Goldtent TA Paradise

CUBA : COMMUNISM’S FINAL STAND

1. Fullgoldcrown says:

   March 22, 2025 - 8:48 pm at 8:48 pm

   COMMUNIST CUBA BLACKOUTS – EQUAL MISERY FOR ALL

   The whole main island of Cuba has apparently experienced complete electrical blackouts over the last few weeks. 10 Million people have been left in darkness with lighting and energy only available to hospitals and other essential services. Cuba’s grid operator, UNE, stated that only 225 MW—less than 10% of total demand—was available to supply critical infrastructure, such as hospitals, food centres, and water supply systems, leaving much of the island without power. UNE didn’t provide a timeline on when power generation capacity would return to 100%. This is the 4th such nation wide blackout in 6 months apparently. None of this is a surprise to BOOM.

   Fifteen years ago, in 2010, BOOM visited Cuba on a thankfully short holiday. Curiosity was the rationale. Almost immediately upon arrival, it was obvious that the people of Cuba were the most dispirited, captured, sad and dispossessed people on Earth. Tourists arriving were asked to fill in a form explaining their presence. However, there were no pens, no chairs and no tables available in the room. The passengers were given no choice but to sit on the floor and beg each other for whatever pens they had in their hand bags. The poor, dispirited, sad Cubans could not help.

   We left the airport after this rather strange welcome and hopped in a taxi for the transfer to our accommodation in Havana. The taxi was a very old and worn car of unknown provenance. We passed donkey carts, billboards proclaiming the Great Communist Victory of 1959 and bare earth where lawns should have been. Nobody smiled. They had been conquered, defeated. A sense of drudgery was everywhere. It was hot and everything was covered in dust.

   We arrived at our destination street which was full of huge potholes, collapsed buildings, broken windows and more donkeys being herded by more poor, dispirited, sad Cubans. There was the sickening smell of horrible diesel exhaust emanating from all the old, trashed vehicles. There was no glass in most of the windows. Subsequently, we learnt that glass was not available in Cuba. So we called this “Cuban air conditioning”. Next door to our accommodation was a butchery. There was no refrigeration there. The meat carcasses were strewn over bare tables in a room with a dirt floor. The poor, dispirited Cubans were lined up holding their Meat Ration cards, eagerly awaiting their portions which were all covered with what appeared to be millions (yes millions) of flies. Welcome to the Communist Paradise of Cuba. And Havana was the capital city (!) – the showpiece.

   That evening, we asked our landlady where to go for dinner. She directed us down the street which had no street lights. It was almost impossible to see ahead of where we were walking. She assured us that we would be safe and that there was absolutely no risk of assault or robbery. We turned the corner to another street where we found the “restaurant”. It had a line up of customers. It had waiters dressed in uniforms and you could see the chefs in the kitchen all dressed in white chef’s clothing and typical tall white chef hats. But it was all a charade. There was no edible food available. We were served a dish of what tasted like lukewarm, wet cardboard. The choice was “beef, pork or fish” but all the dishes tasted exactly the same. We were surrounded by families on a big night out and they were extraordinary mix of Spanish, Whites and Blacks – all in the same family group. Racial integration seemed the Norm which was a pleasant observation. After eating our wet cardboard, we staggered out into the dark streets to inch our way home. People were sitting on their doorsteps as we passed. No one acknowledged our existence. They either looked at the horizon across the street or down at the dirty road at their feet. We walked home like invisible Martians, unseen ghosts. It was a unique and eerie experience. But, sure enough, we were safe. There was no crime that we could see in Havana. Perhaps because the people were already living in a jail?

   Cuba did not get any better than this. For the next 10 days, we lived on lukewarm wet cardboard, Nestle ice creams, Maggi stock cubes, marvellous Cuban Beer called CRISTAL (arguably the best in the world after a steaming hot day on the streets of Havana) and Spanish Rose wine. It was a perfectly balanced Cuban diet. Somehow, the Swiss companies of Nestle and Maggi were allowed to sell their products in Cuba. Leaving Cuba was a happy day.

   If anyone tells you that a Communist Paradise exists in Cuba, tell them to move there immediately so that they too can enjoy the delights of living in a depressing, soulless jail. However, BOOM must be fair. During the trip, it became obvious that the leaders of Cuba lived no better than the poor citizens. There was certainly no obvious evidence of an “upper class” or “rich”. Everyone appeared to be equally miserable.

   Everyone on Earth should read George Orwell’s book, Animal Farm.

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2. pedro_deleon says:

   March 22, 2025 - 11:02 pm at 11:02 pm

   “During the trip, it became obvious that the leaders of Cuba lived no better than the poor citizens.”

   If so, you’d think SOME KIND OF negotiated settlement would be possible when the leadership has so little left to lose.
   This is where other Latin American leaders ought to be able to step in, if an opening were ever offered.
   Trouble is, it goes nowhere without America, and without appeasing the displaced Floridian Cubans and their descendants.

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