Introduction to Cuba

Cuba is a complex patchwork quilt of cultural, social and political histories woven together to produce a country unlike any other. Within its 110,869 sq km of dazzling Caribbean landscape, each visitor to Cuba will create their own story as they venture from one unique place to another, experiencing the unrivalled and unusual way of life found in each region.

Cuba's allure goes way beyond the picture postcard white sand beaches of coastal resorts Varadero and Guardalavaca. This caribbean treasure deserves to be explored and enjoyed in its entirety. Cuba's untouched natural beauty encapsulates a tropical paradise fusing together far reaching crystal waters, spotless white sand, vivid blue skies, neon fruits and intense green foliage. Urban centres like Havana and Santiago de Cuba are characterised by the contagious funk of loud exhaust pipes from old fashioned cars, the smell of petrol, children playing in the streets and people watching the world go by from rocking chairs on verandas. The streets are lined with what were once grand colonial houses, pillared, tierred and ornamented like wedding cakes, now left to ruin with collapsing staircases and faded, peeling paintwork. The grandeur gone, proud yet helpless, displaying the same worn down beauty apparent in so many aspects of Cuban life. Since Castro came into power almost half a century ago, nothing new has been built, so each house serves as a historical exhibit of what once was. Decaying masterpieces stagger on in states of disrepair, and even when change does come, most of these buildings will be beyond restoration.

As you travel through the everchanging landscapes, what remains a staple throughout Cuba is the good nature of the people. Even when the restaurants run out of food (which often happens by late afternoon), they are always willing to compensate by opening a bottle of rum, producing a guitar and dancing a bit of salsa. This tends to be the answer for most things. Despite Cuba's political situation and poverty, people don't take things for granted, but instead they make the very most of what they've got. There is as much to learn from the people as from the many museums, monuments and exhibits, if not more. Once you accustom yourself to el ritmo cubano, you cannot fail to find the culture refreshing and the country unforgettable.

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