As long as you stay in the touristic area (Varadero) you're ok. You wont see any dirt, beggers or poverty. As soon as you go to La Havana, it's a dump. The only thing worth the visit in the capital is the Tropicana Cabaret. The rest is in ruins. I went there 3 times (always at Varadero with a one day trip to Havana) and it's by far the worse level of poverty I've ever witnessed. Oh and lol at the poor cuban who might say something against Castro. Damn, we were the Jose Marti museum and some begger started screaming against Castro (he most likely retarded), in less than a minute came two guys in plain clothes with sun glasses to beat him and cuff the poor fucker. if you ever go to Havana with a group, you'll notice at least one man following the group at a safe distance, apparently, it's for our own safety.... lol