Cuba Beckoned

Key West (2010)

Standing on the shore in Key West several years ago, Cuba tantalized and beckoned to us. That’s when it earned a spot on our travel wish list. In 2016, we decided it was time to go. Several good friends had already made the trip. Everyone returned with glowing reports of the country, the Grand Circle Foundation’s people-to-people cultural exchange tour, and the people of Cuba whom they’d met. 

Judy signed us up for “Cuba: A Bridge Between Cultures” for November 2017. A few days before our departure, the United States government placed new restrictions on travel between the US and Cuba.  Some were regarding lodging and one directed us not to drink Cuban colas!

Except for one couple who hadn’t yet made it into Miami, our tour group gathered in our airport hotel the evening before departing for Cuba. In that meeting, we received instructions from a Grand Circle representative, who oriented us about the country and guided us as we filled out the necessary documents. She coached us on the protocols of entering Cuba, which still had many regulations for tourists. One was we were not to call the trip a tour, but a cultural exchange. Fine by us. We are all about experiencing and learning about other cultures.

Six AM came early, but all twelve of us convened in the hotel lobby and were soon huddled in a shuttle van and on our way to Miami International Airport. Everything went smoothly. Better than smooth. After security check and breakfast, we were called to the check-in desk and learned we’d been upgraded to 1^st Class on the hour-long flight to Havana. With priority seating, we soon rolled our carry-ons aboard, and before we were properly seated, the flight attendant stood beside us offering champagne, orange juice, or mimosas. “Judy, I could get used to this!” 

Upon landing, we breezed through Immigración and by-passed baggage claim. The next hurdle was security check, where Annis was wanded because some buttons went off. Her head was not yet in rapid-fire Spanish mode and she did not comply when directed by the TSA agent. But a woman at the next station shouted, “Turn around!” She did and soon we were on our way. Through some double doors, we found ourselves in the lobby where the thick crowd was stacked up, restrained behind portable ropes, waiting for their loved ones with signs, flowers, and stuffed animals. 

Yanet, Trip Leader Extraordinare

The first of our group through, we elected to wait closer to the doors we’d just exited instead of getting lost in the throng. After twenty minutes, our trip leader Yanet (pronounced “Janet”) appeared with her Grand Circle placard and welcomed us. Her friendly, animated face, her expressive brown eyes, and our initial interactions signaled we were in good hands and were going to love this experience. 

The most comfy bus we've ever toured on. Hecho in Chine.