Unbeknownst
to many people, you cannot drive from CentralAmerica to SouthAmerica, in spite of the so-called Pan-American Highway. The highway is still not completed through what is known as the Darien Gap, between Panama and Columbia. Dense jungle and at the moment, political considerations, prompted me to ship Baby Blue to Ecuador, bypassing Columbia. She was tucked, not so carefully into a container then on board a freighter.

The other motivating factor involved was my Cuban Goddaughters' birthday coinciding with the time period that Baby Blue was to be in transit. The perfect excuse for a little Havana holiday and a visit with my adopted foreign family and friends.

I had been unable to reach my friends prior to my arrival, so our greeting was quite the surprise. One of the saddest parts of my adventure is having to say goodbye to new friends. It was a delight to be saying hello again for a change!

I loved watching everyone in the family dance around in the new shirts I had brought them. I also brought a stack of teen magazines tor the girls and found that they were a big hit with the adults. They crave any information from outside Fidels' propaganda machine, even about Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys.

They are starved for many consumer items, including cars and cigarette lighters. Out of necessity, they have refined the arts of re-cycling and re-use beyond even the extreme American eco-freak.