¡Viva Cuba! (10th to 27th March)

Cuba is a country that I've always wanted to visit... legendary, different, and importantly, relatively easy to get to in South America. We were also looking for something different in our itinerary, to probably the last county in the world that clings on to ideals of socialism and “the new man” as invented by Che. Socialism is still very much the system here, there is now free market like in Vietnam, and the state controls all aspects of trade and business. With the exception of possibly North Korea, it's likely the last example of a just about functioning command economy in the world.

Cuba is very different. Not just the country, but in how we, as foreigners, are allowed to visit it and partake in the culture. As a tourist, it can be very difficult to scratch beneath the surface and see what the real Cuba and Cubans are like. Tourism, like all business and trade, is controlled by the government. It's of course possible to visit independently, but in Cuba you are always the tourist. You pay in Cuban “Convertible Pesos” and rarely in the local currency. There are few places outside of tourism facilities where it is actually possible to spend money: shops don't really exist (except in the tourist zones), there is no advertising (in fact, there's very few billboards or party slogans around the place Vietnam style). People have ration cards for basic foods and necessities, though there is a small free market here and there, though very small and limited. It's a command economy where free trade is allowed only in a few very tightly controlled areas – casa paticulares (renting rooms in private houses, similar to B&Bs, where we're staying), a very few food outlets (even the very few eateries that exist outside of the tourist restaurant are government owned) and the occasional farmer's market.

This is the land of the all-inclusive resort, where independent travel is tolerated but not exactly officially encouraged as this (apart from the transport) almost exclusively uses and thus encourages the rather anti-socialist free market. Now, if I had PhD funding, this would make a fabulous study!

I imagine life in Cuba to be similar to what it used to be like in the old Soviet sphere countries in many ways. Everyone is employed, but not overly busy or particularly efficient. Dealing with bureaucracy (which is surprisingly common here) can be a bizarre process. To buy a bus ticket, for example, means a long journey to the bus station, queing at one window to first enquire and make a reservation, then joining another queue to actually buy your ticket, then joining another queue to confirm your travel date and seat... and if you want to change your date like we did in Vinales... “sorry, can't do that here, it has to be done in Havana”, and the ensuing hours of phone calls to Havana to actually make the people in Vinales change the ticket...

Staying in the casa particulares is probably the best way to see Cuba. The casas are only allowed to have a maximum of two rooms (most have just one), and are more akin to homestays than B&Bs, and also provide far better home cooked food than is available from the state restaurants. The food is fabulously fresh, and almost always is from a family member's veggie garden (everyone grows their own organic veggies – infact, just about all the food produced in Cuba is organic). The chicken would likely have just been sacrifices or the fish acquired locally too... including the lobster that was liberated from the state (the government owns all lobsters as they are reserved for hard currency exports).

Taking local transport is difficult as there's pretty much a crisis in transport here. There really isn't enough transport for everyone, and under every roadside bridge is a gaggle of hitchers waiting for a lift, or to squeeze onto a truck- there certainly aren't any free spaces, so joining as a tourist isn't really a viable option. Tourists are expected to travel in the government appointed Viazul service (most tourists will take excursions on chartered tourist buses).

Cuban culture – the music and dance we all know Cuba is famous for, almost always seems exclusively in the domain of the tourism industry. Walk in any of the towns we've visited, the tourist restaurants, cafés and bars have the bands playing lively Buena Vista Social Club music and dance. Walk anywhere outside of these places, into the towns and cities at large, there's very little music to be heard at any time of day. There are few bars as such, hole in the wall places where you can buy a drink and talk. If there is music, it's likely to be Cuban style hip-hop and rap. It's hard to say exactly, but there is a sadness that is behind people's smiles and friendliness, and the legendary culture, sadly seems like a creation for the tourists.