Many of my friends who travel internationally thought I was crazy to go to Cuba, although they have been to places where robberies and kidnappings of tourists are common. “You know it’s Communist,” was one reply. I wanted to understand the lure of this country, its people, architecture, music, and what made it such a threat to America. And, O.K., I also wanted to travel in a place that was “off limits” by my own government. I found many contradictions that defied my expectations. I chose to stay only a few days in Old Havana at a Casa Particular (private house) to get a feeling of the “real Havana”. The Casa was in north-central Old Havana, near the Malecon, the long seawall that frames Havana’s north harbor. From my location, I made my way to the
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