Hurry! Only 1 Hour Left to Save 20% on Your First Month!
Sunrise in Havana is a cinematic affair. The first light of day touches the tops of pastel-hued colonial buildings, bringing to life the vibrant, weather-beaten facades. Through the thin morning fog, the silhouette of El Capitolio, Havana’s grand neoclassical centerpiece, asserts itself against the blushing sky. The rhythmic song of the coquí frog mellows out, replaced by the distant hum of vintage cars starting their engines and the soft whispers of the city waking up. Square-shaped 1950s-era Chevrolets and Fords, still looking dashing even after all these decades, start to rumble down the Malecón, Havana’s famous seaside highway.
Santiago de Cuba, the cradle of the revolution, pulses with infectious rhythms and a raw, electrifying energy. This is the birthplace of son cubano – the intoxicating blend of Spanish guitar strumming and Afro-Cuban percussion that’s become synonymous with the island nation. Wandering the undulating streets, you’re carried by waves of sound, from the keystrokes of a marímbula to the hum of a tres guitar resonating from a corner café. Embrace the bewitching swirl of culturally rich dance (think rumba and salsa), a testament to Cuba’s African and Spanish heritage.
Journeying west from Havana, you arrive in Viñales, a UNESCO-protected landscape cradled amid a sea of mogotes, dramatic karst mountain formations that jut out of the earth like ancient giants. Dotted with timeless tobacco farms and crisscrossed by horse tracks, this verdant valley is the antithesis of the bustling city life in Havana. Here, the languid pace is only ever interrupted by the unhurried clip-clop of a farmer’s oxcart or the rustling of the wind through palm fronds.
Cuba’s coastline is punctuated by sandy white beaches, crowned by Varadero with its uninterrupted 20-kilometer stretch of shoreline. Here, the Atlantic shimmers a mesmerizing shade of turquoise, and coconut palm trees fan out against a sky so blue you could bleed into it. Watersport enthusiasts skim the sea’s surface by catamaran or on water skis. But, for many, the true magic happens underwater where a vibrant reef, teeming with tropical fish and sponges, offers one of the best snorkeling experiences on the island.
Rumba, a dance form that encapsulates the spirit of Cuba, is more than just movement. On Sundays in Havana’s El Callejón de Hamel, Rumba is a communal celebration, a vibrant spectacle of music, dance, and poetry. Observing Cuban Rumba is like stepping into a dizzying, passionate whirl of bodies in motion. Dancers throw themselves into the rhythm, moving with vigour, their bodies translating every beat into kinetic poetry.
Cuban food is a hearty blend of Spanish, African, and Caribbean cuisines. Start with the national dish, Ropa Vieja, shredded beef simmered with vegetables in a fragrant tomato sauce. Pair it with Moros y Cristianos, a comforting mix of black beans and rice. Then, indulge in a plate of Arroz con Pollo, a marriage of rice, saffron, and chicken that reigns as a Cuban family favorite. For dessert, savour a fluffy piece of Tres Leches, the beloved three milk cake that softens the palate after a rich meal.
Cuba weaves a complex narrative of resilience and hope, where people savor the simple joys amidst challenging economic realities. Two things remain constant here – the passion for life and the enduring spirit of the Cubans. The warmth of their smiles amid adversity, their propensity for laughter, music, and dance, exemplify a zest for life that is both inspiring and humbling. In retrospect, Cuba has not just been a journey across cities and landscapes, but an intimate portrait of how joy lives in the everyday, in each beating heart, in every corner of these sun-drenched streets.
A sage piece of advice to anyone traveling in Cuba: imagine you’re stepping back in time to the 1950s. This helps when you find yourself in a bright pink rattletrap ’57 Chevy cruising along the Malecón, one shoulder scrunched up to keep the passenger sun visor from falling on your head. But when these candy-colored dinosaurs cough to a halt, rest assured it’s just another day in Cuba. The driver, ever resourceful, will put years of Cuban grit to work with the help of duct tape and a healthy dose of Havana Club rum – for the Chevy, not himself, hopefully.
Editorial Note: All sections are human-edited for accuracy and tone.
""You need not travel far to discover new worlds""
Continue exploring today’s reflections across our community of creators: