Cuba: The embargo worked
I am by no means a travel expert, but if I had one piece of advice. It’s travel now where things are changing the fastest.
Hong Kong, London, Costa Rica, Mexico… they’ll always be there.
The Great Barrier Reef, an undeveloped Machu Picchu, a Cuba stuck in time… those are experiences with a vintage date.
Thus Havana, once the Rome of the Caribbean, which has been left for the Canadians and Russians, has always been at the top of my list. When Trump won, I booked. Silly me for waiting.
Cuba is fascinating, as a history major, it’s a complex and woven history with threads from many great powers. As an American, I wanted to hear their side of the story and understand how this little island was such a big threat. Long story short, it only takes one man with one finger on one nuclear bomb to be a threat worth facing. Sadly something we see playing out today with North Korea.
Like most conflicts, the people suffer while the leaders carve their place in the history books. Fidel, educated, passionate, and ultimately paralyzed by fear, was a different leader than campaigner.
Now to today. Fact, the embargo worked. Buildings are collapsing on the reg. Next, oil prices are low, so Russia and now Venezuela can’t help. So Uncle Sam and democracy are the Cuban people’s only hope.
Hope comes in the form of tourism. Hard cash. And with a tourism triple threat of great beaches, rum and cigars, it’s worth a trip.
Go before Home Depot and Marriot make it Miami-lite. Havana alone will do. Simply put people-to-people exchange and talk to a Cuban and bring back cigars, your friends will judge if you don’t.
And last, go to El Cocinero Restaurant followed by the Fabrica de Arte Cubano for a great night.