Cuba + the Caymans

Miami and the beautiful Cayman Islands, it was finally time for Cuba.  How I have always wanted to see this place first-hand.  But more than see it, I wanted to experience it.  As it turns out, the only way to legally see it as a U.S. Citizen, is to experience it.  You’re not allowed to just hop on a plane, check into your resort hotel, and enjoy the beaches while drinking the essential daiquiri — you are forced to experience Cuba, understand the history, the culture, the lives of its citizens.  Perfect.

While most people I know who have been to Cuba do so ‘under-the-radar’, and from a different country, taking care to leave no trace behind, I didn’t want to have to hide it — I wanted to bring back meaningful art, and music, and souvenirs (no cigars though, unfortunately!).  

Among all the required people-to-people cultural activities, we of course saw all the most important sights of Havana including Hemingway’s hangouts, saw hundreds of old American cars driving past crumbling historic buildings, and even had free time to visit the pristine beaches in nearby Santa María del Mar.  

The licensed tour company I found not only offered this great cultural itinerary, but also included a ticket to one of the most beautiful and elegant New Year’s Eve celebrations I could have imagined — incredible food, live performances, dancing, and first-class service, all set against the richly decorated and flood-lit 18th-century Plaza de la Catedral in Old Havana.  Absolutely phenomenal.