Back to Panama

So we leave Cuba fascinated by the different experiences we have had and most particularly the stark contrasts in circumstances as revealed by the places we have stayed.

The 3 casa particulares - the one in Trinidad and the other in Havana were light years apart and then there was the very pleasant one with Ridel the doctor in Viñales.

But how do you explain a medical specialist living in a nice but modest casa earning 60 CUCs a month (!) - and no wonder they are supplementing his professional income by opening their home to tourists where he can earn 25CUCs a night plus another 10 pp for dinner - with the even by our standards sumptuously appointed city apartment in Havana of Staly and her husband? Does the husband have special favours afforded him because his father worked in the Embassy in London? Does he have connections with The Party? And not surprisingly they were charging more - and happy to accept payment in Euros. Savvy.

We enjoy a lovely breakfast (as usual of generous proportions): a platter of fruit, toast in this case - sometimes in the poorer places out in the provinces it was stale and inedible, cake and biscuit, eggs, coffee, jug of juice - papaya mixed with guava.

The taxi driver was on time in an ancient vehicle even though it was a Hyundai but this journey seemed to be longer than I had remembered when we had arrived over a week ago; about 10 minutes before the airport we found at why because the driver slowed at a roundabout crowded with people and asked in Spanish if we'd mind if he picked up a friend (at least that is what I thought he said) and it turned out this was the plan and a buxom woman in a uniform with large glamorous (probably pseudo) gold sunglasses and long gold-painted fingernails squeezed into the back seat with me. Turns out she worked at the airport.

The airport is very basic; we expected no less and even though we were 3 hours early there was already a queue forming at a very poorly marked check-in counter which appeared to be ours. This all took an hour but fortunately we arrived at the departure tax counter just as another window was opened. Emigration was well-staffed and uncrowded and we were processed through quickly with our previous docket with the visa we had paid for at Panama on leaving there and which we had conscientiously ensured we never lost for fear we would have to pay for it all over again. We were glad to be finally rid of it.

Keeping an eye on the documentation can be a tiring aspect of travel. My Friend had had a sleepless night because he thought he had lost his Yellow Fever booklet. We found it this morning.

Now we wait for the plane to Panama.

In many respects I can't wait to leave Cuba.