Half of the Cuban men have given up their day job and have resorted to lazy hustlers sitting around, preying on gringos and Italians. The city will seem very friendly at first but noone in Cuba is friendly without wanting something in return. If you really need to find a chica or want a good casa particular, stick with the taxi drivers...they know more. These jineteros will try to sell you fake cigars, broken-down chicas and take you to restaurants with bad food so they can make a commission. At first I was nice to them but eventually I found out that the only way to get rid of them is to not acknowledge their presence or be downright rude to them. I like to walk around a lot but I stopped by the third day as hundreds would approach me in a two block radius. Dont assist these lazy asses, make them get real jobs.

Good avice from Blazer. General rule of thumb: ANYBODY who greets you on the street with the words "My Fren..." is not your friend. He wants to rip you off. Ignore him. If a Jinetero gets too aggressive with you, hail a cop, they'll haul his ass away.