Day 383 (19 Jan 2024) - Cancun, Mexico to Havana, Cuba. Cuba is my 31st destination on this solo bike world tour.
DAY 383 (19 JAN 2024) – In the morning, I boarded my flight to Cuba, without any hiccups - unlike the chaotic experience I had yesterday. The flight from Cancun, Mexico to Havana, Cuba was only about 50 minutes, and I had to pay a re-entrance fee of 717 Mexican Peso (RM 198).
Upon arrival at the Havana International Airport, I had to endure a rigorous immigration process! They checked my passport a couple of times and took photographs of me, at least 4 times, without asking me a single question!
Due to the complicated relations between Cuba and the USA, I understood that it was the responsibility of the officers to conduct a thorough checking, especially since I had a USA and Canada visa with me! I went through a similar nerve-wrecking situation when I entered Russia last year.
I got through immigration after about 40 minutes and was greeted by Mr Deva, who was waiting patiently for my arrival. He was introduced to me by Mr Suthagaran, a fellow biker from the Penang Tamil Bikers group.
Mr Deva treated me to breakfast before we headed to the Malaysian Embassy in Havana, where I met the Malaysian Ambassador to Cuba, H.E (His Excellency) Muhammad Radzi bin Jamaludin. We had a long friendly discussion about my trip. I did not miss a chance to sign the guest book at the embassy.
I handed over 2 plants to the embassy, which will be planted at a later date. Both plants were sponsored by Mr Deva, namely an Avocado tree and a Bougainvillea plant.
I also met several other officers and staff at the embassy, including the Counsellor / Head of Chancery, Ms Chenderawasih Abdul Malak, and the Third Secretary, Mrs Thiviyah Ganapathy, who is also Mr Deva’s wife.
Fun fact : The Malaysian Embassy in Cuba is also in-charge of diplomatic missions in several other Caribbean countries besides Cuba, namely Jamaica, Bahamas, Haiti, Nicaragua and Dominican Republic. Due to a visa waiver agreement between Malaysia and Cuba, Malaysian do not need a tourist visa to travel to Cuba.
MY CUBA JOURNEY MAP
POLARSTEPS | GOOGLE MY MAPS (below) |
(Click + to zoom or [ ] to expand for full info)
INSTA 360 CAMERA RIDING VIDEOS
COMING SOON.
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