Jack Nicholson in Cuba With Fidel....

[Jonjonmacky]

Okay, so I wanna know how Nicholson can go to cuba and bs with fidel castro and not get any guff from the US... I mean, could I book a flight there if i wanted? Are you prevented from going there, or just spending money there?

FIDEL CASTRO - NICHOLSON GETS THE SILENT TREATMENT FROM CASTRO


Cuban leader FIDEL CASTRO gave JACK NICHOLSON one of his most valuable life lessons - when he told the movie star to shut up. The actor was visiting Castro with girlfriend Rebecca when the bearded president offered him a few words of wisdom. Nicholson recalls, "He took me aside, pointed over to my girl...and he said to her, 'You learned much more at this meeting than Jack or I did, because all we did was talk. You listened.' "I looked at him and thought, 'You slick Latin bastard. You had to wait

until the end to put the s**t out there.' And, God, she was incapable of not falling apart on the spot. "But I like the way this man summed up the meeting - you don't learn much when you're talking."

17/12/2007 07:42


http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/nicholson%20gets%20the%20silent%20treatment%20from %20castro_1053736


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A self guided Cuban cigar and tobacco journey
Steven Baker | Forbes Traveler

“Take a look. Cohibas.”

I’m sitting in a taxi, speeding along the Malecon with windows down. The night air smells heavy with salt; the few lights that mark Old Havana sparkle in the distance. My driver had urged me — oddly — to sit in the front seat, then suggested I look in the glove box. Wrapped in a white plastic bag is a box of cigars. “Originales,” he assures me.

Uh-huh. These “Cohibas” cost $20 each in the government-run stores, but my new friend is offering me a “deal”: “$60 for all 25,” he says with a smile. “Or $5 each.” In the dark of the cab, I can’t distinguish the cheapness factor, but they must be knockoffs. I buy one for amusement and step out into the bustling Plaza de la Catedral.

Tobacco may only be Cuba’s third-largest export, but the cigar defines Cuba more than any other single product. It’s a $240 million industry, offering work to farmers, scientists, rollers, and exporters (and of course the omnipresent phony-stogie hawkers): each year, the country produces some 150 million cigars, exporting most to Europe.

But though some say Honduran or Dominican cigars have eclipsed Cubans, they maintain their famous mystique. The combination of quality, the forbidden nature of Cuban travel, and the regal air of those who have enjoyed them — from JFK to Fidel — have combined to make the Cuban stogie the ultimate symbol of prestige.

So I flew to Havana for a look behind the smokescreen and to have a seemingly simple experience: find some great cigars and smoke them in cool places.

Leaves of class

Cigars have a storied history on this island, dating to the 18th century, when the first plantations arose in the east and moved progressively to the west. Though sugar was king, tobacco quickly grew in popularity, with Cuban natives (who named cigars cohibas) using them for religious, political and social ceremonies. It didn’t take long, of course, before word — and demand — spread to Europe; soon thousands were toiling in the tobacco fields.

I figure those fields are the logical place to start. I wait for a ride out there at the Hotel Ambos Mundos in Old Havana, where Hemingway did some toiling of his own (and where his preserved room is on display). The faint air of colonialism still lingers in the woodwork and swirling fans of this open-air lobby, the perfect place to light up a Romeo y Julieta, Churchill’s preferred brand.

As horses, buggies, and 1960s Chevys pass outside, I take in the smoothness of the Panetelas. “Nice, right?” says the man next to me. He’s a Canadian named John and says he comes to Cuba several times a year. Though these stogies are legal in Canada, he buys boxes here — they’re a bargain. “So you come back to buy cigars?” I ask. “No,” he says. “Just to vacation.” But when tell him I’m a journalist and casually ask why he comes so often — and what his last name is — he grows uncomfortable. “Smith,” he says, and annoyingly storms off, tamping his stub in the black plastic ashtray.

Tobacco grows best in the western highlands of Cuba, making for high-quality tobacco and a gorgeous day trip from Havana. Rent a car (it’s easy) or take an organized tour from your hotel. The farmland and small towns begin to appear, and after a couple hours you’ll see limestone mountains begin to jut skyward.

