With September came the near fall of another Communitst leader, as Kim Jong Il, dictator over North Korea vanished from the limelight, joining his Cuban counterpart Fidel Castro in the murky depths of unknown, fiercely hidden ailments.

The realist in me knows that both leaders are gravely ill. Kim Jong Il is said to have suffered a stroke early this month and hasn't since been seen in public -- even for state celebrations. In a similar light, Castro, who seems to have largely recovered from last year's digestive problems, has resigned from his official state role in Cuban politics and now stays largely out of the public eye -- no doubt because he is still an aging, fragile man.

But the conspiracy theorist in my has broader, more hopeful aspirations. I think about these two ailing leaders and wonder if perhaps, Communism has taken a toll on them over these last years and if maybe they've finally thrown in the towel and headed out to the beach for some good old vaycay.

I see Kim Jong and Fidel sitting on chaise lounges in the Indonesian Archipelago somewhere, bare feet up and drinking out of coconuts while looking out at the setting sun over a crisp, white beach. And Kim Jong looks over, out of his massive blue blockers at Fidel as the Cuban puts down his latest Harry Potter book to take a pull off his strawberry daiquiri. And Kim says, "Hey buddy... we gave it a shot."

Wherever you two are, know this: I would take two old school Communist evil doers over one rambunctious Latin American president any day of the week. May your countries be open and peaceful and prosperous without you.

So this is what Cuban beaches look like. Today's photo of the day comes from localsurfer, who very well captures the image of a place that I want to be right now -- at a beach, playing in the surf, away from the humidity of the upper Midwest. Nice shot, localsurfer. Maybe some day I'll be able to take one like this myself.

Have any cool photos you'd like to share with the world? Add them to the Gadling Pool on Flickr, and it might be chosen as our Photo of the Day.

Canada's southernmost city might as well be called a suburb of Detroit. The Motor City's skyline is distinctly visible from downtown Windsor, which lies just across the Detroit River. While most border-hopping is for the purpose of shopping or sightseeing, Windsor's airport is a major gateway to Cuba for US residents.

It is illegal for folks from the US of A to spend money in Cuba. Thus, there are virtually no direct flights. On the other hand, Cuba is just another Caribbean destination for Canucks. No one made a fuss when Canada's Sunwing Airlines announced a weekly flight from Windsor to the Cuban resort town of Varadero, about 50 miles from Havana. At least, no one made a fuss except the Detroit News, which published a controversial story about Sunwing's new service:

"While U.S. citizens are mostly barred from spending money on travel to Cuba, officials with the airline and airport expect Americans to make up at least half the passengers on the route."

Controversial? Not according to Windsor Airport officials, who shrugged the report off by saying that 50% of passenger who fly to Cuba from Canada are already US citizens. Sunwing's expectations are nothing new.

The punishment for US citizens traveling to Cuba is usually a $5,000 fine, though it can be significantly higher. But most Yankees don't get caught. Since Cuba does not stamp passports directly, there is no evidence that a traveler ever set foot on the forbidden isle. US customs officials have been known to stake out flights arriving in Canada from Cuba, but US residents can avoid suspicion as long as they don't head directly for a connecting flight to the US or run straight for the border. (A t-shirt emblazoned with a gigantic red maple leaf might also help).

Photo by Flickr user Mr. Mark

One of the best parts about travel is testing out the gastronomic culture. Eating pan seared duck at Comptoir De La Gastronomie in Paris, horse sashimi in back alleys of Tokyo or terrible borscht on the streets of St. Petersburg is a great way to get in touch with a culture and society by way of your stomach instead of normal visual saturation.

Similarly drinking the popular destination beverage can bring the same experience. Caparinhia's, a sweet lime cocktail are very popular in Brazil and can be made at home by tracking down some cashaca. Thousands of varieties of sake are available in Japan and many can be found at your local liquor store.

What's most fun about being out of the country, however, is enjoying the forbidden beverages -- those that can't even be consumed in the United States.

Which brings us to the Cuba Libre with Havana Club rum. Though the Cuba Libre is quite similar to a standard "rum and coke" and can be made with any rum, the real flavor and purpose of the beverage is best brought out when consumed with Havana Club, a Cuban rum illegal to import into the States. Downing a Cuba Libre gives you that touch of rebellion and that flavor of foreign places that few other drinks can, which is why I often order it when I'm out of the country.

Next time you're outside of our borders, give it a try. Both Canadian and Mexican bars are usually stocked with Havana Club rum and you'll definitely taste a difference between that and Americanized liquors. Maybe someday (soon?) when the trade embargo falls we'll be able to enjoy a little bit of Cuba Libre at home.

Remember that trade embargo that the US has against all of Cuba? The one that forces you to drive to Tijuana to pick up Cuban cigars and the one that prevents you and your family from stopping in Havana on your annual cruise? Yep, that embargo.

We as Americans have been forbidden from trading with the Socialist nation for over forty years now, as our good buddy Fidel Castro kept the country under lockdown and its population in poverty. Our "sanctions," which have recently come under increased scrutiny, are meant to punish the totalitarian government and encourage democracy in the island nation. How well that's working is another debate.

But our trade embargo sure isn't stopping Spirit Airlines from doing business with the Cubans. They've been paying the government regularly to use Cuban airspace on their flights over the Carribbean -- something that spokeswoman Misty Pinson claims was not premeditated, saying: ``Spirit Airlines never had the intention of violating any requirements or laws to carry out its international operations.''

