Ecuador has been having black-outs with the power the last few weeks.  Everyday at around noon the power goes off for 4hrs.  I was getting tired of this and on Monday I called a friend and asked him if he wanted to have lunch while the power was out.  We met up at the mall (yeah you bet the mall had power) and were talking about my Peru trip.  Out of the blue my friend asked me “Hey want to go to Cuba Saturday?”  I’m always down for an adventure but even this caught me a little off guard.  I said sure but I didn’t think I was allowed to go there.  He said it was no problem and that as long as I didn’t get my passport stamped I would be good to go.  Then the all mighty question came about how much.  He said he’d give me a deal on it (long story on how he got these vacation deals to begin with) and that it would cost me $800.

In any country in the world except America, you never take first price and we ended up settling on $650.  What is included in the vacation package:  Round trip airfare from Quito-Havana, visa, transport, accommodation at 4-5 star hotels for 8 days, all food except for 2 lunches and daily tours.  Not included: airport tax and drinks.   Who could pass this sweet deal up?

I think we all know the embargo will be lifted sometime in the next 5-10 years.  Only thing holding it up is Castro and once he’s dead the gate will be lifted for all Americans.  When this happens the flood of capitalism will rush in, cruise boats will make it a new stop and the hordes of Americans will fill the beaches.  What makes Cuba so special right now is that it’s still stuck in 1950.  The cars are classic, the buildings are still colonial and the people are still (I hope) chilled.  If the embargo is lifted the place will turn into another Cancun within a few years and never will be the same.  I do believe there is nothing more injustice in the world then someone not being able to travel to a country just because they can’t get a piece of paper.  I know Americans hated it when China said we couldn’t go there but it’s the same in that America says we can’t go to Cuba.  Who is the government to make these decisions for us anyways?

So my single goal of going there was not really to see communism but to capture it all with my camera before it all changes, that and it was super cheap and couldn’t pass up an adventure like this.  So I have my bags packed and ready to go.  I’ll be back in a week and to keep you busy while I’m gone, I have made some future “Faces of Peru” posts ahead of time to be delivered throughout the week to ya.  When I get back I still have Peru to write you about and will try and get my Cuban stories written as fast as possible.  Although I did just find out that when I get back that I might be heading to the coats to photograph a rare tribe of indigenous people living there.  Lucy is writing her thesis on them and I’ll be coming along to photograph them as they haven’t really been documented much.  Then in December I have two friends coming from the USA to see me for two weeks (07Dec-22Dec).  Plan on taking them to as many sites in Ecuador as possible.  So who knows when I will get to all the backlog of writing I owe you all…but I promise I will get to it ASAP.

Now…who wants cigars and Cuban rum???

 

Previous Post Faces of Peru: 003

Next Post Faces of Peru: 004