Cuba – Absolute Magic

Cuba. A three-week whistlestop odyssey encompassing the island from one end to the other, and I still feel like I only scratched the surface. Still, that didn’t stop me from falling in love with everything and everyone I came across; a beautiful country and a beautiful people.

Where to begin? Luis, a young man sitting next to me on the plane to Cuba, passionately described his Havana neighbourhood as “a giant radio station tuned permanently to reggaeton”. His description was apt for a city (and, indeed, a country) where every brick and tile seems to resonate with the music and rhythms of life. Everywhere you go, you can hear it being played out around you. The sound of live street music mingles with the shouts of children playing in the street, the thump of a nearby sound system, neighbours exchanging news, the clatter of ongoing renovation and the cries of men selling popcorn from their carts.

There is a certain old-world feel here, and you might catch the waft of fine cigars as you sip rum in a bar in Old Havana, but there is so much more to this country than the Buena Vista Social Club, classic cars and Hemingway. There is a definite mix of the old and the modern, particularly as restrictions on imports and spending are gradually being relaxed. In just one street you might hear not only the clip-clop of a horse and cart, but the rumble of a 50s Chevrolet convertible cruising by, the rattle of an 80s Lada tearing around a corner, and the purr of a brand-new Volkswagen as it glides down the road. Fashionable young Cubans in designer European gear share their hang-outs in the squares with elderly men in fedoras and women in bright headscarves. Havana is seemingly constantly on the move, preserving its old traditions while blending in a touch of the modern, making it really quite unique. There are many different worlds in the one country.

One thing that is tangible everywhere, though, is the friendliness of the locals. Where some countries have become tourist-weary, visitors are still a relative novelty in some parts of Cuba. Your chances of actually meeting a local and getting to know them are fairly high if you leave yourself open to chance (and if you can spit out a few words of Spanish!). Also, in my experience, the Cubans are fiercely, admirably proud of who they are and of their country, regardless of whether they support the regime or not. My seat buddy Luis was fluent in English, had just spent nearly three years in Japan studying nuclear biology, and could basically have moved anywhere in the world that took his fancy; he had already had job offers from 4 different countries. However, Luis was on his way back to Cuba because he simply “couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. There is nowhere like Cuba and my heart lives there.” Luis, my friend, I couldn’t agree more. It was a kickass country and I for one cannot wait to get back.

I’m going to update this page with more on my time in Cuba as and when I can – it might take a while because I’m still on the road, but it’ll get there eventually. This truly was a trip to remember. I hope you enjoy reading about it as the story unfolds.

Thanks for stopping by,

Tara.