Questions about that trip to Cuba

ROSEMARY McCLURE wrote an interesting article regarding Cuba [“Cuba, Suspended in Time,” Jan. 15]. There is one thing, though, that I found disingenuous. Her article stated, “But Cubans also have universal healthcare and an effective education system.”

Perhaps I should give you the benefit of the doubt, in that you were not able to speak freely with the people of the island. I agree that they have a universal healthcare system. However, what good is a universal healthcare system if, when the doctor prescribes you a medication, it is nowhere to be found without dollars from a family in the States?

What good is an effective educational system if it does not even provide a job that pays enough to buy the basic necessities of life?

GEORGE VILAHU

Elk Grove, Calif.

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I loved the depth of McClure’s article. She might consider another article on Belarus, also frozen in time from the Soviet era. I just returned from a trip there, and visa fees for Americans are exorbitant. Travel there to find out why.

RICHARD IVEY

Moscow

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PLEASE thank Rosemary McClure for painting a great picture of Cuba. I just returned from Havana last month, having gone there with fellow Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity alumni, on a legal U.S.-sanctioned humanitarian mission, to bring medical supplies and clothing to the 1,500 Jews left in Cuba. (There were 15,000 in 1959.)

The people, food and culture are amazing, but the music is infectious. I am not Hispanic, yet since my return I have listened to little else but the Cuban CDs I bought and the Cuban music that is on my AOL.

The only caveat to the story would be like the commercial: Don’t take your American Express. Actually, no credit card or cellphone that has a U.S. primary billing address will function in Cuba. So you will need a lot of cash, but if you use American dollars, they will punish you an extra 10% (total of 20%) on the exchange. Travelers checks are best, with only a 10% exchange rate imposed.

IAN H. TARAS

Agoura Hills