i’m a canadian, with ecuadorian roots. i went to varadero with 2 girlfriends. i was determined not to meet a cuban guy who would only want to marry me and come to canada and then disappear. Well our first night out we met 4 cuban guys, and 2 of them went on and on about how they liked us. but their game was TOO obvious! for one guy i was ‘the most beautiful woman’ he’d say ‘kiss me’ ‘keep in touch’ etc… well i wasn’t too attracted to him, but his touch was gentle and sweet. all we did was dance. The next day i encountered two tourists from Russia who were at the resort. on two occassions they tried to trick me into having sex with the both of them (IN ONE DAY!) however, in between my unfortunate arguments with them i had met a young cuban guy and his coworker. then i went out with just him to the same street party where we met the 4 cubans the nite before. anyway, this young guy and i (7 yr diff-but we look the same age) hit it off… mainly b/c i paid attention to his telling of his life-story and he heard mine. we didn’t ask each other for anything nor did he give me a sad story, he just told me of his dreams and how he planned to accomplish them. I suddenly felt compelled to help. but i couldn’t and i probably wouldn’t except for giving him some clothes for his sister. he said “you can offer me whatever you like, but please, don’t feel obliged to. in fact, don’t give me anything” and we went on 4 other dates. he became my sweetheart, the guy i thought about when i met new tourists and new cuban men. the guy who i forgot could possibly want a way out of the country -b/c he paid for everything all the time, and gave me a souvenir from his own souvenir stand. he did invite me to his house for an afternoon of video game playing and uploading our pics from my camera. i even stood him up for a home-cooked dinner at his home, and if i had gone, i knew that i wouldn’t want to see him again. i knew that he’d expect/want the sex-but later i told him i wasn’t in varadero for sex like other tourists do. with that he told me i was special, he kissed my hand, and we continued dancing our last nite there. Finally our last day he had off from work, he spent 4 short hours with me, and i said goodbye to his coworkers, and his lady boss who told me he is a very special person, that its up to me to stay in touch. he thanked me for spending time with him, and creating memories and experiences he hadn’t lived before. i thanked him for the same, and for being a sweetheart. i left him my ‘half-broken camera that only functioned in his hands’… i hope to tell him one day that i never intended to treat him like a ‘jinetero’. for his human self and soul i say i love him. but its hard to keep that up when the phone calls and emails are near impossible and quite expensive. now, the reality is that there are new batches of tourists everyday that he can meet and then he’ll know how to be the apple of their eye…if he wanted to. i on the other hand returned to my daily routine :(

i wish i did this kind of research Before Cuba…. instead of after cuba. but if i had i probably wouldn’t have ‘fallen in love’ the same way, and would have returned into the wrong arms here in canada. my overall tip is: don’t get involved with a cuban you met on a night out. know that any invitation to visit their home or city doesn’t have to require sex-so just don’t go, but you can tip them for giving you a tour ie of varadero town. Cubans are human too, and most of them really just want to meet a new tourist friend with whom some great conversation, a good beer, dancing and laughter can be shared. even life experiences. but don’t ask them for their opinion on the country and politics. genuine people are hard to miss, they are the ones that remind you that you are a visitor on their turf–they were the best to talk to. :) good luck to those headed to cuba…expect to be intoxicated :P

Im keeping it friendly with him via email (when he can) and have given up on attempting to call/mail. not asn easy task since i know little spanish. I felt pretty safe in cuba, if I go back Id love to see him again.

But what the hell do I know about him? I love to give people the benefit of the doubt but these peole grew up under an entirely different world than i did.

Hopefully I didnt expolit him in any way -again I know little about these things double standards etc) I sure as HELL hope I am not a sex tourism lol. All I know Is an average looking, charasmatic decade older Cuban male relentless persued me with daily flowers and poetry, then gave me the best sex of my life 3 nights in a row. Hopefully he dosnt feel exploited in anyway… I don think he does… lol

In retrospect I should have ,et his family like he aked, but isnt that a jinetero type move? thats awhole other show. too much to learn yet the allure is still there.

This is just a females POV on the whole havana nihts experience,

Ill warn other females who like latin guys and are heading to cuba, use your discretion. Have a blast.

Cuba captured my heart. Problems and all. Im so going back. Come alone! lol

I went to visit Cuba (Veradero) with my mom a few weeks ago. nothing could prepare me for the Cuban men. (laugh) Not neccessarily lewd, but if they find you attractive (both my mother and I are) they will let you know. I finally broke down and had an encounter with a Cuban man, 10 years older than I, not the msot attractive but a wonderful guy with a huge heart. Wanted me to meet his mother etc. I politely declined being in a strange country and not knowing him well. So we had out affair at my hotel.

He made me feel like gold, going on and on about my soft skin, light blue eyes and so on. It was nice to be appreciated like that.. almost nothing like what I had experienced before, In Canada. It was intoxicating.

We exchanged addresses and said our goodbyes….

I have since learned about Jineteros..and this guy sadly fits the bill on a few levels. It has dampened my “magical” experience a little and made me feel (like you had mentioned) a tad “strange”.

I will never forget my time in Cuba and the time I spent with him. Although what his intentions truely were, i will never know. maybe I do not want to.

Cheers from canada
;)