Viva Cuba!

Arriving in Havana involves having your senses benevolently accosted by seemingly endless colours, all styles and shades of old 50s cars, music leaking out of every doorway and bar, sincere smiles aimed at you from all sides, pollution cloaking the scene and the less palpable taste of history, of revolution, of Castro's breath and rule hovering in the air.

It's a city of extreme contradictions, of both poverty and decadence, of evocative music and disappointments, (half hidden because the walls have ears,) of light and dark co-existing as old friends. Within hours of arriving, I found myself in love with its spirit and discovered I had 'Havanaitus' which could be incurable and require many return visits!

The people were ridiculously friendly and generous and I made friendships I won't forget. We (my friend Tony and I) stayed with a Cuban family in the heart of old Havana, where, from the balcony we looked out on the museum of the revolution, where Castro gave speeches to the masses and Che was hailed a hero (as Hugo Chavez is now.) Through talking to locals, I really got a sense of how people feel living there. They're amazingly savvy about the situation given their lack of access to internet, or ability to travel. They see the many benefits of a world where in theory equality rules, and health care and education are free, and also the downfalls of having to tow the line and being unable to spread their wings.

Amazingly, I ended up meeting an original member of Buena vista social club at El Nacional, the place which birthed and introduced to the world, their new, vibrant, alive sound. That was a real honour and great fun. He's an 80 something year old cool dude with rhythm, and was as humble as I had expected him to be. I danced and imbibed the essense of the music into the early hours. Add to that the stunning Caribbean beaches and the spectacular countryside of Vinales, and you get a sense of why I fell for that complex, beautiful country. Go!

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