Hi People, I've booked a berth on the Stahlratte to sail from Cartageña to Cuba to Mexico departing the tailend of January '13. This trip will give me and my moto approximately 3 weeks to ride around Cuba so if anyone has ever taken their moto to Cuba and ridden around, I would be grateful for any tips or warnings you can impart. Also, if anyone would like to buddy up with a non smoking drinking geriatric for the 3 week period, no problem.

Q. What is a drinking non smoker doing going to a country famous for cigars and rum.

A. It's one way to avoid bloody CA.

Ride safe.

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Mike
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Mike is riding the twisty road in the sky

i booked this months ago, as far as i know there are only two of us going, and ludwig who keeps his bike on board

+1 on the drinking but i have been known to smoke a few cigars

drop me a PM and let me know your route and timing plans?

rtwpaul

Is there still space in the boat, is there a chance to join in Cartagena and share expenses.
I was thinking about an idea of ridding north, I'm located in Ecuador, i'd love to join a plan like that.
I can join Cartagena by the first week of january.
I ride a 2004 ktm640adv.
Probably can be a 2up.
Non smoker and seldom rums not in ridding time!
RG

you need to contact the stalhratte to see if he has space left

I did this trip last Spring from Colombia. Cuba was okay, but be prepared for a few surprises.
1. It took 3 DAYS to get permission to ride around Cuba, after arriving in Cienfuegos. In the many countries I've been in, the most time to enter a country was 3 HOURS. There were five bikes that came in with the Stahlratte.
2. Great live free music is everywhere.
3. The food wasn't great. Cuban food seems to be better in the US.
4. The service was generally terrible. I rarely heard, "Thank you" and never "I'm sorry." While they want more foreign exchange from tourists, it is still a socialist society with no incentive to give good service.
5. You can't camp in the wild without getting hassled. One of the bikes that arrived with me was taken to jail when he camped on the beach.
6. Accommodations are expensive and it was best to stay at Casas Particulares. These are private homes that are easy to find and a great way to meet the real Cubans. In the 12 that I stayed in, no residents were working.
7. Food wasn't cheap, but finding places that will let you pay with Pesos Cubanos as opposed to CUC will save beaucoup bucks. You cannot use a US credit card there and don't use PayPal while online while in Cuba. I tried to send my daughter some money via PayPal and they froze my account.
8. Be prepared for an extreme amount of interest in your bike, at gas stations, and everywhere that you stop. The number of modern bikes that are in Cuba is zilch. If you like old US cars from the 50's and 60's, you'll be in heaven.
9. Beware of the "professional" ladies. A Canadian who arrived with me hated Cuba because of the pesky putas who bothered him because he is Canadian. Apparently, it's quite common for them to come to Cuba for sex vacations.

Bottom line is that I went to Cuba because of the way Lulu (nickname for Ludwig) waxed so eloquently about how wonderful Cuba is. I'm glad I went, but the cost was not cheap and I wouldn't go again. It was my 72nd country.

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motomon at pobox dot com
Have returned to Latin America ... again in 2020.

it'll be in my report on ADV how i get on Round the World on a Thumper…Adventure before Dementia - ADVrider

i just met a guy who is dealing with Cuba tourist board and going there every month for promotions for a new company and he told me over the last year things have improved dramatically...time will tell, i will report my findings as a comparison