The Cuba Journey!

As regular readers will recall, I'm currently supposed to be in Cuba. But, you know, I Good-Wifed-It when Keith started going all "I want to go with you! I love Cuban Music! I really want to go so badly!" and then he started getting snitty and mean-spirited, so I decided I'd defer the trip until he was able to come.

Aussie Christine, however, went ahead with it and has promised to tell us all about it and here's the first installment:

April 2nd

Well, I'm sitting in the lounge at Cancun airport waiting for my flight to Cuba. I can tell you that I am now really excited!! I'm not sure what the internet access will be for the next 2 weeks, but I'll be in touch whenever I can.

April 23

I have had the most wonderful time in Cuba! It is such a beautiful country and the Cuban people are so friendly and kind. I look forward to sharing stories and photos when I catch up with you in person. But my one absolute recommendation is that you get to Cuba SOON if you've ever wanted to travel there. 

Everyone I met agrees that the place is changing fast - and will change even faster once the US lifts its travel restrictions there. 

The best part of my trip was that most of our accommodation was in homestays. So I stayed with 3 different Cuban families. We were made to feel like honoured guests in their homes! Spoiled rotten! And the food!!! Prawns, lobster, fresh fish, fruit, vegetables... wonderful. I had the best time of all with the last of the families as their son, who now lives and works in Miami, was visiting. So one evening all of his friends came around for a party and we talked and drank Mojitos and played dominoes until the wee hours. It's amazing just how fluent I become in Spanish after a few Mojitos!!!

I am now in Cocoa, Florida, staying with delightful friends whom I met on the ship to Antarctica. They are such wonderful hosts and tell me that they love having people come and stay. In fact, next week there'll be 2 of us as they have a friend from The Netherlands arriving on Sunday for 2 weeks.

This week is pretty much an "at home" week as they are planning and getting ready for a large party on Saturday for Diana's Mum's 85th Birthday. I've been offered their car so that I can go out and about by myself locally, so I'm going to visit the Space Museum at Cape Canaveral as I'm told it's really interesting. Not sure what else I'll do in the area. There's Disneyland and other such "attractions" but they don't really appeal to me. I might go and hang out on the beach one day... Then on Friday / Saturday I've been designated to cooking / helping with the party.

After the other friend arrives, we start the "real" exploring... we're going kyaking through the mangroves and walking on the beach and a variety of other stuff in the local area. Then we all head off for 6 days driving trip to Key West and Miami everglades. I am so looking forward to it all - I bet the time goes by way too fast!

Looks like we're going to have to wait for the inside scoop on Our Cuban Adventure, so it'll be in later posts.

Christine, treasure, looking forward so much to your return!