Cuba is a significant island nation with a population of over 11 million and a land mass greater than that of other Caribbean islands and that of all but one of the Central American countries.  Its state-run economy, with a GDP of around $90 billion, is sizable but relatively small compared to that of some of its neighbors.

Cuba has a long and complex history, going back to the indigenous people who were there by 3,000 BC, if not earlier.  Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba as part of his 1492 exploration.  By 1514, Spain had control over Cuba and kept it through the 19th century.  During this period there were incursions by the Dutch and English. 

By the late 18th century, Havana was the third largest city in the Americas.  Slavery was an important element in Cuba’s economy, especially for sugar cane and tobacco.  In 1823, President Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine which was intended to protect the West Hemisphere, which included Cuba and other countries, from Europe and others.  By 1901 this doctrine was specifically extended to Cuba by the Platt Amendment.

In the second half of the 19th century, Cubans struggled for freedom from Spain, which came in 1902, not long after the USA got involved due to the 1898 sinking in Havana’s harbor of the USS Maine.  However, Cuba’s independence was not fully achieved, as the US effectively controlled or influenced Cuba for decades in various military, political and economic ways.  

After the adoption in 1940 of a constitution, the Cubans elected Fulgencio Batista as president and communist influences grew.  Batista later lost the presidency but regained it through a coup and then tainted elections in 1954.  Rebellions against Batista began around 1952; the opposition’s leaders were Fidel Castro, his brother Raul and Che Guevera.  Batista fled on January 1, 1959, and Castro took over and began massive reforms.  

Cuba pursued stronger relations with the USSR and endeavored to free itself from the USA’s heavy influence.  In January 1961, the USA severed relations with Cuba.  Over the next two years the USA acted to isolate Cuba, including imposing restrictions on trade and travel that continued for decades. 

In mid-2015, the Obama administration and Cuban government took steps to thaw USA-Cuba relations.  On August 14, 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry personally reopened the US Embassy in Havana.  

With these developments, we began exploring taking a trip to Cuba in 2016.  However, even with the thaw, US citizens still had to get advance written approval from Cuba to travel there and, under US rules, could only go there with accredited tour operators, and for educational purposes described by the US State Department.  In contrast, people from other countries, such as Canada and Russia, traveled to Cuba as normal tourists.

Fortunately, it was not difficult to arrange our trip because our accredited operator knew and expedited the necessary steps.  The eight-day tour we chose focused on the Havana area (at the beginning and end), a stay in the Vinales area (in the middle) and visits to other places near Havana (at various times). 

No regularly scheduled flights were permitted from the USA to Cuba.  We had to overnight in Miami to take an early morning special charter flight to Havana; it was an 80-minute trip.  As recommended, we brought ample cash in US dollars with us.  This was necessary as in Cuba US credit cards were not accepted, there were no ATMs or US bank offices, and Cubans preferred to be paid in US dollars rather than Cuban pesos.