In search of an ATM at the US Embassy in Cuba

Let me start by clearly stating that I had only seen a US Embassy in the movies and on TV. Certainly, Americans in foreign countries with the need to visit their Embassy usually were being pursued by villains or in need of a replacement for a lost passport. After three of blissful cultural exchange in Havana with marginal finances and a wallet full of bank ATM cards and credit cards, we finally concluded that we would either be homeless (hotel-less) and/or starving due to our rapidly depleted cash.

I must admit, it takes a lot to make me nervous, but I was pretty scared that we would certainly end up as penniless Americans on the streets of Havana within 48 hours.

We counted our CUCs and US dollars and coins at least ten to fifteen times a day, hoping that magically we would discover a hidden "Benjamin" or two. Regardless of how often or precise we counted our limited funds, we never discovered the hidden $100 or two.

We decided to forgo our daily trip to the local bank's ATM machine at which we tried time and time again to see if our repeated attempts inserting both bank and credit cards would finally bypass the "incorrect PIN" notice. With passport and wallet in hand, we walked the nearly 2 miles from our quaint, hostel-like affordable hotel room to the waterfront US Embassy. Our hope was that Uncle Sam would wrap his loving arms around us and accept our debit or credit cares (or IOUs for that matter) in exchange for a few hundred dollars.

Bypassing the long line of Cuban nationals patiently waiting to enter the Embassy primarily to request a US Visa, we entered this small, nearly hidden gate and guard's desk to meander through the internal maze finally finding ourselves in front of what appeared to be bullet and sound proof glass behind which sat a calm, elderly lady dressed in a cardigan sweater.

After displaying our passports and explaining the hotel reservation misunderstanding and our rapidly depleted funds, we asked naively about the US Embassy handing over our $500 so that we can continue to have food and shelter in our blissful Havana escape. The pleasant clerk smiled and stated in the sweetest tone....."Hon, there's no ATM at the US Embassy."

Recovering form the shock of seeing our last attempt for getting a government issued loan disappear, we asked the clerk to help us get home. She was able to connect us with a Delta agent (something that I found nearly impossible to do with wifi only) who booked us on the next flight to Atlanta.

Short of money along with having frozen bank accounts (I later discovered that any attempted use of ATM cards or online account access from Cuba will immediately freeze your financial account), we counted our last $40 dollars before passing it along to the taxi driver who safely delivered us to the airport. We were finally homeward bound with only a few cents to spare.