Comments on: Paragliding in Cuba: Close, but no Cigar

By: abel trimino

abel trimino — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 09:06:48 +0000

hello: my name is abel, I’m cuban pilot, now I live in united states, is true that in cuba there is a real economical problem that make the life hard to many people, this is the root of the problem, specially for cuban people, to foreign people as well, specially if you decide enroll in an unknow trip without notice. is the harsh reality, that’s not for someone to express that. you have to pay your exclusive food by yourself, instead to look for help from people in need, otherwise you have to try the cuban food, but they will give you everything they have sincerely, not everybody want your money, but lot of people can teach you this hard side of cuba. for me is a pleasure count on your visit, and I would show you the beauty of cuba as well, and the paraglidin zones. I have like references to chris arnu, he was at my house, is a big man and has been helping us for many years, he knows the real life in cuba, he knows a lot of pilot in cuba, I don’t know his opinion, but I’m sure he is very gratefull in spite of all the bad things, the same as you expressed by your own experience. only you have to know to, to contact, or call the appropriate person. becouse in my case only want that my flying site can be known in all part of the planet.

greeting for the cuban pilots that are seeing this comment.

abelito.

By: Zak

Zak — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:50:13 +0000

A few posters have had a go at Peter for simply relating his experiences of Cuba. I visited Cuba just over a year ago and I recognised a few issues that he raised as being very familiar and geunine problems (it is expensive, the food is very poor, hustling etc). These are real facts and attacking someone for raising them is childish. However, I do recognise that there is another, more positive side to Cuba; but the trick is being able to find and get involved in it.

General experience has taught me that the real key with foreign trips is making contacts before you go and let the local experience help you avoid problems and enable you to see a fresh side to your destination. Unfortunatley, as a low airtime, recreational pilot, I could not find a suitable school when I went and I didn’t think Cuba was a great place to develop paragliding skills and experience for someone in my position.

I did get it right in the Dominican Republic though and as a result, really enjoyed my time there and had my first thermalling experience. I now have a positive view of the DR

One final thought, on a personal level, I found the DR to be more fun, outgoing and less controlled than Cuba, but sadly more caution is required in places with your personal security (will I be attacked for airing a personal opinion that other posters may not agree with?).

By: FCVL

FCVL — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:47:14 +0000

You can find a lot of information about Cuba on the new website. Regular news updates including feeds to RSS, facebook and twitter:

http://fcvl.de
http://twitter.com/fc_vl
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001104582936

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:12:26 +0000

Have a look for yourself http://picasaweb.google.com/ernesto830530

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:41:45 +0000

To be honest: We should behappy that someone like Peter from Germany posted his comment. This makes it more easy to shed some light on the scene in Cuba. Of course there is commerce at the tourist ghettos, but if you step out into the real country you will find the real Cuba with the real people.

Guests are always welcome in Cuba. So don’t hesitate to use any of this contacts that will be able to provide information in english language about free flight and certain events & dates of interest. They are regular pilots with no commercial background, but willing to help.
(-replace-XXX-with-a-@ to send a message)
Aramís García Ernesto Alfonso Sergio Rodriguez Lorgio J. Betancourt David Calás Luis Garcia Eliecer Gonzalez

Maybe you want to support cuban pilots by donating used material. Then you should make contact one of the following:
Switzerland josefXXXwinwings.ch +41 77 414 44 06
France catmouligneXXXwanadoo.fr http://www.hommevolant.fr/hommevolant/Blog_Actu/Entr%C3%A9es/2007/9/21_Des_ailes_pour_Cuba.html
Liechtenstein actionsportsXXXadon.li +41 79 406 75 39 http://actionsports-on-air.blogspot.com/
Deutschland chrisarnuXXXgmail.com +49 162 1389 643

By: BLAIS REAL

BLAIS REAL — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:39:20 +0000

hola dear pilots,

We will fly at sierra de Boniato, near Santiago, friday january 29. Canadians pilots from Quebec. Hope to see others pilots to share flight experience with us before taking off for the best xc in cuban sky.
Let’s rock’n roll!!

see you there!!

By: Pierre Vanier

Pierre Vanier — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:39:42 +0000

Hi, My name is Pierre. I’ll be at hotel Sol Rio de Luna y Mares in guardalavaca between dec 8 and 15. I’ll bring my glider to fly the little ridge close to the beach

By: Robert Mohn

Robert Mohn — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:49:37 +0000

Hello my name is Robert and I’m from Switzerland.
I will dec. 2009 + jan 2010 after Cuba to fly to paragliding.
Who is there? +41 79 407 27 28

By: Juanito De Los Palotes

Juanito De Los Palotes — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:13:39 +0000

Peter honestly you are not ready for any paragliding adventure, so you better stay at home for now. Cuba is a beatiful place with awesome people and everyone knows that. The extra info you are posting here comes from your expectations of what you are gonna get from a new places. Change your attitude, travel with no expectations and you will find beatiful sites with awesome pilots everywhere.. Please don’t pay attention to what Pete posted above, it was just a bad week for him that doesn’t mean that is the real Cuba. Some people want to travel but they want to find german beer everywhere they go an a good piece of pork or sausage, no way adventure is not about that, but well as I said Peter, you are not ready for that. Guys and girls go to Cuba and have your own opinion about this awesome and unique place…

By: Cuban Pilot

Cuban Pilot — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:10:15 +0000

Thanks XCMAG 5 weeks after this article went out Cuba was member of the FAI,

By: stephen bellerby

stephen bellerby — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:21:07 +0000

Cuba is an adventure. A long way from having the resources and infrastructure to cater to Four Star and up tourists, but hardly the rough and raw place sketched above.

After nearly 1000km of bicycling around it, I think the poster above is being harsh; the people are unbelieveably friendly and you are way safer than anywhere else, near it.

The appropriate comparison is NOT to advanced western countries with long trading histories with the rest of the world, but with Jamaica, Domenica and Haiti; those places are doing a heckuva lot worse and are vastly more dangerous to travel about on your own.

I’d love to get my Laminar down there, but the logistics of transport on the island and dearth of soarable sites makes it challenging…

By: Peter (Germany, Stuttgart)

Peter (Germany, Stuttgart) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 11:06:54 +0000

I was in Cuba last month (Jan.2009). I wouln´t recomend it.
I´s very expensive, bad food, Traveling is complicated and everybody wants your money.
Shure they earn officially only 18 Euro pr month and this is the price of one jeans. But look to them… a lot of them have Jeans and golden clocks. Lots of them have a second income.
Nobody makes something for you without asking for money.
You pay a lot of money for bad quality. The food is not good, also not in a 4 Star hotel. My stomac collapsed on the third day and from my wife the fifth day.
Topic paragliding:
Near Guardalavaca (Regon Holgin) there was Tandempilots at the beach. The started with a winch on a motorboat. It was a new equipment from SOL. They charged 50 CUC = 45 Euro for 10 minutes flying… more than 20 flights per day.
My Paragliding club in Germany was collecting used equipments and send it to Cuba. More than 50 Equipments in the last years. But I guess the solidarty between the German and Cubanian pilots is bigger than the solidary between Cubanians and Cubanians.
I lend them a paragliding magazine and it didn´t passed back.

I´m disappointed from Cuba

(I was in Cuba without my Glider. I´m a pilot since 1989 and I flyed in a lot of places in the world)

By: Tony

Tony — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:07:07 +0000

I’d really like to fly in Cuba…I wish they did economically better and started to get more resources for paragliding. In the mean time let’s send them any equipment we can spare.

Tony