"While We Weren't Watching Them, Like Russians Will..."

"Now we've got all this room, we've even got the moon

And I hear the U.S.S.R. will be open soon

As vacation land for lawyers in love."

---Jackson Browne

 Do you remember "Lawyers In Love" from August of 1983? 

I've always loved that song, which includes ironic lyrics that somehow have become more relevant today than when released by Jackson Browne. 

Keep in mind this was written during the heart of the Cold War, when fears ran rampant that President Ronald Reagan was going to blow up the world with his tough rhetoric, including the March of 1983 Strategic Defense Initiative speech. 

Reality didn't unfold as fearmongers foretold, and for most of us, it never come close to the true tension during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962.

In fact, less than eight years after Reagan threatened Star Wars, Mr. Gorbachev did indeed "Tear down this wall."  And by wall, I mean the entire Iron Curtain that had previously held satellite countries in bondage as the U.S.S.R. dissolved.  The Berlin Wall had been torn down a year and a half earlier in November of 1989 by the emboldened German people. 

Jackson Browne's joke soon became reality. 

Last year, Cuba became open for American tourists under the People-to-People program. 

 While as Americans we're used to traveling wherever we can afford to go, as long as we carry a passport, Russia and Cuba require visas. 

So does China. 

If you're thinking about getting a visa on your own rather than paying for cruise lines to take care of that significant detail, you might want to read my article about our experience getting a Chinese visa. 

It includes a video for Jackson Browne's classic song, plus some others that you might find interesting. 

When you're ready to go to a formerly taboo country, "Better service leads to better trips!"