Why Cuba?

What does "Cuba" mean? For me (and likely most other people), it's a long list (not in any particular order) that includes Buena Vista Social Club, music, Spanish, old American cars, Communism, Che Guevera, Fidel Castro, black people, Caribbean, hurricane, poverty, economic difficulties, colorful culture, cigar, rum ... and it can get even longer. All of these are reasons for me to want to visit Cuba.

Preparation was basic. Reading Wikipedia articles, checking Cuba travel sites, skimming through scholarly works borrowed from the library, and yes, listening to Cuban music. Oh, not to forget photos on Flickr and videos on YouTube and Google Video.

The most difficult part was to gain a basic understanding of the complicated and long history of Cuba - from a Spanish colony to an independent republic under American control to a socialist (communist) state. It was indeed a very special journey for the Cuban people.

Cuban culture is necessarily mixed and colorful because of its history. I wanted to experience this rich culture and had a taste of what the Cuban identity is all about. And that's why we were not going to a resort such as Varadero.

The destination was Havana, and we intended to see as much of this great city as we could within 7 days.

Map of Cuba - click map to enlarge
(Source: http://geology.com/world/cuba-satellite-image.shtml)