Miami

Horowitz Travel-Jan. 18, 2018-Miami

Off we go again. Another Horowitz travel adventure. This time it's Cuba for two weeks.

Although I will write an email about our experiences nightly, the WiFi in Cuba is reputed to be scarce and unreliable. If I can't send them to you while we're abroad, I'll catch you up when we return to the US.

Our phones will be on airplane mode so as not to accidentally incur charges. There is no overseas "plan" for Cuba other than a high per minute rate. Therefore, we will not be receiving or sending texts or calls from Cuba. Email communication will work, and our family has emergency contact info. 

We arrived at the hotel in Miami (Doubletree Airport) tonight for an orientation meeting with our tour director, Manuel Renteria. He's of Basque descent and has been to Cuba 65 times. He has a good sense of humor. An example is that he told us that if we're approached on the street and asked where we're from we should say we're Canadian. Cubans view Americans as generous and an easy touch. Canadians are seen as standoffish. 

We'll be exchanging our US dollars for Cuban Cucs. It is a convertible currency used by foreigners, whereas residents use Cuban pesos. One dollar is worth 87cents in Cucs. It’s sent by the Cuban government. Euros and Canadian dollars float with the market.

There are fourteen people in our group. They seem pleasant, well -travelled, and friendly. I suspect we may have some Trump supporters. We'll be careful until we get a feel for their politics.

We leave the hotel at 7:30 AM tomorrow. Our charter flight is American Airlines (#1041) and leaves at 10:30 AM. That's all flexible. As Manuel said, flexibility is a must on this trip. 

Good night.

Toby

Our Destination