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Are you Curious about Cuba?

Posted: 22nd September 2016 09:20

Nobody better personifies the country than Mr. Cuba himself Fidel Castro.  As a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary he managed to oust the US backed President Batista through rebellion turning Cuba into a socialist state by nationalising its industries.  Castro has served as Prime Minister for seventeen years from 1959 before converting his role to “el Presidente” for another thirty-two years until 2008 when he handed the reigns of power to his brother Raul. 

Often found in local markets in Havana are green fatigues, adorned by Fidel symbolising his revolutionary image and by some a sex symbol!  They make for great tourist gifts as do the shirts and pictures found of perhaps someone even more iconic, his comrade in arms Che Guevara.   He too was a revolutionary that found solace in Fidel’s movement.

In an interview given with an Italian journalist he posed for a picture that has become the most famous and symbolic image of resistance to capitalism posing in a staunch manner with his army hat.  It is a favourite among tourists via shirt imprints and other forms of merchandise.  The picture can be visited at the Plaza de la Revolucion, which is a municipality where Che’s picture hangs with the slogan “Hasta la Victoria Siempre” attached to it.

For couples looking to shake their hips and feel red hot on the dance floor, one can’t look past Cuba’s very own style of Latin Music.  Those looking for a more upbeat style will love the live bands that play in the centre of the capital.  Cuban Salsa has a fiery tinge and can be intense as it extremely passionate.  Just as upbeat but without the exhilaration is Latin Jazz and it adds to the swinging nightlife in Havana.  The Hotel Nacional hosts live acts like Omara Portuondo if you fancy an electrifying atmosphere.

But there is a lot more to Havana than a swinging nightlife and monuments dedicated to their revolutionary heroes.  You tourists wanting to sample the local tipple should travel to the Havana Club Rum Factory.  Those well behaved may get freebies!  One could see La Habana Vieja (Old Town) for photo snapping sessions as it’s a World Heritage Site.

Taste the local cuisine at Café Oriente which has splendid mixture of food deriving American, Spanish and Caribbean influences.  And if that’s not enough get yourself down to Santa Maria del Mar a beach endowed with palm trees, white sand and blue sea.

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