Cuba for Romance and Music.
The incurably romantic Caribbean island of Cuba is one of the last
true Communist redoubts of the 21st Century and has captured the
imaginations of artists, poets and musicians for as long as we can
remember.
Cuba is almost always in the news. The legendary revolutionary,
Fidel Castro Ruz, who turned 86 this year, is clearly on a short
countdown until his ultimate term expires. Even with his poor health
and advancing years, the old revolutionary still wields surprising power.
The resilience of the Cuban revolutionary Government has created a
nation that almost stands still in cold war time. With his imminent
passing, and especially since the withdrawal of Soviet aid, Cuba will
inevitably be drawn into the broader world economic community.
Cuba’s attraction as a tourist destination is due in part because of
the world’s curiosity with this stubborn regime. But Cuba, in its own
right, is a vibrant and exciting destination blessed with idyllic beaches
and fascinating early Spanish history dating back to Columbus. More
recent figures like Ernest Hemingway, Desi Arnaz, Celia Cruz and Gloria
Estefan reinforce the romance and passion of the island. Cuba’s rich
musical heritage has reached world popularity with musicians such as
the Buena Vista Social Club and the Afro-Cuban Allstars.
Glenn A Baker, popular music historian and social commentator
says, “There is a constant, inescapable sensuality to the entire Cuban
experience. For all the crumbling decay, the tarnished and faded
glamour, and the shortages and sacrifices of a country whose
economy virtually collapsed when the Soviets cut off the drip-feed
more than a decade ago, there is nothing dormant or moribund about
the place.
“Take Latin vibrancy and pride, wind it up a few notches with classic
Cuban machismo, stir well with history, intrigue and uncertainty,
garnish with a siege mentality, serve warm with Spanish style and you
have the very core of the Caribbean, its only truly essential
destination.”
The best place to relive the Cuban music made famous by the
original Buena Vista Social Club, is Salón 1930 ‘Compay Segundo’ at
the Hotel Nacional.
Fancy a toast to old Ernest? Saunter down to La Bodegita del Medio
in Empedrado Street, in the old Havana district for a mojito made to
Hemingway’s own recipe. How do you know this? It’s written on the
wall in his handwriting.
While it’s still tough for Americans to visit, all that will change
eventually, even though Cuban ports lack the infrastructure to
accommodate cruise vessels of the size Americans like to cruise on.
Instead, small and medium ships from lines such as Fred.Olsen, Hapag
Lloyd, Variety and Voyages of Discovery are among the lines that visit
Cuba from non-US ports. Australians have no such problem visiting
Cuba except when accessing funds, so taking cash is the way to go.
American Express? Forget it.
Most cruise ships will visit Havana, but Variety’s eight-day “Sights and
Sounds of Cuba” will also visit Casilda/Trinidad, Cienfuegos (a World
Heritage site since 1988), Playa Giron, Juventud Island or Cayo Largo
and Bahia de Corrientes, ports that occupy most of the western half
of the island. The romance of this forbidden fruit is further enhanced
with the use of their 49-pax, 3-masted schooner, “Panorama”.
See: www.discovertheworldcruising.com.au >> Cuba.
