Ouch! I’m injured and it hurts to type.

How did I injure myself, you may ask? I wrote about it in my blog of two weeks ago, chronicling a wild and crazy 36-hour period of my (otherwise glamorous and enviable) life. The initial diagnosis of a sprained wrist was not correct … because they’ve since found a crack (minor, thank goodness) in my Radius (forearm) bone. So I’m now sporting a fiberglass cast in a lovely shade of blue (matches my eyes!).

And it hurts to type.

To the rescue … in the nick of time, one of my WOWees, (Dr.) Rhonda from Kentucky wrote a fabulous recap of her recent Cuba experience with The WOW! Travel Club. She had visited Cuba a dozen years ago to attend a medical conference, so her experience of the changes is quite interesting.

Here’s what she wrote:

Hello all,
Still recovering from Derby Week and am just finding time to write. I thank everyone for making our Cuba excursion so enjoyable.  Special thanks to the incredible Marilyn Murphy for wowing me!

A few observations:
Cuba has changed ALOT since I was there in 2003, mostly for the better.  I take this to be largely the result of reforms instituted by Raul when he came into power in 2006.

The first thing I noticed was the airport, which used to be a drab concrete barracks surrounded by a fence with razor wire.  Arrival was not a very welcoming experience back then.  You had to pass through about 4 or 5 checkpoints, each separated by doors, where you were sullenly looked up and down by an unfriendly (or maybe just bored) worker. Once outside the airport, I witnessed loud and joyous reunions between arriving Cuban exiles and their families who had obviously not seen each other in a very long time.  It’s much easier now for Cuban-Americans to visit their homeland and bring goods.  I remember when we returned to the Havana airport for departure, the worker at the boarding gate was a soldier with a gun slung over his shoulder, carefully scrutinizing each boarding pass – it was very difficult for Cubans to leave the country back then.

There once were lot of billboards in Havana with anti-US propaganda, which have apparently been taken down. (Though I did see a few in some of the small towns.)

In 2003, our tour bus had a driver, a tour guide, and a government official on board at all times.  Our tour guide could not speak freely, except for a few instances when our group was off the bus and away from the official.  In those few times, he expressed his frustration with the difficulties of daily life in Cuba and lack of personal freedoms.  He explained that he could not truthfully answer any sensitive questions while on the bus as criticism of the government would not be tolerated, so we were very careful about our conversations.  I was glad to hear our guide, Alejandro, speak so freely on a vast variety of topics.  It is refreshing to see a young generation of Cubans who feel they can speak in this manner, although as I am sure we are all aware, any prominent organized public dissent would not be tolerated.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the overall friendliness of the Cuban people.  Even back in 2003, I was surprised at how welcoming people on the streets and in the shops and restaurants were to us.  I remember having a drink in La Floridita, and the waitress specifically saying that even though our governments were not friends, the Cuban people consider Americans as friends.  They seemed willing and eager to talk to us, even more so back then when they were more isolated and American tourists were rare birds.

I noticed lots more tour buses in Havana this trip, and was surprised to hear so many English-speaking tourists in the streets.  The street vendors and beggars were much more plentiful than I had expected.  I probably saw only 3 or 4 beggars in Havana on my prior trip, at which time it was illegal to beg, and a person could be picked up by police for even the suspicion of begging, as when a tourist might offer an unsolicited gift to a Cuban.  It’s clear the Cubans have become accustomed to tourists and all the wealth they carry with them.

I found Havana as charming as ever, although now with street lights, more restaurants, and yes, much better food.  Private restaurants in people’s homes (paladars) were a new thing back in 2003 and the few we ate in were mostly empty.  I was surprised to hear that the better restaurants in Havana now require reservations!  The extensive renovations going on all over Havana were new to me as well, and while decayed splendor lends a certain nostalgic atmosphere to Havana,  I’m certainly glad they are attempting to restore its lovely architecture.

I especially enjoyed Sancti Spiritus and Trinidad.  While it’s clear these areas are becoming increasingly visited, I found their charm and historic beauty irresistible.  And I was so impressed with the beach resort at Veradero, clearly a sign that Cuba is becoming more sophisticated and is making efforts to appeal to the outside world.  I’m thrilled that Cubans (who can afford it) are now welcome there.

I did notice fewer people sitting outdoors in the evenings on their stoops and porches than before, fewer folks outside on the streets playing chess or checkers, and I did not witness any kids playing baseball.  This may have been secondary to the heat.  It’s also likely due to the TV-watching I noticed in the evenings when peeking through open doors and windows.  While it may not be as picturesque and quixotic for the tourist with a camera in hand, I am happy that many Cubans now have modern amenities most of us have enjoyed all of our lives.  I’m sure they are glad to finally be in the 21st century, if only partially.

The money situation is different now, too.  The Cubans much preferred the American dollar for all transactions back in 2003.  It was so much more valuable than the Cuban peso and widely used in the black market.  The American dollar was officially outlawed as legal tender in 2004.

The incredible music and dancing were as I remembered them.  Such talent and joy!  I will always think of Cuba with this music playing in my mind.

Cuba remains an interesting, enigmatic, and beautiful country.  For me, the people of Cuba made the trip most special, as did my fellow travelers. So thanks again for sharing in this memorable experience. I look forward to seeing lots of photos!

Rhonda

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Rhonda’s first experience was 12 years ago. My first visit was only five years ago. Still, in that span of time, I’ve seen lots of changes – both on the ground in Cuba and with the constantly-evolving restrictions and rules imposed by our government about its citizens traveling to “enemy territory.” I remember when I was in the midst of planning my first journey – totally legal – I was working with an agency in Long Beach that specialized in tours to Cuba. One day, out of the blue, the owner of that company got a phone call from Big Brother (in the form of an agent from OFAC, Office of Foreign Asset Controls, which was responsible for oversight of travel-related transactions and promotions).

“You can’t work with her.”

The her in this instance was me! Me! Imagine that! Here I was, just a small business, paying my taxes, trying to follow the rules (as ridiculous as they were). I felt kind of important – and intimidated at the same time. The guy never told her why – and nobody ever called me! I made an assumption that, by publishing the details on my website, I had broken some rules about promotion of travel to Cuba.

So I pulled everything off the internet, found another agency to work with me and kept as low a profile as possible. I now know that I’m on a list somewhere (as are all of us, according to Edward Snowden). And I assume this indiscretion was the reason that my application for a People-to-People License was declined some years later. The rejection letter stated, “your application was not specific enough.”  Rubbish!  My application was very specific, because, at that point, I had already operated several trips to Cuba.

Undeterred, I kept leading groups to Cuba in part, because I thought the Embargo was unjust for everyone concerned. The Cuban people suffered because of it, and Americans were denied an opportunity to visit an extraordinary place. Yes, the Embargo was once relevant during the Cold War and all that … but our foreign policy had propped up and supported many governments that were far worse than Castro’s Cuba.

But because of the embargo, Cuba has been stuck in time. Truly, one of the most unique and fascinating places I’ve ever been. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone there nine times already!

So I’m going back. Once more. This October. Now that Cuba is more or less opened up, I’ll surely go less often. There’s still a big world with a lot of relatively undiscovered places to show you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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If you’ve ever wanted to go, don’t wait. My WOW! Travel Club journey will be one of my best ever (and they’re all amazing!). I’ve got space at the two best hotels in the country (not easy to do!) – in downtown Trinidad and in Havana. Dates are October 17 – 23, 2015. Details on the WOW! Travel Club website and registration is open!

Can’t wait to “wow” you!

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Comments anyone? Those of you who have been to Cuba, any advice for the others?