Cuba

I didnt´really know what to expect of my trip to Cuba. I knew I wanted to go there, but I wasn´t not really sure why? Was is the nostalgia of a revolution? To see one of the last bastions of socialist countries, or was it just all the amazing stories I had heard. I didn´t really know but I somehow really wanted to go.

So back in 2014 I travelled to Cuba with a blank sheet of expectations. And the first thing that struck me was pride. And chunks of it. But not the overwhelming, over the top, egocentrical, western style pride - no, the real, deeply rooted pride in one´s own country and history. And being a port of that still ongoing history. You could see the determination and a sense of collectivness in a lot of Cubans.

My first few days were spent in Havana. And I have to admit, staying in one of the many beautiful casa particulares was special. Situated in a beautiful 1920 style house with a great old balcony, the owner was always as helpful as possible, giving me heaps of infos about Havana and best of all, food options.

Being a tourist myself, I won´t brag about the many other tourists, but as it goes in poorer countries, the begging and other offers didn´t wait for long. At a rate of about 10-15 per day, I had the same conversations over and over again. 2/3 of the time, I had to say a very polite no to a sister, aunty, cousin or other female member at my offer. I got ripped off in bars that I got taken to. Didn´t visit a couple of places because they were "closed". But I did see quite a few other stuff because of "closed" attractions :)

It was part of the experience for me. A part from that, for me, there were only positives: Vibrant with color and smell, there are tons of little streets, buildings, cars and the Malacon. So many corners with opportunities to capture a moment, a look, light and colors. It was like a photography wonderland :)

And or course, there are the people. When I did finally make it out of Havana after 6 fascinating days, I travelled South to Cienfuegos. Here I wandered the streets, but nobody really took notice of me, which was nice and new. After my initial experiences in Havana, where every discussion would lead to some form of begging, in Cienfuegos the people were genuienly interested in what I was doing and where I came from. Most discussions still ended in somebody asking for some form of money, but to quite honest I could understand their stories.

In all of this was so much creativitiy. People would play music in the streets, there were art exhibitions and lots of dominoes. The smaller the city, the slower the tempo of life. My experiences in the different casa particulares were all amazing. You were treated as part of the family. And it wasn´t part of a necessary role they played but genuine friendlyness and pride.

The time I was able to spend in Cuba was fascinating. Too short, but that is normal I guess if you are made to feel right at home in another country.

See you nexttime. Leave a comment, upvote and come back if you liked the post.