For both of us, Cuba has always been high on the list of places we have wanted to go. When we got the chance to travel to the Caribbean for work, we knew that we just had to try and spend some time in Cuba while we were there. Apologies in advance if this becomes somewhat of an essay, but there is just far too much to say about this fascinating place… Most people seem to think of Che Guevara, Mojitos, old cars and the Buena Vista Social Club when Cuba is mentioned – and all this is totally spot on so we won’t need to go into that side of things here. Cuba is currently in a very interesting place – somewhere between old fashioned socialism/still heavily embargoed by the US and opening up to the world now that Fidel Castro has passed away. We knew we didn’t want to stay in a government run hotels (which they all are, and was where most Americans and other rich Europeans who relished in the power of their currencies stayed), the only time we dared to venture into them was to use their internet – wifi and even mobile phones are VERY new developments in Cuba. Since Raul Castro took over, and Cubans have gradually been allowed to explore private enterprise, Casa Particulares have sprung up all over the place – these are rooms in local Cuban’s houses that they rent out to tourists as way of making some money, and provide an incredible opportunity for tourists to see how real Cubans live. Our first Casa Particulare was in the heart of the less touristy part of old Havana with an amazing family (and kitty). Most people here are poor, very poor – in a kind of way you only can be by decades of hardship. They have very little and live in very small homes yet have the biggest and most generous hearts. Private lives are lived out on the street, and the sense of community here is unlike anywhere we have ever been. People, live, eat, dance and sing on the street and everywhere is full of the most electric creative energy. There is art everywhere and music emanating from houses around every corner. People salsa in the street, alongside those selling bread and fixing their cars. This is a collection of some snapshots from our wanderings around the streets.
