On arriving in Cuba, from the first cab ride from the airport, you are bombarded with iconic images. Political propaganda, 50s American cars in all shapes of disrepair and crumbling infrastructure left right and centre. I was surprised by how little I actually knew about such a famous country. It wasnt until doing a little reading that the facinating history started to unfold.
Lizzie and I started with 3 nights in Havana, exploring the old town, touring the Havana Club Rum factory and visiting the facinating Revolution Museum. We enjoyed Havana but found it a little touristy and we found that we didnt quite get a feel for life in the big city (who would have thought in only 3 days!) So we then caught the bus to Santa Clara, the home of Che`s famous revolutionary victories that essentially ended the war in 1959. It was a pleasent city with Che dedications left right and centre. The highlight of our 2 days here was catching some live local music and dance at El Mejunje, a venue that consisted of a collapsed building and tree shrouded courtyard.
Next stop was Trinidad, a great centre of music in close proximity to great beaches and beautiful waterfalls. We took a salsa class, ate great seafood, swam in waterfalls and lay on the beach before dancing until 2am. It was a jam packed 2 days and we would have stayed longer if we didnt have plans to get to Sierra Maestro. A cultural week had just started in Trinidad, so that meant the town had an even bigger buzz than normal. Casa de la Musica was a highlight.
We took a long 12 hr day bus down to Santiago de Cuba, at the south eastern corner of the island and the region Fidel grew up in. This was and still is very much the home of the revolution. The city itself is kaotic and polluted but pleasent enough. We enjoyed a visit to the Macada Barracks, the place of a failed rebel uprising in 1953 after which Fidel was imprisoned for 2 years. We also found the old Bacardi factory and caught some great local music in a seady bar on the waterfront.
By now we had become accustomed to cuban tourism. It involves staying in Casa Particulares, local people who buy a license from the Government to rent a room to tourists. It was a great way to experience local food and living conditions as well as practise speaking spanish. The food they provided (for a cost) was far better than restaurant food and cheaper as well. It really added to the experience although felt strange being in someone elses house. Thankyou to Marco and Maria, Martin and Emiliana, Elvira and Manuel and Nela for wonderful hospitality.
The duel currency was facinating as well, the CUC (convertable peso) is worth more than the US dollar and is what the government wants tourists to us. This can make Cuban travel quite expensive. The Cuban peso (Moneda National) is worth 1/24th of the CUC and is what the locals use and get paid in. We got our hands on some local peso and were able to buy pizza icecream and other street snacks for virtually nothing but then had to pay $2 US for a can of coke. You can see why locals are so keen to get involved in the tourism industry.
From Santiago, we did a long day trip out to Sierra Maestro to visit the base camp for Fidels Rebel forces during the Revolution. After the initial landing, only 12 men remained, but with help from the local farmers, Fidel regrouped and from this base he launched his guerrila attacks against Batistas troups. The collection of tree houses and command posts were facinating and the day was extremely informative and a little sereal thanks to our guide Miguel.
Another overnight bus and a short hop west of Havana got us to Viñales, our final Cuban destination. We spent 3 days wandering through the beautiful valley, sampling organic fruits, organic tabacco (Cuba´s best), caving and bike riding. Sunrise over the valley was a highlight. It was a very pleasent few days after a fairly hectic schedule. Our last night in Havana was a splurge at a Paladra (Private Restaraunt) it was a great meal by Cuban standards and gave an insight of what life may have been like pre revolution.
Its an amazing place, and we left with many unanswered questions but overall, you get the feel that its a country that just wants to be left alone and given a chance to prosper. Hopefully Obama listens, then maybe we will see if Che was on the right track or not...