| Hotel Havana Libre, Tuesday, April 5,
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| | seafront boulevard) and saw the beautiful
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| 2005, 7:20 pm
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| | Plaza Vieja and the Plaza de la Catedral
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| Yesterday I had to sign up for my Spanish
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| | where a mass was being held for the
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| course at the University of Havana. The
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| | passing of Pope John Paul II.
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| Campus of the University is an
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| | This was very interesting, since Cuba is
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| astoundingly beautiful collection of
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| | a Communist / official atheist country
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| classical buildings and a Cuban tank
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| | and there are much fewer Catholics today
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| graces the entrance to the library.
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| | than before the Revolution. Actually much
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| At 9 am all the foreign students, about
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| | of Cuba´s religion is a mixture of
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| 40 of them, met in the Edificio Varona
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| | Catholicism and Santeria (religious
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| and we were shepherded by various
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| | practices of the African slaves).
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| professors into a very antiquated lecture
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| | Regardless of religiousness, Cuba has
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| hall. (By the way, of the 5 or 6 washroom
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| | declared a 3-day "duelo nacional" (a
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| stalls in the women´s bathroom,
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| | national mourning period for the Pope)
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| only 1 or 2 have toilets in them, no
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| | and the mass was attended by hundreds of
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| toilet seats, and no running water in the
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| | people.
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| sinks. Again a sign of rather run-down
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| | Pedro and I then had a nice meal in the
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| infrastructure...)
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| | "Barrio Chino" (Havana's Chinatown) for
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| There they told us about the program, but
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| | 5.60 CUC (less than US$6) for 2 people
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| only in Spanish, which was okay for me,
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| | and 2 vegetarian meals and soft drinks.
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| since I speak Spanish, but about half the
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| | After a nice dinner he again flagged down
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| group was completely lost. We then had to
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| | a local private car driver and gave him
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| do a quick written placement test to
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| | about 1 CUC for picking us up and
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| assess our existing Spanish skills and
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| | dropping us off at my Hotel. At midnight
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| then the bureaucracy began.
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| | I dropped into bed, exhausted.
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| We found out that we needed the following
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| | However, at 4 am this morning I awoke
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| documents:
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| | with major intestinal problems.
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| - a copy of our passports
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| | Apparently my Chinese meal had not become
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| - an official copy of the hotel guest
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| | me so well and I had serious digestive
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| card and/or a copy of the licence of the
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| | issues emanating from both sides of my
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| private Casa Particular
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| | body. This morning I realy felt rotten
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| - 200 CUC (Convertible Cuban Pesos) in
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| | and I ended up using my own medical kit
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| cash for a 2-week course or more for
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| | for the first time and took some
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| other courses
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| | Immodium.
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| - 40 CUC for changing our tourist visa to
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| | I was unable to eat breakfast, but I made
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| an academic visa (in fiscal stamps which
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| | my way to the university where at 9 am
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| we had to obtain abuot 5 km away)
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| | our classes started. Surprisingly the
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| - 2 passport photos
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| | placement test had put me into the level
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| - 25 CUC in cash to expedite our academic
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| | of "perfeccionamiento", the highest level
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| visa if we are in town for only 2 weeks.
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| | and the level of Spanish in my class was
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| I linked up with a bunch of foreign
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| | indeed very high. The class consists of 7
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| students and we headed off together on
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| | students, a young woman from England, a
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| our quest to fulfill the Cuban desire for
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| | young female medical student from
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| Burocratismo. We first obtained cash at
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| | Denmark, a middle-aged female doctor from
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| bank at the Hotel Havana Libre, then got
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| | Finland, a young male law student from
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| the passport pictures done (to be ready
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| | Sweden, a young woman and man from Norway
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| for pickup 3 hours later), then searched
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| | and myself from Austria/Canada.
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| for the other bank on Calle 23 that would
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| | Obviuosly there is a very heavy
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| provide us with the 40CUC stamps for the
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| | Scandinavian slant in my class and it
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| academic visa. With extremely long
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| | seems everyone in the class is a hobby
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| lineups everywhere, this took us about 2
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| | sociologist, political scientist,
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| or 3 hours.
