Our Cuba Adventure - Part 6

By now we have been in Cuba about three weeks. We know how to navigate the landscapes; we know a few people and we have the freedom to move around the island freely. Our Friend Yash has turned out to be a true gem and without him our experience in Cuba would not have been the same.

Yash is a cautious fellow and having been in Cuba many times for long periods of time he knows the ins and outs of the island. One thing you must remember when you get here is that Cubans are not interested in what you think of their political standing and they do not want to discuss your personal opinion of their socialist regime.

To the naked eye, Cuba appears to be poor and destitute, however the Cuban people live to different standards and we should never try to measure up or compare or even try to understand their way of life and cultural differences. When in Cuba, try to be accepting, nothing you will do or say will change the way they do things.

Sure things look desperate from the tourist point of view but you will never see a homeless person, or have people begging for money. Yes they will try and sell you everything from horse tours to fake cigars but nothing is forceful or unkind.

When we asked a Cuban friend about how he manages to live on $20 per month, "Nadie tiene hambre aqui. Todos tenemos comida", he insisted, smiling. "Nobody is hungry. We all have food."

There is a sense of pride and beautiful self-respect. People dress well and generally carry themselves with utter pride. Each time we walked into a Cuban home we were greeted with warmth and hospitality and generally they were very keen to offer us all they had.

Every highway is littered with propaganda billboards carrying famous quotes and recognisable images of Che, Fidel and other happy famous revolutionaries.

We certainly had a fair amount of Cuban conversations through various interpreters and English-Spanish Google translate, there was a lot we missed out on because we simply couldn't find a way to infiltrate that side of Cuban life.

We loved being challenged by Cuba. It was one of the most challenging adventures we have ever done, and looking at it now it was one of the most interesting places we have ever been to.

Lost amid the rancorous political debate is a miraculous fact: when Cuba's economy ground to a halt in the 1960s, it inadvertently preserved a stunning natural paradise. At the exact moment when modern industry unleashed horrible new forms of pollution across much of the planet, Cuba withdrew into an ecological bubble. Today Cuba boasts, among other natural wonders, the healthiest coral reefs in the Western Hemisphere and the largest protected wetlands in the Caribbean.

So much of what we've learned over our time in Cuba, is mysterious, ingenious, disturbing and inspiring. Cuba is an unusual country, defined by a series of historical accidents. Ever since Columbus visited on his first voyage, Cuba has struggled to adapt to the global forces that seem to hit the island harder than anywhere else. The recent U.S. overtures are just the latest chapter in a centuries-old drama.

As one of our taxi drivers put it, "People in other countries always talk about global crises. Here in Cuba, every day is a crisis. For us, its nothing new."

Cubans are famously resilient, and they'll no doubt survive whatever political storms lie ahead. But environmental damage can last forever. Waves of tourists are now descending on the largest island in the Caribbean, which, against all odds, is also the most ecologically well preserved. Will Cuban tourism be defined by cruise ships and joyrides in classic cars Or will people discover and seek to protect the vast natural beauty that lies beyond Havana

Join us next week as we embark on a thousand kilometre journey, our own "Motorcycle Diaries" to the famous Bay of Pigs, where we will experience some of Cuba's most pristine waters. This trip was inspired by Che Guevara's book of the same title.