is the difference if you have all your information stored on a computer or on a server on the internet? Or even in your hotmail?

[peacefrog]

Ohhhh, wow I had no idea. So is there no internet in Cuba or what? Like what is the difference if you have all your information stored on a computer or on a server on the internet? Or even in your hotmail?

They do have internet in Cuba, but it's complicated. And they have an internal network too, but nobody showed me how it worked. I did not insist though.
Internet for Cubans is in some places, not accessible to foreigners.
Internet for foreigners is in some places, accessible to some cubans.
Downloading takes ages, and it goes through a Cuban server. Traffic is not huge. So yes, it makes a difference if you don't let people get in and out as they please. Remember that Cubans are not allowed to leave the country either, and that USA arm and finance cuban opposition in Florida.

It's all a matter of keeping the population under control, and managing the information that gets IN the country. Cubans are very very educated, but on some points they were quite ignorant of what was going on outside (well, nothing worse than in our own countries anyway)

Anyway, they receive some internet, some satellite tv, etc... so I think such censorship policy is useless in the long term for the govt... good!
On the short term however, as long as you are not supposed to receive info, you can't debate over it, as it would mean that you received it illegally.
But I have not heard of any abuse. People are scared of what can happen to them, but they won't tell you about it, and they don't take a lot of caution either...

It's just that it's not that simple! Cuba!

Actually I am trying to write my entries about Cuba, but it's so bloody contradictory from one second to the other, from one situation to the next, that you need to look deep into the causes of every little thing to understand how it all works.
Some things the gvt don't let you see, but if you ask the right questions some people would tell you. SOme things are supposed to be public, or law, but nobody wuold talk about it, because of fear, or because of shame for the bad things in their system.

Do you understand the least bit of what I am writing? If not, it is normal: it's the Cuban headache.

[starlagurl]

Yeah I understand, I had a Cuban couchsurfer once and considered myself very lucky. It was interesting to talk to him, although it was hard to understand his English. What I understood was, that he was in North America as a visual artist, displaying his work around Toronto and in the US.

We didn't talk about internet censorship, and now I wish we had! However, he seemed very savvy about everything, and seemed to know a lot about everything going on outside of Cuba, that's why this whole thing is pretty exasperating to me! I'd like to know as much as I can about this.

[peacefrog]

Yeah I understand, I had a Cuban couchsurfer once and considered myself very lucky. It was interesting to talk to him, although it was hard to understand his English. What I understood was, that he was in North America as a visual artist, displaying his work around Toronto and in the US.

We didn't talk about internet censorship, and now I wish we had! However, he seemed very savvy about everything, and seemed to know a lot about everything going on outside of Cuba, that's why this whole thing is pretty exasperating to me! I'd like to know as much as I can about this.

Mmmmm... I would say that
- knowing about Cuba without experiencing it is not enough
- experiencing cuba without reading about it is not enough
- and when you do both you just start to understand how complicated it is!


I found that most visitors where quite shallow on things, and when you start digging you have to get used to a great deal of cynism. It's complicated.

Things that can help, or rather, things you can start with
- Enduring Cuba, by Zoe Bran: very journalistic I found, as it is quite objective and I lived all the situations described in the book
- Entries by the brilliant Sheena Sumaria
- my own entries, half of them missing, so there are a lot of seemingly "negative" aspects I have developped, planning to counterbalance them in entries yet to be written. In these entries I am actually without concessions to the Cubans, as, educated and intelligent as they are, some of their behavior is just "unacceptable".

You asked for it, there you have it... good luck with the reading, and make it your next destination, it's absolutely fascinating, warm, disgusting, welcoming, full of life, fear, joy

[starlagurl]

Ok thanks...but I won't be going to Cuba anytime soon...really

I just meant the internet thing...

[globetrekking]

From what I understand the restrictions on laptops are starting to change with regards to the Cubans...I know that previously Cubans were not allowed to buy laptops in Cuba (only foreigners and businesses) but Raul Castro announced last month that computers, dvd players and other electrical goods will go on sale immediately. In that respect I presume that there will no longer be issues with tourists taking laptops into the country. I still find it hard to accept that toasters and electric ovens were prohibited!!!

I decided not to take my laptop when I travelled there in September, but that was more of a carrying issue than anything else, from what I understand other people have taken theirs without problems, though officicals might ask you to switch it on.

What ever you take would recommend keeping things safe...I had all my camera equipment stolen from my locked room...very very annoying, but I was very lucky in getting the hotel to pay for everything.

Best piece of advice I can offer is that if you want to double check the laptop issue contact the cuban embassy in your country as they will be able to provide you with a full update.

[starlagurl]

Yeah good advice, checking with your embassy before going somewhere confusing...thanks for that!

[kiwi_surfer]

First of all, Thanks peacefrog for your words of wisdom and those great links,

Second...why would anyone want to bring a laptop with them while traveling? just the mere thought of it runs chills down my spine....surely you should be spending every waking minute absorbing the essence of what is cuba!... or any other country juxtaposed from your own.

[macfarlanei]

We went to Cuba in Jan 2012 and travelled independently all over for four weeks. We took a laptop with us to use. Which was fine for Word and games and music, but WIFI is not existant, or at least as far as we discovered. We stayed in Casa Particularis for most of the trip and none of the houses offered internet. The locals are only allowed internet via established government facilities once a week or something like that so WIFI really is simply not there. we also stayed in a five star all inclusive in Veradero at the end of the trip for five days. The only internet source there was via the hotels own two computors available for the holiday maker. The price was 6CUC for half an hour, again no WIFI. Sorry I can't remember the conversion to US or Sterling.

When we filled out our visa application on the airplane to Havana we had to declare all valuable goods and approximate value. I presume for proof of purchase prior to entry. However, this was never checked. The computor was never checked on entry or exit from the country. I've not heard of any problems from other travellers over laptops.