A trip to Havana would be incomplete without indulging the liver and the senses. Cuban rum is integral to the palate and it is served generously at every meal. They mix it with everything, and anything, and it pairs nicely with the cigars that have been Cuba’s gift to the world. Even though Cuba imports 80 percent of everything it consumes, tobacco farming is a small but key industry. Like everything else, the spoils must go the state, but there are not a lot of opportunities in Cuba.
We visited some of the local art galleries, took in the fusion “ballet” that was sheer poetry in motion, and partied at the Tropicana Cabaret — a staple attraction from the 1950’s. There is a sensual dimension to the Cuban people, and a creativity that is inconsistent with their socialistic mindset. Maybe we all seek hope and opportunities in novel avenues when the doors of enterprise are firmly shut.
About Hemant Rustogi