I have always wanted to visit Cuba, but it seems like such a sad place with the repressive communist regime in power.
Was the visit fun?
We went with a National Geographic tour group, as individual tourist visas are not permitted unless you take a “backdoor” route through Canada, Mexico, Cayman, etc. We got there on the day after Fidel woke up dead and that put a damper on the usual cultural gaity that one associates with Cuba. There were lines miles long for Cubans to pay their respects, not only in Havana, but in outlying areas like Cienfuegos. The Cuban people were friendly and open and were not afraid to express what was bad as well as good about their country. The colonial architecture in downtown Havana is crumbling due to the weather, years of neglect and lack of funds. Buildings that have been restored are very nice, and on the other side of Havana there are buildings of the mafia vintage that are in pretty good shape. There are new hotels in areas of Havana that are as nice as you will see anywhere in the US. All in all it was a good trip, but not a destination I would go back to.