NOT LONG BEFORE BOARDING BEGINS IN TAMPA
Well, I’ve managed to stay pretty awake all night long, but now I’m pretty wiped out. Check-in for the flight to Cuba begins at 8, but departure isn’t until noon, a very long time to wait.
Hope to find a Sunday NY TIMES to look at and then to recycle, passing it on to English-speaking friends in Cuba. It seems to wasteful to read a newspaper and then just throw it out. I’ve got yesterday’s NYT and the weekend WALL STREET JOURNAL, which I went through on the plane yesterday and will pass on in the next hours.
At the airport in Havana I’ll change money (this time, due to the sharp increase in the value of the USD, I’ve brought USD for the first time since I’ve been coming to Cuba. The Cubans will, hopefully appreciate it. Then I’ll catch a cab into the city and get settled into the casa particular I’ve rented, one I’ve stayed in previously. It’s on the third floor of the building and has a terrific view of the city, especially at night. Will see what kind of energy I have once I settle in.
The first thing I’m going to want to to is to walk around the neighborhood and see how it’s changed since I was last here. The agro at 19th and B will be closed, but I have friends in the neighborhood whom I can drop in on. Another friend promised he’ll help me get set up to use the WiFi over on La Rampa. I’m kind of torn between impulses. Do I want to get connected to the Internet or just walk around, see friends and soak up the atmosphere? If I have the energy, I’ll probably do that, though one really high priority is getting my cell phone hooked up.
Have just been listening to Gerardo’s BBC interview. You should listen to it, too.
<http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk/news/article/2835/bbc-exclusive-interview-with-gerardo-hernandez-one-of-the-miami-fivecuban-five>