Leave a Bag in
Havana
A
Short List of Things to Do When You Visit Cuba
 |
| Bring a soft-sided bag and pay lees for the carrier |
This short book will give you some
ideas about places to visit and things to do that will help you encounter
interesting people.
Turn
your next vacation into a “service adventure,” an adventure that includes
serving others.
Tip
about the suitcase on the previous page:
By the way, don’t take a
hard-sided suitcase. Take a
one-time-use, thin suitcase because you plan to leave what you can in Cuba. Take a bag that is lightweight so you can
maximize what you take there (to leave behind).
This
book contains suggestions for people who have dreamed about going to Cuba and
who might wonder, “What should I bring
to leave behind?”
I
assume that you see the value in exchanges between two cultures. I went to the Soviet Union in 1969 before
détente, in 1975 during relaxed relations with the superpower (even while the
government treated some citizens poorly), and during the restructuring of
Russia in 1989. My tourism dollars
“supported” a harsh regime (and several dozen locals benefited from my
purchases). I left behind Bic pens in
1975 and who knows what kid benefited from that exchange? (I got several decorated pins in exchange).
I’ve
heard people argue that the current regime in Cuba is “propped up” by the
tourists from Canada (over one million visitors annually). I’ve witnessed locals in Cuba getting medical
supplies and consumer items (pens, cameras, computers, USB flash drives). I’m not sure how much impact or what kind of
impact these tourist visits have on the economy, but I know that I learned from
locals when I traveled to the Soviet Union and Cuba.
I’d
rather participate by traveling to Cuba and sharing some of the items that I’ve
accumulated than stay away and withhold these items from people who appear to
be nice.
A
search of YouTube with the words “what
to bring to Cuba” revealed these items in 2015:
It
appears likely that the person who posted the video made the lives of some
Cubans a little easier. That’s why I
went to Havana with an extra bag. I hope
you are persuaded to keep reading.
When
I went to the Soviet Union, I exchanged pens for a pin like this. This book will give you places where you can
meet locals and return home with more
significant souvenirs.
Leave only footprints
and bubbles, take only photos and memories. (a combination
of quotes from a sign in a U.S. National Park). The quote appears in a blog post http://outdoortravellife.com/outdoor-quotes/
“What
Should I Take to Cuba?”
Magazines**
Medical
supplies
School
supplies: Pens, Notebooks
Videos
The format
can be .mp4, which is easily played on any computer. The content should be educational and
tasteful. If you wouldn’t show the video
to your grandmother or if your school principal would be offended, don’t bring
it. Videos on CD, DVD or
USB
USBs,
CDs
Books**
Smartphones
Cameras
Laptop
computer
Feminine
items
 |
| click on this video link |
Diapers
What else
might you give to parents with their first infant? You might think about anything that you have
found useful and you could bring that.
Telephones
A
simple plug-in phone is okay. Someone
will find it useful.
Clothes
Vitamins
**Take magazines
and books to Cuba Libro at Calle 25 and 19.
See chapter 4.
This person
gave an animated piece-by-piece description about what she took to the Long
Island.
What
else? Check these websites and
blogs:
safebridge.blogspot.com/2013_10_01_archive.html
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