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The flight to Cuba was pretty uneventful. As predicted, I did all the things you're not supposed to do with your prescription medicines in an effort to make things go faster. It worked, to an extent - I did doze a little on the plane. Somewhat more then any of the rest of us. I did see a couple who brought proper pillows with them. Aside from the bulk, this seems like a great idea.
It was as cramped as I was expecting, but still not so bad for a 5 hour flight that I couldn't handle it. It was made a fraction better by the fact that I had an empty seat beside me. That empty seat came at a cost though. The flight was booked solid and two of our party didn't arrive. If you know the story behind the empty seats, you'll spare a moment of concern for the people who couldn't make it. Suffice to say that depression can cripple your life (something I'm all too aware of). I hope that anyone who gets it so bad that they can't travel to Cuba will seek out the treatment they need to improve their lives.
The plane landed and we immediately went into the large system for funneling tourists from the airport to their resorts. We went through customs, security, and onto the buses for our resort. Along the way we passed through the security checkpoint that prevents run-of-the-mill Cubans from entering the Varadero peninsula. The guide on the bus described it as a "toll station", but the armed guards were obvious.
We got to the hotel around 7 am and we checked in, grabbed as much bacon as is humanly possible to consume at the breakfast buffet and then I crashed until 11.
Interesting phenomenon: Dawn and dusk in Cuba are damn near instantaneous events at this latitude. It was dark when we pulled into the hotel. When we exited the building after checking in, the sun had completely cleared the horizon. It was the beginning a bright sunny day.
It was as cramped as I was expecting, but still not so bad for a 5 hour flight that I couldn't handle it. It was made a fraction better by the fact that I had an empty seat beside me. That empty seat came at a cost though. The flight was booked solid and two of our party didn't arrive. If you know the story behind the empty seats, you'll spare a moment of concern for the people who couldn't make it. Suffice to say that depression can cripple your life (something I'm all too aware of). I hope that anyone who gets it so bad that they can't travel to Cuba will seek out the treatment they need to improve their lives.
The plane landed and we immediately went into the large system for funneling tourists from the airport to their resorts. We went through customs, security, and onto the buses for our resort. Along the way we passed through the security checkpoint that prevents run-of-the-mill Cubans from entering the Varadero peninsula. The guide on the bus described it as a "toll station", but the armed guards were obvious.
We got to the hotel around 7 am and we checked in, grabbed as much bacon as is humanly possible to consume at the breakfast buffet and then I crashed until 11.
Interesting phenomenon: Dawn and dusk in Cuba are damn near instantaneous events at this latitude. It was dark when we pulled into the hotel. When we exited the building after checking in, the sun had completely cleared the horizon. It was the beginning a bright sunny day.
