By V. Lori Hedges
The United States has had a complicated relationship with the country of Cuba since the 1960s, and bringing up the subject of Cuba incites a variety of responses from people depending on whether or not they lived through that era.
Older people remember things like the Soviet threat and the Cuban missile crises, while younger people think only of the Cubans who are desperate to escape the island that is both a home and a prison. Then, of course, there is the actual prison at Guantanamo Bay about which many horror stories have been told.
Regardless, people are usually pretty polarized about Cuba as a travel destination. So when I announced my intentions to go to Cuba and film a documentary, I received quite a few strong opinions from friends and family.
Most negative sentiments came from those who were primarily concerned for my safety. After all, I was going to this scary communist country which is run by a dictator so I was most certainly going to be in constant peril.
As I set about making my reservations, I did discover that finding information about navigating the country is a bit confusing, but finding accommodations is easy. You can elect to stay at one of the large resort hotels which cater to impressing tourists, but I recommend staying with one of the many HomeStay hosts if you want to get an authentic Cuban experience.
Since I had no way to contact interview subjects before my trip, (and I really had no clue how it was going to be to do the project in a culture I had yet to experience) I decided the only option I had was to “wing it.” The story would develop out of whatever I and my son, Tyler, discovered in our wanderings around Havana.
So, I booked our flight, filled out the necessary online forms for our visa and packed our bags. Of course, when I arrived at the Louisville airport I was again asked to fill out the same visa information forms and then pay the $50 fee for each of us.
Our connection to Cuba was the Atlanta International Airport where we were again asked to fill out the same necessary forms for our visa. Then I had to fill in the blanks on the actual visa form with absolutely no errors, and no cross-out or over writes. If you make a mistake, you must purchase another $50 visa, but no pressure!
With that finished and accepted, the difficult part was over, and we were off to Cuba. A little over an hour later, we caught our first glimpse of this complicated country filled with the most amazing people!
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To find out more about our adventures in Cuba, stay tuned for Part 2!
All photos are the property of V. Lori Hedges, and may not be used without permission.
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