Did I mention Cuba is expensive to visit?

Several months ago we considered taking a trip to Cuba which I would have organized in accordance with Treasury Dept OFAC regulations.  In the end there was not enough interest among Sociedad Hispana Doylestown members; hence I decided it was not worth the effort.    By the way,  did I mention it was expensive to take a nine day trip to Cuba?  My best guess was $3,000-$4,000 from Miami if I secured the US Gov't approval, and $5,000-$6,000 if via a travel agency tour.  I never intended to try the illegal approach to visit Cuba via Toronto or Cancún, even though I know it is commonly done.  Of course it would be less expensive.

My interest mostly stemmed from a family member who visited Cuba as part of a Church group from Chicago.  Moreover,  I had just finished a great read call Bacardí and the Long Fight for Cuba. (Previously reviewed here:

http://www.sociedadhispanadoylestown.com/2011/06/bacardi-and-long-fight-for-cuba.html )

The Wall Street Journal  recently ran an article which is linked below.  I call it a mini Cuba substitute trip,  as it lays out a 3 day weekend trip to Little Havana in Miami.  Cigar factories, Cubanos playing dominoes, etc.  (a la Buena Vista Social Club:  A movie we enjoyed watching last night-readily available on the internet)

We now have a long time friend of Cuban heritage who is a recent Sociedad Hispana blog follower.   Hopefully, he can add input as to the nature of such a 3 day trip to Miami, via the comments section of this post.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204394804577009793587439610.html?mod=WSJ_comments_MoreIn_TravelMain#articleTabs%3Darticle