How does your morality buzzer NOT go off when you're writing checks to Cuba? Aren't all business transactions with the communist state illegal?

Needless to say, the embattled airline is now coughing up 100G's in fines for illegal payments to the Cubans. Better to fly around next time.

As you might realize, there are certain countries that are considered "no-go's" for American travelers, be it for political or economic or other reasons. Publication Foreign Policy took a closer look at this question of prohibited places, recently creating a list of the "Top Tourist Spots Americans Can't Visit," a rundown of the top tourist attractions in otherwise "taboo" locations like Iran, Somalia, Burma and Cuba. Who knew Mogadishu had coral reefs teeming with fish just off the shore? Too bad you're likely to be kidnapped by warlords if you try to visit.

While this sort of list is a deterrent for many, others eat common sense for breakfast, bringing back some fascinating stories in the process. It's not that they can't see the danger - these countries can be violent, unstable, and often downright nasty places. But that doesn't mean they have nothing to offer. Many have distinguished histories as centers of culture, great monuments and great natural wonders. As Foreign Policy points out for instance, the vast ruins of Persepolis in Southern Iran offer a breathtaking view of the tombs and palaces of Persian rulers Xerxes I and Darius the Great. In Cuba, the settlement of Baracoa was the colonial home of Spanish Conquistadors, and also one of the first places Columbus set foot in the New World.

Check out the list. Nobody is suggesting you should/can make a visit, but these places can offer us further insight into the many subtleties that truly define a location's identity.

---

[Via MetaFilter]

One of my favorite country blogs of all time is that of Yoani Sanchez, the 32 year old blogging secretly from Havana. To write on her blog, she has to pretend to be a tourist and go to a hotel to access the Internet.

Of the 11 million people who live on the island, only about 200,000 have open access to the web -- they are mainly government employees, researchers and academics, to whom the government has given permission. The rest of the Cubans can access email and a few Cuban sites from certain public spots (for example the post office), but everything else is blocked.

I first found out about Yoani on the IHT last year, and have been reading her ever since. She reports beautifully (both in Spanish and English) on happenings in Cuba -- she is probably one of the only authentic sources of information coming out of the island without censorship, and she always sounds fearless.

A couple of weeks ago she was chosen by Madrid's El Pais newspaper to get the Ortega y Gasset Journalism Prize, but she was not allowed to leave Cuba to receive her award in Spain. To add to this, I read that she made the Time Top 100 list of influential people, which is phenomenal and much deserved.

But, what I fail to understand is that, with all the international exposure she has been getting -- certainly magnified by being featured in Time Magazine alongside the likes of Obama, Andre Agassi, Lance Armstrong and Oprah Winfrey -- how on earth is she still getting away with her secret blogging? Does the Cuban government have any idea? She must really disguise herself well, and her German must be flawless to be able to get away with this for almost a year. Surely authorities must know -- why aren't they stopping her?

I don't wish they catch her, I just don't see how in such a tight regime she has been getting away with this for so long. It almost makes it questionable, no?

It could have been the longest cigar ever rolled, but it probably won't be.

Cuba's stogie-rolling king Jose Castelar, 64, teamed up with five assistants, using nearly 93 pounds (42 kilograms) of top-quality tobacco to assemble a 98-foot (30-meter) cigar, AP reports. Castelar set Guinness Records for the world's longest cigars in 2001, 2003 and April 2005, when he completed a stogie measuring 20.41 meters, just shy of 67 feet.

But Castelar, who learned the art of cigar-making from an uncle at age 5, is likely to fall short this time: Guinness says Puerto Rican cigar-maker Patricio Pena crafted a 41.2-meter (135-foot) stogie last year. Competition from cigar rollers in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico is "stiff but friendly," driving Castelar to keep rolling.

Honestly, what makes Cuban cigars "so much better" than Puerto Rican or Dominican cigars? Is it the forbidden fruit factor?

[via contracostatimes.com]

Things are changing in Cuba, but they are not changing fast enough.

New President Raul Castro, Fidel's brother, has lifted a ban on Cuban citizens staying at hotels previously reserved for foreigners. They will now be charged in hard currency, like other guests. New rules will also allow Cubans to rent cars at state-run agencies for the first time.

On Friday, Cuba authorized its citizens to obtain mobile phones, which only foreigners and key officials in the Communist Government were previously allowed to have, The Chicago Tribune reports. A resolution signed by the Interior Commerce Ministry on March 21 also authorized the sale of computers, microwaves and DVD players, items which had only been sold to companies and foreigners. Of course, many people in Cuba are too poor to benefit from any of this.

As The Economist pointed out, if things keep going this way, by 2050 Cubans might be allowed satellite television.

Photo: localsurfer, Flickr

I cannot believe Fidel Castro actually resigned as the president of Cuba. I mean he is only 81 years old and still has plenty of energy to keep him going for at least 35 more years! Was I the only one who thought that Fidel was actually immortal? Well, we'll still have to see about that.

In his written speech to the nation, Fidel said that he is not "fading into the sunset." It's just that his health is not allowing him to dedicate the energy necessary to run a country. I am sure running a totalitarian state takes a lot out of you. You know, it's lonely at the top.

According to the NY Times, Fidel's statement raised the possibility that little would change after Sunday, when the National Assembly meets to select a new head of state. Cuba will probably continue to be ruled in essence by two presidents, "with Raúl Castro (Fidel's brother) on stage while Fidel Castro lurked in the wings."

Reuters reported that Fidel's resignation was unlikely to make the United States lift its trade embargo on Cuba. See, just more of the same old.