Havana?

When I grow up I want to be Bill Murphy. I met Bill the first time I was in Medellin. Bill smokes big fat cigars, drinks rum and juggles girlfriends. Think Ernest Hemingway, but from South Carolina. He’s in his 50’s, got a couple of grown kids, sold his business a few years ago and seems to be pretty happy bumming around Latin American toying with ideas for new business ventures.

So when Bill told me he was heading back to Cuba (say it with me now, Coo-bah) my eyes lit up. “Why don’t you come visit” he said, “I know Havana like the back of my hand, I’ll show you around”. And the thing with Bill is, I’m sure he does and I’m sure he will.

Now before you mention it to me, yes I am quite aware that Cuba is not in South America. Somehow I thought it would take more than a week before I completely threw my plans out the window and changed the theme to my trip. But whatever.

Going to Cuba would mean the trip to the Galapagos Islands get put on hold. But you know what…these are the hot humid months there right now. And as far as coolness factor goes, going to Cuba before Castro kicks the bucket definitely beats seeing some big turtles. A couple of weeks in Cuba and I still have plenty of time to get to Rio before Carnaval.

There are lots of details to work out still. How I get there, what I do with my ticket to Guayaquil, avoiding becoming indoctrinated by the party members, etc. But I have faith those details will take care of themselves, they always do.