In December, Global Travelers president-elect Lenet Compton and her husband joined several other Rotarians on a magical journey to Cuba. Here, from Lenet, are a few highlights of their visit.
Do you Tango? Global Traveler members Pat and Jeanette Cleary do, and boy was I glad. Because they happened to mention their love of the dance and because GT member Merna Gill makes a personal connection to every ‘stranger’ she meets, we were invited to a tango party. Yeah! Down we go walking a dark street in the rain to an address we were only 99.9% sure was correct into the arms of a warm welcome and magical experience. Now this is the way to see Cuba!
The personal and enduring relationships Merna makes with the Cuban people give her fellow travelers an up close and personal travel experience. For example, a high school trio of girls came to where we stayed in Havana and gave us a flute concert. As amazing as their playing proved to be, it was equally fun to take them to dinner afterward and find out how they like to have fun, their future ambitions and if they plan to get a driver’s license (that was an emphatic, YES).
Walking through a local market was a pleasant sensory experience for the eyes and nose. We were shoulder to shoulder with the locals examining, selecting and purchasing fruits and vegetables. The avocados were humongous. What a contrast to the sterile and limited government stores where we could look but not purchase.
The countryside opened up to green hills, waterfalls and rainbows which were just as stunning as the live music that permeates every inch of Cuban life. And while a few of our service destinations to present school and medical supplies were predetermined (a school, young athlete’s outdoor training area and visiting with a medical student) the remainder consisted of random stops along country roads as we saw opportunity. That led us to visiting with a doctor and touring her village clinic (they desperately need more lighting), giving supplies to a doctor and nurse waiting for a ride at the side of the road (pressure cuffs are a treasured gift) and children that were out with their parents playing or walking alongside the road (who doesn’t want crayons, pencils and school notebooks when accompanied with a protein snack). And there were many opportunities to give GT member Phyllis Webster’s plant and flower seed packets (some of you helped sort them at Paula’s social this past September). People thought we were Santa Claus. Feliz Navidad!
So is going to Cuba the right thing to do? For this writer it is the best thing to do. Travel is about seeing the sights – sure. AND it is about absorbing the culture of a new place by opening yourself to possible new understandings through interaction with those that live there. Friendships may not blossom but hearts are touched.
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