Cubana Airlines....

The moment of truth arrives. Will be "voucher be good".... I arrive at the airport at 10 am in plenty of time. I am a more early everywhere than late kind of person (our Victoria). I wait on a short line for about a half hour before I step up to the counter.
I hand her my Italian passport which I am using for the first time, and she asks if I have a tourist visa. I do not, to so she issues me one along with squeezing me for the entrance tax which everything comes to $75 dollars.

Next I am passed along to another person who writes my name and passport on the airline sheet and then passes me to a third gentleman who does the bag checking. There was this couple traveling with the usual assortment of refrigerator freezer bags (like our Victoria) that one was so packed it was ripped at the seems. The bag guy saw this and told the couple they had to wrap it in plastic or could not board. I calmly gave a look of utter distain and stepped forward to tell the bag guy "only carry on."
I was given directions to security which I breezed through without any problems.

I now sit with a big smile on my face feeling happy and anxious. So far, so good.
I buy a few snacks from the machine knowing they do not have American products. The problem is my bag is small and I had to reorganize in order to put in a few small snack bags from the vending machine. Oh well, I said to myself, "This is the business you've chosen."

I am in the lounge and in 20 minutes we board...