I’m doing the same when my ride arrives to Pinar del Rio — tobacco country. I travel west from Havana, and it isn’t long before mountains appear in the distance and thatched roofs by the side of the road. The scents of eucalyptus, orange and grapefruit trees commingle in the humidity, which hovers around 70 percent year-round — ideal for growing tobacco.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE

[tx_tuff]

Jon you can tell you have yet to try a Cuban because you are obsessed with them LOL. That will prob change after you have smoked a few. And no you can't go to Cuba

[Puffer]

I have heard of people booking a flight to mexico, then going to cuba from there.. Thats been awhile though.. If you really wanted to go.. You can find a way..

[jim@mindofmen.com]

There are a few legal ways that you can go to Cuba. Specifically:

• Journalists and supporting broadcasting or technical personnel (regularly employed in that capacity by a news reporting organization and traveling for journalistic activities)
• Official government travelers on official business.
• Members of international organizations of which the United States is also a member (traveling on official business).
• Full-time professionals whose travel transactions are directly related to research in their professional areas, provided that their research: 1) is of a noncommercial, academic nature; 2) comprises a full work schedule in Cuba; and 3) has a substantial likelihood of public dissemination.
• Full-time professionals whose travel transactions are directly related to attendance at professional meetings or conferences in Cuba organized by an international professional organization, institution, or association that regularly sponsors such meetings or conferences in other countries. An organization, institution, or association headquartered in the United States may not sponsor such a meeting or conference unless it has been specifically licensed to sponsor it. The purpose of the meeting or conference cannot be the promotion of tourism in Cuba or other commercial activities involving Cuba, or to foster production of any bio-technological products.
• Travelers who have received specific licenses from OFAC prior to going.
• Specific Licenses to Visit Immediate Family Members in Cuba

Specific licenses can be granted to Educational Institutions and to Religious organizations. You can check out the details here: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1097.html

If you don't fall into one of these categories, then you are prohibited from visiting Cuba. In the past, it was fairly easy for an American to travel to Canada or Mexico and then book a direct flight to Havana. The problem comes with the whole passport thing. In the past, Cuba used to insert a page into your passport with their entry and exit stamps, however this is not guaranteed. All that needs to happen is for you to get a Cuban stamp in your passport and you are majorly hosed.

[Jonjonmacky]

Originally Posted by tx_tuff

Jon you can tell you have yet to try a Cuban because you are obsessed with them LOL. That will prob change after you have smoked a few. And no you can't go to Cuba

Ever since I watched this documentary I've been fascinated.. I want to walk the tobacco fields, and eat tapas, and bring back a mint condition 1950's automobile for my dad..

[Daniel D]

You can always swim..

[jim@mindofmen.com]

Difficult to do if you want to bring back a mint condition 1950s car

[happy1]

Just go through Canada...

[karmaz00]

hey john, i go to cuban every year.. i live in canada though. but when im there i meet up with so many americians. you have to fly to canada and then go from like toronto or vancouver.. some tips if you go. they dont like americian money, they will tax you 40% right off the bat..bring canadian or euro dollars. and no you cant bring back the cigars (bummer) but you can smoke as many as you want there.

[Jonjonmacky]

I read though so long as you take the bands off you can carry them back because according to customs theres no way to tell if the stick is honduran or not.. i could have "brought" it with me, much like people do when they go to mexico..


Edit: oh and it just seems rediculous to me to fly to canada then right back down to somplace that should only be a 5 hour flight...

[karmaz00]

i know, but im pretty sure theres not flights from the usa that go to cuba.

[Jonjonmacky]

Thats my point its ridiculous that their isn't cause this dumb embargo is pointless. Its like still having a Japanese internment camp up in the united states just for the hell of it so we don't forget pearl harbor..

[FoZzMaN-cl]

Originally Posted by Jonjonmacky

I read though so long as you take the bands off you can carry them back because according to customs theres no way to tell if the stick is honduran or not.. i could have "brought" it with me, much like people do when they go to mexico..

It's not "legal" regardless - tho I'm sure many people do that everyday. My understanding (no clue where I heard this) is that all unbanded sticks are assumed to be Cuban unless you can prove otherwise. That's why people bring Dominican/whatever bands with them, reband the cigars & mail the Cuban bands home by themselves, or just discard them...

[chrisguinther]

Wow, Jack Nicholson talked to a man who's been dead for over a year. He must have got some tips from Shirley McClaine.

[Jonjonmacky]

So he really is dead?