Heading Home

Well  finally it is time to head home. Since we were not familiar with the process at the airport we decided to head out at 9:30 and give ourselves plenty of time. We all had our stuff packed up and were ready to go at 9: We settled up with Marisela for our extra charges for the week (Meals and drinks out of our fridges)and told her how much we enjoyed staying with her in her beautiful house and how much we loved our trip to Cuba. She was glad we had a great time and told us that we could expect a great time whenever we came back. She also told us that people were "extra" nice to us because we had Dad with us and in their culture they had great respect for elders. Of course Dad ate this up and now is hiring himself out to come back with anyone to Cuba if they feel like they need the "extra" protection that traveling with him brings. Our ride arrived at 9:30 and we got to ride in yet another great 50's car all the way to the airport. We wanted to get through immigration and security and then we would do a little shopping. Since prices are controlled here you can buy stuff at the airport for the same price that you can buy it in town. We were told if we wanted to buy Rum and Cigars just to wait til the airport. That way we would not have to check our bags to get them through. We actually got our tickets and were through security in just a few minutes. Tim, Julie and I bought some rum,a few cigars and then we settled in to wait for our flight. Now we just had one last hurdle.......would the USA let us back into our country when we landed in Charlotte. The entire trip Dad would never use any of the benefits that most seniors use. No elevators no special seats nothing! However there is one thing he will do that benefited all of us. He was allowed to pre-board due to his age in the cane that he had. This allowed him and all of his helpers which would be Tim, Julie and myself to board before all of the other passengers. This allowed us to make sure our Carry on's where with us and did not have to go under the plane. So after a brief wait we ere boarded and settled into our seats. Tim and I sat together and next to me was a young man that looked just like a young Castro. He had actually been in Cuba for a week by himself and had rented a car and driven around a lot of the country. We landed 30 minutes early without fanfare and now it was time to get through immigration. We knew it would not be a problem but still you just had a feeling that it might not go smoothly. Tim travels enough that he went through a special line that just scans his fingers and he was through. Dad's cane moved the rest of us to the front of the line and we were only asked one question. How many days were we in Cuba. After I answered that incorrectly ( I said 5 instead of 6. Whoops!) he said welcome back! Next we headed through customs and next we were exiting into the shuttle area. We made it. While there was never a true worry about it I would have to say that it was always on the back of our mind that something could go wrong. We had a great time for sure and I will be back. I owe a trip to Lyn and am looking forward to taking her. There are also several other big cities to see so it could take several trips to see them all. On a personal note I would like to thank Julie for helping me plan the trip and being such a great negotiator / translator while we were there. She made things so much smoother by jumping into the role from beginning to end. I would also like to give props to my Dad. He is 79....in his 80th year and really did not want to miss anything. He hung in there on everything we did. And finally a shout out to my best friend Tim. He is use to being in charge and let go of the reins and totally let us plan the trip. His most used line while in Cuba was "I am just happy to be here!" and I really think he was! Should you go to Cuba. I would say maybe. If you are expecting great resorts then I would so no. But if you have always been intrigued by this country and our relationship with it and love meeting new and interesting people then I would say hurry up and get your tickets! You will not be disappointed.

Ride to the Airport

Dad throwing out some more English!

Grocery Store!

The Spoils!