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| | environmentalist and historian. We asked
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| Then we got really hungry and we were
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| | some rather tough questions about Cuban
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| approached by a local "Jinetero"
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| | life, the political system, the economic
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| (restaurant tout) who promised us a
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| | hardships, the double economy, the
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| complete meal with main dish, salad and
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| | situation of women and blacks in Cuba,
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| side dish for 6 or 7 CUC. We walked with
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| | machismo and the situation of the
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| him, only to find out that the wait at
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| | environment.
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| the Paladar (private restaurant) would be
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| | Some of these questions made our female
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| about 45 minutes to even sit down, not
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| | professor feel extremely uncomfortable
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| including food preparation time.
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| | and it seemed like she was squirming
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| So we walked up Calle 21 and a private
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| | under the barrage of probing political
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| restaurant owner approached us for a meal
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| | and sociological questions. She got very
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| and we gave in and came inside. It was a
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| | defensive a few times about the Cuban
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| beautiful colonial villa, except that the
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| | system and only after we discussed the
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| guest room with is obligatory 3 tables
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| | good and bad aspects of European and
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| and 12 seats was in a dark small dingy
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| | Canadian societies did she loosen up a
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| room completely without windows.
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| | bit and become a bit more open and frank
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| However, we had a delicious home-cooked
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| | about the real Cuban life. It seems that
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| meal, I had roasted chicken with rice
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| | to this day Cubans have to be very
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| & beans, salad and a lemon soft
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| | careful about what they say in public.
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| drink, all for 8 CUC (about 8 US$). 2 of
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| | For example, she frankly admitted that
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| my student colleagues were from Germany
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| | racism still exists in Cuba and to this
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| and the other fellow is from Toronto as
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| | day it is still a country with a lot of
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| well, but originally from Poland. We had
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| | machismo. However, she did not admit that
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| some great conversations and it was
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| | Internet access and access to
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| interesting linking up with a bunch of
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| | non-Communist media is forbidden for
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| Europeans in Havana.
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| | Cubans, she simply explained it as an
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| After a brief rest in the hotel, my
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| | economic issue. (Several of my colleagues
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| friend Pedro again picked me up in the
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| | had heard otherwise in their travels in
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| evening and I couldn´t help but
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| | Cuba, simply that a Cuban is not allowed
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| tell him about my experience with the
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| | to have access to the Internet). She also
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| Cocotaxi driver yesterday, who had tried
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| | admitted that it is not allowed for
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| to pick me up, despite my clarifications
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| | Cubans to visit the tourist areas of the
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| and statements that I was married and not
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| | Cayos (e.g. Cayo Coco) which is
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| interested in any amorous activities.
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| | exclusively reserved for tourists and
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| Pedro explained that sexual relations in
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| | Cubans have no access to that area
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| Cuba are a relatively common, easy-going
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| | whatsoever, a definite point of
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| thing and that it is very common for
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| | contention among the locals.
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| people to link up for quick "meaningful
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| | Class ended about 1:20 and my upset
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| overnight relationships". He referred to
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| | stomach did not allow me to intake any
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| the Cuban people as very "passionate and
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| | food. I headed back to my hotel, slept a
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| hot-blooded", I guess that explains a
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| | little and have been on the Internet for
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| couple of the advances that I have been
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| | the past 2 or so hours (racking up a bill
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| receiving so far, particularly since
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| | of about $US 20.00 or s0), documenting my
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| there is also quite a lot of sex tourism
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| | trip.
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| where men (and even women) come to Cuba
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| | It´'ll be a quiet evening tonight
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| to engage in easily available erotic
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| | since I am trying to settle down my
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| experiences.
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| | stomach. But I am sure the adventures and
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| Pedro and I walked through the old town
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| | the learning will continue tomorrow.
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| and of course along the Malecon (the
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