I’m Going to Cuba! Now What?
by Mark in CubaSo I have eventually decided to go for it and quit looking for excuses why not now. I’m going to Cuba. I must do it now, or else it will change and when it changes, it will be permanent. I want to experience old school Cuba, with its old cars, old colonial architecture, friendly people and relaxed way of life with no gangs, no drugs but lots of sunshine.
Fidel Castro already stepped down which is a strong sign that the time is now. 2008 US election race is well underway and the decision will be made soon. I should visit Cuba before Americans have new president. There is a good chance that embargo and boycott of Cuba will be eased up or completely cancelled when new prez takes the office and that time is here.
It was late Spring of 2008. I had been wanting to visit Cuba for years but I have always found an excuse to put it off, sort of realizing that Cuba will still be the same for as long as George Bush is the president of the US. But with only few months left, I needed to act.
Being a computer guy who spends most of his daytime on a computer, I deployed the power of internet and started searching for the best deals to Cuba from my home town – Edmonton. The only two places in Cuba I have heard of at the time, were Havana and Varadero. I didn’t know that much about each of them, but I slowly started my quest of acquiring knowledge of the country I was going to visit.
Realizing I had spent years wanting to do that and always found excuse to put it off, I feared the same excuse would crawl in my brain because I still had many months till new US president takes the office. Everything seemed so distant, all I needed was to start myself off. And I did by doing the first and most important step – I’d applied for passport.
