In Havana by Fatima Bhutto

Landing at Havana, you’d be forgiven for swooning. In fact, it’s good form to swoon; the place is so preposterously mythic. A breezy tropical island caught between the Caribbean and Latin America, Cuba is a once in a lifetime destination.

Yes, things are changing-Raul Castro, brother of Fidel, or Commandante- as they call him locally- is opening Cuba up after years of diplomatic and political isolation. The hotels are relaxing their strict laws against the fraternizing of locals and guests. Cell phones are not only legal now but de rigueur-most young Cubans carry not one, but two, just in case-and there is a movement in the National Assembly to pass what would ultimately be the America’s-if not the world’s-most radically liberal gay and transsexual rights law.

But they are not changing too fast; blissfully there is no McDonoalds, no Pepsi Billboards featuring semi-naked pop stars, and Blackberrys do not get reception anywhere on this delightfully socialist island. (Most hotels do offer CNN and MTV round the clock though-there are some things one just can’t escape.)

So, pack your bags and head to Havana. Cart yourself to Cuba, and just go. And when you’re there, this list of ten must do adventures will light your way.

Eat ice cream at the Coppelia: If you don’t know any Spanish, you will do just fine in Havana. Cubans, ethnically shaken and stirred, speak English and a smattering of other languages, but learn this word helado. It means ice cream. And you are not going to find better ice cream anywhere other than this state-subsidized heladeria. Justify it by blaming the tropics-it’s hot , helado helps.

Take a Salsa lesson: Cuban music and dance come alive nightly at the Casa de la Musica, a popular nightspot. Locals line up starting from nine in the evening, and shows run three times a night featuring traditional Afro-Caribbean samba, circus acts and acrobatic salsa and meringue troupes. You’ll never feel good enough to join in, not the way these locals move. The Teatro America right next door, where most of the dancers practice daily, offers lessons for the uninitiated. Professor Gray gives lessons for ten Cuban Convertibles a pop. She’s tough and chain smokes throughout the lessons, but you’ll come away a salsa pro.

Follow the Ernest Hemingway trail: Ernest Hemingway drank his way through Cuba, and it would be suicidal to follow his rum run across the island. But most bars and restaurants in Havana Vieja, or old Havana, have a snapshot of Papa Hemingway taped to the wall or his signature on a faded menu. His favourites were La Bodeguita del Medio, where the mojito was invented, and El Floridita where the frozen daiquiri was born. But be warned, the rum, rona in Havana, is not for the faint hearted; it’s lethal. While you’re at it, sign your name on the wall at La Bodeguita –Salvado Allende has.

Stick your tongue out at el imperio: Despite living under brutal sanctions and diplomatic blockades, Cubans are some of the friendliest people in the world. They’re warm and welcoming to the tourists and eager to share their homes and hearts with their guests (pensiones are terribly popular-forget the five star hotel, stay at a Cuban home with a family ten times more hospitable and a flat rate ten times more affordable), Americans included of course. Film director, Michael Moore, who shot scenes from his health care documentary Sicko in Havana, is a local favourite. Everyone, from cobblers on the road to cinema ushers, has a Michael Moore story they’re eager to share; they love him. But it’s the government of Uncle Sam that remains persona non grata among Cubanos. Several years ago, hot on the “success” of regime changes, the US Special Interests Office-it’s not an embassy, but it’s not a mere office either- ran an LCD screen full of anti-Castro, pro Capitalist propaganda outside their building. In response, Fidel built a ‘wall of flags’ outside the office. Cuba flapping wildly in the wind got in the way of the LCD screen. Just to be sure, Fidel built a salsa stadium in front of the wall of flags. The music’s fantastic at the stadium, and the shows are well worth seeing. The Americans remain, however, unamused.

Book a table at La Guarida: Because you won’t be able to eat there otherwise. La Guarida, a paladar, or local Latin kitchen, is housed in a beautiful old building that seems deserted save for the revolutionary art on the walls and some old woman’s laundry hanging from the second floor balcony, but climb to the top of the building you’ll find yourself walking into a tiny, gorgeously decorated restaurant. Made famous by its appearance in the well-acclaimed Cuban film, Fresa y Chocolate, La Guardia serves exceptional Cuban fare. No beans and rice here. La Guardia, a favourite of visiting celebs like Jimmy Careter and Naomi Campbell, whose pictures hang on the walls, serves the most succulent Tuna with Banana Fufu this side of the equator. No one’s quite sure what Banana Fufu is exactly, but it tastes divine.

Get on a bus and hit the road: Havana’s beaches are stunning, but a six hour bus ride later you’ll find yourself in the United Nations Heritage protected town of Trinidad, right on the island’s coast. Trinidad’s roads are cobblestone, the paladars and pensiones warm and cozy, and the beaches are covered with crystalline white sand. Cayo Blanco, the white(est) key, is a quick boat ride away. Discover Cuba in the heartland. It’s a safe country; renting cars is easy, and the public transport’s a breeze-there’s no excuse not to spend a couple of days trekking outside Havana.

Take in a panoramic view of old Havana: the Saratoga Hotel, a luxuriously renovated hotel, is placed smack in the centre of the old city. The rooftop restaurant Mirador offers a 270 degree view of the city, including the white domed Capitolo, or Capitol building, the Teatro Marti-complete with a neon Viva Fidel sign, several of the older piazzas, and the famous Edificio Bacardi. The Saratoga has panorama in spades. While you swoon, have a café frijol- Havana’s espresso-like coffee on ice.

Get revolutionary: Cuba isn’t all Che Guevara T-shirts and anti-Americanism. Havana has a history of resistance and self-determination that’s uniquely Cuban- the Museum of the Revolution, housed in a beautiful French classical building, is the first place to acquaint your-self with Cuban history. Then take the road less travelled and pop yourself into one of the many street museums n Havana Vieja-small spaces focusing on particular battles or revolutionary heroes. Learn more about current political issues, like the case of the Cuban Five-whose names and faces are painted on walls, posters and pamphlets-by checking out w: freeforgive.org, a site with petitions signed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

Puff on a Partagas: Cigars are emblematically Cuban as Fidel and mojitos are. Founded in 1865, the Partagas Cigar Company runs tours through their factory daily. There’s an oaky smelling store full of cigars and crazy cigar accoutrements- the family size cigar ashtray, for example- open to the public too. But the best part? The buxom old woman who hand rolls Cigars while singing folk songs by the bar.

Rent a vintage car: Because ogling them just isn’t enough. The city is crawling with classic Fords, Cadillacs, and Chevys in bright colours with motors spruced up and ready to go. It would be a shame not to.

Hurricane season, the bane of summer months, is over. Havana waits for no one-and with tourism reaching fever pitch over the winter months, you’d be ill advised to put Cuba off any longer. Just remember to leave your BlackBerry at home.

Source:E&Wmag Jan 2009