victory forever!
Three weeks before the flight departed, we decided to go to Cuba at the end of December. It's a beautious place to sit on the beaches all afternoon, but in attempting not to be a completely ignorant tourist, certain things are impossible to disregard in such a country.
It's evident that a lot of people are suffering from the situation in Cuba, but many are happy despite what those coming from the West might think they "don't have." The lack of consumerism is something to be marveled at and I think a lot of people are quite proud of this, in spite of the problems. The US embargo makes for bizarre aspects that the tourists appreciate, such as the thousands of '40s and '50s American cars that were present on the island before 1962 and continue to be driven on roads today. Although the embargo isn't the source of the economic issues, people made a point of stating "we know how to survive without America," which is something Fidel is proud of and therefore everyone else is expected to be as well.
We stayed in Varadero, which is on a beautiful peninsula full of tourists all winter from Canada, Russia, France, and all over.
Canadians dig being percieved as friendly and polite wherever we go in this world, but everyone was so welcoming and gracious in Cuba that we're really a bit rude in comparison. All of the service people were lovely, including the maids who folded our towels in a creative way each day. Even some people in Havana wanting to sell cheap cigars would stop to talk after you'd declined their goods.
The town of Varadero is nice but revolves very much around the mass of tourists in the area and thus it would be a shame not to see beyond it.
We ventured onwards to spend (only) a day in Havana, which is a stunning and mystifying place.
Havana is full of cafes and restaurants which are surrounded by the beautiful buildings that are crumbling and in need of such repair. Many people who live in them (and it seems like every nook and cranny is inhabited by someone) are poor by Western standards and can't afford the luxuries of their own city. Some problems are so evident but still the place is very difficult to decipher.
The view was amazing from the roof of the hotel where Hemingway first stayed in Havana. Everyone was encouraged to dole out money for a Daiquiri or mojito (or both), which he was famous for consuming in various bars around the city.
Che is everywhere, on all the souvenirs imaginable for tourists and in murals and on buildings (Revolution Square). Fidel's face is nowhere to be seen (his likeness or otherwise, these days) and if you knew no better could assume it was Guevara in power today just from looking around.
It was indeed wicked.