Vice Paradise

Centro San Jose and nearby areas are vice-paradise (pair-o-dice). Gambling, prostitution, and Cuban cigars are legal and regulated here.

If you wish to indulge in these establishments at night here are some rules to follow:

• Arrive and leave by taxi.
• Only take what you can afford to spend/lose. I suggest get cash in colonies or dollars, don`t take credit cards or your passports.
• Valueables and vices are a bad mix. Don't wear expensive jewerly or take I:D: to avoid a time-consuming loss. If you take dollars and/or dress "rich" you can expect to pay more.
• Drink modestly. You can easily wake up the next morning (afternoon) in an unfamiliar place in an embarrassing situation, for the "party" goes on all night and day.
• If you indulge in prostution, always use protection. If you pick up a prostitute on the street, you better wear a SCUBA suit.
• Don't take "new friends" to your hotel. You can easily wake up with nothing in your room, literally nothing, including hotel property.
• If someone offers to sell you drugs cheap, "We just need to take a short walk", Don't do it! The police turn a blind eye to small purchases, and use, but the friendly neighborhood drug dealer may be a ladron (robber).
• You are a gringo. Everyone knows this immediately no matter how good you think your Spanish is. Don't forget this!!!
• Donīt take your passport, or other ID. If you get detained for any reason, and you have no ID, the police will get tired of holding you and let you go when you are sober enough to leave safely. If you have ID; you will probably have to pay a "chorizo" (a bribe) to gain your release. Don't ask how much "chorizo"; they will ask you for it. Keep a spare 10,000 colony note for hidden for such purposes. It is your "I was stupid" payment. This is under $20.