Cuba is safe! Yes, it is a developing country and should be considered as such. There is good medical care and you can find accom everywhere - but not necessarily easy to find. Think "developing world" not EU/USA. Don't put any stock in "opinions" written by western journalists angling for a story and who have only stayed in a great urban hotel and on an expense account..

I remember being interviewed by a journalist writing (about 2002) an article for the Financial Post... she had no clue about where I went nor what I did - but the article was crafted for the FP audience...

Thank you so much PapaJoe! Great info you provided here.

I was wondering if you could suggest an itinerary considering that we land in and out from Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport, December 29th around 1:00pm and January 5th 11:00am.

Thank you so much everyone!

Here are two pictures of us training over the weekend!

:) if i read your dates, you have 2 days of travel in/out of cuba and 5 days free. your arriving closest to matanzas. how far would you like travel per day on average? the airport is 73 miles or 118 km east/north east of havana. if you have 5 full days, 2.5 away and 2.5 back. a nice town 144 miles easterly is santa clara, there are plenty of casa's to rent here. plan to arrive by 4 so you have some daylight to find a house, either farmers market, or resturant. when you get into town, there will be a gas/beverage/snack type store. usually tables inside and outside. if you have a seat, people will come up to you. friendly, and want to see your bikes and talk, where your from, etc. ask them for the farmers market(mercado), and a couple of casa to rent. if the people ask $30, try $20 and settle on $25 cuc. including breakfast.
day 2 to la teja, north coast about 90 miles north west. same routine; service station, talk to people, etc. in writing this i released what is wrong with this agenda; you don't have time to experience the people, culture, or history. maybe send a day getting to each location, and a day there. the 5th day head back and stop along the way. just some ideas.

For that number of days, you may want to consider a hub and spoke tour. No reason to haul your stuff around the island.

You should read this book together as you prepare for your trip. There is so much information in this story about bike travel in Cuba, written by a nice woman who toured the island solo, well before the country opened up to Americans. It is such a fun read, I know you'll enjoy it and get pretty stoked for your trip.
"The Handsomest Man in Cuba" by Lynette Chang.
https://www.amazon.com/Handsomest-Ma...st+man+in+cuba

Cuba is a very nice country and so long as you're not an idiot nothing bad will befall you. If you get hurt they'll patch you up.

What you need to keep in mind regarding currencies is that convertible/tourist pesos are worth a great deal of money in the Cuban economy. If you buy something for $5 worth of convertible pesos, and think to yourself "Wow, it'd cost $20 in America! Cuba is cheap!", then you've been tricked because the same item in normal Cuban pesos the citizens use might work out only $1. The entire purpose of the twin currencies is to rake in lots of money by pricing everything higher for tourists than citizens.

Cuban citizens are allowed to possess convertible pesos, which means you'll probably meet people who'll offer to show you around for a price. What with the cost of living in Cuban pesos working out to a buck fifty for a month's household utility bills, being a taxi driver or waiter tipped in convertible pesos is extremely lucrative. So bare in mind that they perceive you as an extremely wealthy person - a comfortably employed westerner can afford as much groceries in Cuba as a millionaire can in an ohio walmart.

I had a fall off my bike in Cuba and was helped to a local clinic by an apparently very kind Cuban who stole my bike during the five minutes I was being 'patched up' in a cubicle. I hesitated to leave my bike in his care but as I was still dazed by the accident and felt it bad manners not to trust him, I did for a brief period.

Was I 'an idiot'?

Well yeah, to be honest. As I already explained stuff like bikes takes ten times more saving up for a Cuban as it does for us. You basically did the same as saying to a random stranger "please hold this gold brick for me while I'm away".

That's certainly one way of looking at it.

Hell, I mean it's third world and Communist, and they overthrew their last government for turning the island into a 50/50 mix of slave plantations and mafia-owned casinos. Expropriating from the relatively wealthy counts as patriotism to them.

You can get anything you want there for an American dollar, but trust only in a strong lock!

Communism and Democracy - just a couple of words.... that can be quite meaningless.

When I was in a hospital in Gillette, WY, the injured cowboys walked outta emergency because they could not afford the med treatment. I got treatment because I had (a Canadian private insurance for travel ) coverage...

In Cuba everyone gets treatment- been in Cuban and USA clinics/hospitals...

"Communist" Cuba has accessible health care for ALL. The iconic USA Democracy does NOT!

Everyone has an opinion. You have read mine wrt health care - based on personal experience...

And we live where we live- with our biases etc... no point in saying one place is better than another. It is what we make of it.....