PS

I recently cleared customs and immigration in LA after a 3 month trip thru Cuba, Central and S. America. On the arrival card you are asked to list the countries you've visited. I listed the 10 or so countries I had visited including Cuba although I sort of "buried" Cuba in the middle of the list. The Immigration Agent read the card and then said, "Welcome back to the States."

The Customs Agent read it and said, "Wow, that must have been a wonderful trip" to which I concurred.

I will always wonder if it would have been a different story if I had only been to and listed Mexico and Cuba. FWIW.

I've posted journals & a few photos from my first few days in Cuba at:
See February Entries for Cuba Portion of the Journey

I'll post more as time permits.

GungaJim: That blog of your travels is one of the best-written ones I've seen. So well-written, in fact, that me suspects you might be a professional travel writer, and some of these stories might be ones you've left out of your published pieces. But that snake you're holding there in the picture: I could just about swear that's a venomous pit viper. You don't by any chance belong to one of those US Southern churches who believe in serpent handling, do you?

Sorry, Graywolf--I realize this hijacks your thread. But after you got the decimal point wrong in your original post about exchange rates, you probably deserve it. :)

Thanks ttipdo. The photo was actually taken in Penang, Malaysia on a trip previous to Cuba. After I cuddled them for awhile, I believe the guy did tell me that they were pit vipers. I look pretty calm in the photo but I had to change my underwear shortly thereafter! I've just come to realize in the last year or so that I am a pretty decent travel writer but as yet, I've not tried to publish anything. Are you an Agent?!