Visit to Cuba turns into a long trip back in time  Share with
others:  Print Email Read Later  HAVANA -- Colorful, crumbling
and controversial, Cuba is caught between then and now, between
communism and capitalism and the challenge of two currencies.
Thanks to a loosening of travel restrictions for Cuban-Americans
by President Barack Obama, Cubans are beginning to get a taste
of the benefits of free enterprise. All manner of merchandise
has begun showing up in the country, including massive flat-
screen TVs, bikes, clothes and microwaves.  It was the
proverbial dark and stormy night when our charter plane finally
touched down after an eight-hour delay in Miami. Once we were
through customs, the glass doors slid open to reveal a crowd of
people three deep waiting to greet family members pushing carts
piled high with goods.  "This welcome is all for you," joked in-
country guide Vivian Quintero Triana. She assisted Joe Scarpaci
of the Center for the Study of Cuban Culture + Economy as he led
the group from the C