See you soon, Cuba!

Last day in Cuba. Our flight home is at 9:40 PM. Before we leave, we managed to spend quite a bit of money. There are several great markets for tourists to find their souvenirs. We headed to what’s probably the biggest one, located in Vieja, called Feria de la Artesania. Wow, we really splurged! We walked away with a painting for 40 CUC, a sculpture for 45 CUC, and a cigar box for 21 CUC. The sculpture is large but can be taken apart into several pieces, making it easier to carry on the plane. Just a heads up, though: security doesn’t always allow larger items on board. They thought we could use the body of the sculpture as a weapon! We had to get the supervisor involved before they were convinced we weren’t planning to use our souvenir for anything nefarious. We noticed other tourists weren’t as lucky with their arguments, as we saw some other sculptures and a cane that had been confiscated. Make sure to keep 25 CUC per person for the airport tax, which you need to pay after checking in your luggage. It’s important to check in first, as your boarding pass needs to be stamped to show that the tax has been paid. It’s a good idea to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours before your flight, as there’s a loooong line at check-in and another loooong line at passport control. Before heading to the airport, we experienced a little begging trick. A man approached us on the street asking for milk for his child. We had read about this situation in Lonely Planet. If you buy milk and give it to him, he’ll just trade it at the store for cash as soon as we’re out of sight. We told him we knew the trick, and he laughed, patted us on the shoulder, and disappeared. What a lovely holiday we’ve had! Now it’s time to head back to Denmark. But we can definitely say, “Hasta pronto, Cuba.” (See you soon, Cuba). It’s been an eye-opening experience to see Cuba while it’s still a socialist republic with a Castro at the helm.