🇬🇧 Last one out, turn off the lights

Sorry guys! Life has been busy these last months! New job, new cat but fortuantely new Cuba stories!

Some update first. We are fine. We went to Cuba in June, celebrated out 7th wedding anniversary there and in August we did a short birthday trip for me to Greece.

We also have a new cat (what a suprise) and I got a new job which I am vey excited about.

But back to Cuba. We are going again in January and this will be a very very very different trip for us. Because almost no one will be there. Humanitarian visas aka parole are keep coming and Cuba is experiencing one of the biggest emigration of its citizens in history. Yes. Never before so many Cubans left the islqnd before.

And it makes me so happy for them but also extremely sad. When I was 22 I did emigrate and lived in Portugal. But it was 22 year old me wanting to explore the world, to learn new lenguage, to meet new people. It was a caprice really. I never left because my salary was worth a bag of powder milk I never left because I could not make a living even with great education…and so on.

This is my mother in law and all of her 3 children. That was a family reunion back in February. Now all them are living abroad – in USA and Europe. It took us 7 years to meet all in one place. When will be the next time? Sad to even think about.

Viñales (and Cuba) is getting empty. People are trying to sell their houses desperately and if they are unable too (no demand) they are just locking the door and leaving. When will this end? No idea.

ATMs in Cuba are drying. No cash but where would the cash come from. There were days in June when I felt like the only tourist in Viñales. Seriously I didn’t see anybody. Low season you’ll say. Well that is true but it wasn’t just low season. There was no season. Winter didn’t look any better. But with the crazy prices, constant gas problems and different rumors I am not suprised people are choosing the countries around. We have just bought the tickets to Cuba and it was crazy expensive.

So back to parole, I really want to see how are next trip will develop. It’ s going to be so weird no to see the people as always. I wish we can do the reunion soon and meet in this group sooner that in 7 long years.