When George W. Bush named Cuba as one of his 7 axes of evil he had never visited the island, met its friendly, welcoming, fun loving people, seen any of its extraordinarily beautiful scenery, its impressive ice cream coloured colonial architecture or its vibrant cities.

Sophie and I don’t do 5* hotels. Whilst travelling in Cuba our B&B accommodation in Baracoa, Santiago, Camaguey, Cienfuegos and Trinidad was with local people in their homes. That way they earned some money and we got to make new friends, people who loved having us to stay and told us about their country, their everyday lives and their families many of whom had lived through the Cuban Revolution. One host told us of his Father who had owned and run a large private bus company, that during the revolution was taken into state ownership and he became just one of the drivers on state pay. To this day they accept the fairness of this.
We came back with a feeling of having absorbed something of the unique identity of this World Heritage Treasure and a desire to return on the next flight.

The country has its problems but there is much to admire in its policies based on social equality; an excellent free education system, all school children wear smart state provided uniforms, a completely free and modern health service with excellent ante and post natal care and an adequate benefits system. There is very little crime and we were told zero tolerance to drugs. The streets are safe, litter free and there is no graffiti. There is a refreshing lack of advertising, (apart from Che that is) and thankfully no McDonalds, KFC, Starbucks and the like.
But what fun we had being driven around Havana in a 1950’s open topped  purple Cadillac, breezing  along the Malecon in an huge old red and white Chrysler then a spin in a shiny bright yellow Chevrolet that the driver had inherited from his Grandfather. In Baracoa we chose an old scrap yard banger for a 2 hour round trip to the beach; the driver just hung around with some pals for 5 hours, waiting until the time we had asked to return. So laid back. The car had no windows, no door fittings, no wipers, no upholstery, just lots of rust. We belted along the pot holed roads. Great.
Everywhere, in every town, on the streets, from all the bars, all the clubs and restaurants swinging Cuban son music blasts out from live bands, trios, quartets and vocalists, day and night, all of it good, to draw you in.  Propped up on bar stools we lingered over mojitos, listened to the bands playing ‘Quizas ,Quizas, Quizas’, ‘Guantanamera’, and Sophie’s favourite ‘Che Comandante’. We bought the CD then moved on to the next bar and joined in. We just loved it. Don’t be conned as we nearly were with extortionately priced tickets for The Buena Vista Social Club. The original band no longer exists and far better music can be heard out in the bars and on the streets for free, a dollar donation or the price of a CD.

Lazaro a tall, dark and handsome stall holder on the craft market invited us to his mother’s home for a 1 hour salsa lesson. He turned out to be a qualified salsa teacher and we learned the basics. Next day we were all set to dance like the locals with a band of old musicians in the street. Imagine that in Cleethorpes? Never.
We lounged beneath palm trees on unspoilt beaches in the tropical climate (it was winter in Cuba), swam in the Caribbean, went snorkelling, ate locally caught langoustines cooked just for us in a hut on the beach and strolled the elegant streets of old Havana, listening to the music, looking at the bookstalls, browsing  the art galleries and the local craft shops. Well, we needed take home gifts for family and friends.

In Camaguey we drove round on an old pale blue motorbike and side car like ‘The Two Fat Ladies’. In museums of the revolution we got in touch with the handsome rebels Fidel and Che, bought the books and the posters but not the T shirts, climbed the scarily steep tower of a beautiful  Spanish church to take panoramic photos then sat and listened to a magnificent organ recital. We drove past vast sugar plantations, one of the main Cuban exports and visited a cocoa farm, ooooh the samples and the jugs of hot chocolate for breakfast at our home stays. We both love cooking and baking so bought huge balls of 100% cocoa to use at home , its rich aroma permeated everything in our rucksacks.

Being in  Santiago on a Saturday afternoon we learned there was a premier league baseball game on  so we flagged down a bicycle rickshaw and pointing to the place on our map the rider took us there,   to a spanking new stadium. Edel stayed with us through the game then took us back to base. There was a big enthusiastic crowd and we had a ball.

Apart from the home stay breakfasts of lots of fresh fruit, omelettes and good coffee Sophie and I found the restaurant food at tourist prices rather monotonous with variations on rice and beans with pork or chicken and salad and chicharritas (sliced deep fried plantain) with everything.   However no complaints as Cuban people mostly live on state handout rations which although not really sufficient provide the basics and are really cheap. We loved the Coppelia ice cream which came at a tourist price to us and much cheaper at a heavily state subsidised cost to locals. You queue accordingly. Fair enough.

So, we now know a lot more about Cuba, its culture, its unique art and its people than we did before and we love it all. We understand something about the history and the revolution, we  joined a long queue to visit the impressive Monumento  Ernesto Che Guevara, learned about  the  missile crisis, the Bay of Pigs, the human rights fiascos and the ongoing US embargos. We passed near Guantanamo but saw nothing.
We knew more about everyday life. Whatever their occupation, and there is low unemployment, everyone earns a similar salary, average 25CUCs or Cuban dollars. Some are supplementing this as private enterprise is creeping in via tourism and this is encouraged by the state. However I felt humbled by the knowledge that the barman mixing our mojitos was a highly educated ex professor of English who had given up his university job to become a barman because it was more lucrative. There are two sides to every coin.

But, George W., please  take another look at Cuba. We saw a safe, non consumerist, happy society.

Hasta La Victoria Siempre

PRACTICALITIES
Sophie and I flew from Manchester to Havana via Paris.
We joined ‘The Best of Cuba’, a small group Intrepid trip. This provided the infrastructure in terms of accommodation, mostly home stays and an hotel in Havana, one internal flight from Havana to Baracoa, and thereafter transport by private bus. This was efficient, easy and comfortable, 12 of us in a modern 36 seater air conditioned coach with a charming, safe helpful driver. Tatiana was our English speaking tour leader; she was knowledgeable, helpful without being intrusive and loads of fun. The Intrepid trip was £1135 which did not include meals apart from a few breakfasts. I have used this company when travelling alone many times and find they offer security and
support, include some optional activities such as group dinners and orientation tours while at the same time there is complete freedom to ‘do your own thing’. We were part of a like minded group, male and female, half singles, Australians, Canadians and an American , a couple of lively Scottish fellas and another mother and daughter from Brazil.

It was all great fun, a fantastic two weeks. Thanks to Cuba and its warm, welcoming, fun loving people.

Sophie and Ann

PS - We tried to list details of where we stayed in the section below, but as we were accommodated in home stays and not hotels, the website does not allow us to add this information.