Viva la Revolución

Fidel
see all photos »

After my passport saga finally drew to a close myself and Sarah were well and truly ready to don the backpacks and get travelling again, so where better to restart our travels than in Cuba?

Cuba has long been a country I have wanted to visit, after studying it at school and constantly hearing about it in the news. I felt that this would be the perfect opportunity to see the country for experience socialism at work first hand.

All Cubans point to the lack of poverty, excellent free heath and education systems

Old american car in Havana
see all photos »

Our first three days were spent in the capital, Havana which is a amazing city to experience and visit, with fantastic 1950's style architecture and old American cars - you almost feel like you have been transported back in time. A lot of the buildings are very run down and dilapidated though do still retain their old grandeur and help make the city one of the most unique places on earth.

Throughout Cuba you are constantly reminded that you are in a socialist country, with pro Fidel Castro and and anti US slogans and murals everywhere. I wondered if, being a tourist, I would actually notice the difference in governmental regime, however on our first day we saw the socialist government in action!

Famous street decorated by Cuban artists
see all photos »

We had met a friendly university student who offered to show us around for nothing more than the chance to practise his English. He took us to some excellent cultural sites including the famous street decorated by Cuban artist Jose Fuster . After sitting down for a few drinks we were promptly approached by police who then arrested the young man!

The official line is that this is to discourage any Cubans from asking tourists for money, however many Cubans we talked to state that the government don't like locals talking politics with foreigners - and that these tactics are having a detrimental affect on tourists returning to the island.

Making music in the old town!
see all photos »

After this we managed to find a bar where Ernest Hemingway apparently used to drink Mojitos and write his famous works. Here, we met a former Olympic wrestler who impressed us with his tales, tall or otherwise, of wrestling in the former Soviet Union, and were also treated to our first Cuban cigars and Mojitos .

Spending a day in Havanas old town, we took in many more old cars, buildings and Mojitos . We also took a tour of the Revolution museum which was an interesting experience and good to get the Cuban, if somewhat biased, view on the revolution.

Mariano at his work
see all photos »

In Havana we found the people extremely friendly and helpful. I wouldn't agree with the sentiment that they are a nation living in fear of their government, although it is difficult to strike up a conversation with a local regarding Fidel, however after a few shots of rum at the bar, tongues generally seem to loosen and we did manage to have some very interesting conversations along the way.

Most do seem to have a genuine affection towards Fidel but also stress that the country is now in need of a change to help open trade routs and tourism to the world and exploit the undoubted natural resources, beauty and skills that the country has to offer - although most want to achieve this without US hep and ideals. There wasn't as much anti US feelings as I imagined among the Cuban people, though a lot do point to exiled Cubans now living in the US as one of the biggest threat to the Cuban people and their way of life.

At revolution square
see all photos »

When asked about the benefits of the socialist system all Cubans point to the lack of poverty, excellent free heath and education systems. There is also no real class divide in Cuba that is seen in capitalist countries where the gulf between the rich and poor is increasing at an alarming rate. With the introduction of a dual economy, however, a class divide is beginning to emerge. Two currencies exist, the convertible for tourists which is worth 24 times that of the normal peso, for Cuban people. Due to the value of the convertible, tourism has now become the best way to make money in Cuba, so much so that you now find doctors, lawyers and engineers sleeping on couches and renting out their bedroom to tourists - something we found quite hard to get our heads around.

Countryside in Viñales
see all photos »

After another day of sightseeing taking in the massive cemetery and revolution square we headed off to the picturesque town of Viñaes where we stayed with the excellent Mariano and family. Within minutes of entering the house, Mariano had already broken out the rum and cigars - something that continued for the rest of our stay.

Probably one of the highlights of Cuba was getting to watch Mariano show us how to make real Cuban cigars from scratch in his work shed. He also taught us how to make coffee as well as showing off his pride and joy - a 1952 Chevrolet imported from the states before the trade embargo was in pace.

In Viñales we took a tour around a local farm including tobacco and coffee plantations. Although five hours walking in the baking heat was a bit much, the scenery was breathtaking and I even managed to earn my keep with a bit of old style ploughing with two cows!

On our third day we hired a moped and set off on what should have been a two hour journey to the beach. Unfortunately the bike broke down about five times along the way, however with limited motorbike knowledge and some hep from the friendly locals we managed to make the necessary repairs and made it to the beach - which was well worth the wait with white sandy beaches, palm trees and the warm Caribbean sea to swim in.

After one more night in Havana where we took in a local cabaret show, which was an experience in itself, we headed off to the airport bound for Mexico, leaving behind one of the most interesting, friendly, colourful and beautiful places I have visited so far.