Cuba - the end of an era...

It has been my long desire to travel to Cuba...Melvin has not wanted to make the trek with me, as American Citizens...To read more on the US embargo against Cuba, click here.  Americans are banned from travelling to Cuba for the purpose of tourism, but there are ways around this, such as 1) travelling a 2-leg flight or 2) applying for a specific license for one of the following reasons:

Persons visiting immediate family in Cuba

Full-time graduate students conducting academic research to be counted toward a graduate degree

Undergraduate or graduate students participating in a study abroad program of at least 10 weeks in length

Professors/teachers employed at a US institution travelling to Cuba to teach

Persons engaging in religious activities

Freelance journalists

Persons engaging in humanitarian projects

Persons engaging in non-profit cultural exhibitions

 It is even possible for an individual with a credible background in, say, freelance journalism or academics, to craft a "mission" for their visit which successfully gets them a permit.  Anyway, we are clearly not journalists or humanitarians and Melvin was not keen on chancing a 2-leg flight and getting caught, so what do we do?

I was / am quite excited to apply for permanent residency and then citizenship, solely for the purpose of having a Canadian passport. Then, I can finally live out my dream of visiting Cuba!  I have met many Canadians that have been there multiple times and have only heard great things...

Today, I found out that Raul Castro succeeds Fidel as Communist Party Chief and it is in effect today.  I feel that this will bring a lot of change; hopefully all for the good, while retaining the unique things visitors are in awe of when the go there, like the architecture, old cars, paladares (locally owned restaurants in private homes) and safety (because it is Communist, there is low tolerance for violence/crime).