CUBA STOLE MY HEART

On one hand the country has and is run by powerful leaders, with lots of restrictions that takes away the Cuban peoples autonomy. But, on the other hand, it is a country with beautiful views and landscapes, both man made and natural.

Cuba is one of those incredible countries that has a mix of strong and vibrant cultures, beautiful cities and stunning beaches. It’s the perfect place for a getaway. My family and I have been visiting Cuba once a year for the past 9 years. Each year, when our holiday comes to an end, we don’t want to leave. You can stay with local families, wander through tobacco plantations, explore cities lost in time, dive & snorkel some of the world’s most unexplored reefs and of course, relax on the bleach-white Caribbean sand.

Cuba is mostly associated with Havana, the colonial buildings, iconic places and the vintage American cars. 
If it’s your first, second or umpteenth time to Havana, you’re bound to find something new and exciting upon your arrival in to the city. After all, the city is a totally vibrant place with new and old places opening their doors every week.

In Havana I had the opportunity to spend nights in multiple beautiful areas and places. For example, hotel Nacional de Cuba. This is the most incredible hotel I’ve had the opportunity to spend the night in. Not only does the hotel convey luxury it also conveys a strong sense of history. I've also spent the night in locals homes such as the fourth floor flat in a block where the lift doors opened into the middle of the home. As well as multiple hostels scattered around Havana.

Habana Vieja – Old Havana. 
The architecture of the old town is based on colonialism.
Cigar factory
Your visit to Cuba isn’t complete without visiting a cigar factory. The most known cigar factory is near the Capitol. There you can see the process of hand making cigars. 
Ernest Hemingway museum
One of the most known American journalists and novelists spent over 20 years of his life in Cuba. There he wrote ‘The Old Man and the Sea’.

The Malecon is Havana’s impressive 8km-long city wall and esplanade that runs the full length of the city. On one side you have a view of the ocean and on the other, the beautiful city. To this day it is still a very well known meeting place for tourists as well as locals.
Plaza de la Revolución is home to a number of recognised landmarks including the Capital Building and the José Martí Memorial. It was built in 1920, after the revolution it was where Fidel Castro made his speeches. 
 Old Havana is something particularly brilliant, especially the nightly walks.

There is such a wide range of things to do in Cuba. No matter how much I prepared myself before visiting Cuba, this incredible country took me by surprise. Each visit was filled with new adventures.

Once, at 10pm we drove to the Capitol in a vintage open roofed ford ( building El Capitolio started in 1926, when Cuba was under the strong influence of the US. The building is the same as the Capitol in Washington. )

A guard from the museum approached us and asked if we had cameras with flash. In a confused tone I asked him why he was asking us this question. His response was that is we paid him $1 each then he would give us a tour of the closed, unlit museum. We obviously took this opportunity. What’s funny is that there were so many people like us. Taking the same opportunity.

On one of my visits to Havana I decided to visit another part of Cuba, Holguin. I had brought myself a plane ticket, which seems like a fairly easy job. However, the experience was far from it. After arriving at the airport, I stood in a line to check-in. I was in this queue for about 6 hours as the computer system had failed and the workers had to write everything by hand. Once I passed security, I heard an announcement. The flight was delayed. Then another announcement was made a couple hours later. The flight was cancelled. All these announcements were made in Spanish. You can imagine the stress I was going through. But luckily I met a friendly Cuban man who was able to translate the announcements into English. I was slightly confused as those around me began smiling and cheering. What had happened? A final announcement was made. We were going to a hotel which was 100km away from Havana. In the coach I felt as if I was going on a scouts trip as everyone was filled with happiness and joy. When we arrived at the hotel we were asked to separate ourselves into groups of 5. Women separate and men separate. Upon hearing this, I thought they were joking that I’d have to stay in a room with 5 strangers. In the reception area there were a couple of sofas. I thought the best idea was for me to spend the night on one of these sofas. Unfortunately, a group of 4 men realised they needed 1 more person so I had to go with them. The hotel was so badly lit that it was very difficult for us to find our room. It turned out that each group had a building to themselves. One person per room. There remained only a couple hours until we needed to wake up again. I covered myself from head to toe in the covers to try an avoid the mosquitos that wanted to eat me alive. I was uninformed and confused. I had no idea where and when we were meeting the coach. At the airport it turned out that there were two planes that were flying out to Holguin. Surprisingly I made it onto the correct one. This was still during the times where smoking on the plane was normal. This story is shortened. But all in all, a flight that was meant to take 1 hour turned into a 2 day adventure. 

On another trip to Havana my friends and I came across another adventure. Our Cuban friend had organised a trip from Cayo Coco to Havana and back again. From the very beginning we felt that there was something wrong with the car but our Cuban friend kept saying that everything is okay. As we were leaving Havana the car decided to turn off on an intersection. We all had to get out and push the car through the busy roads. After 3 hours of travelling on the road the car began making weird noises and lots of black smoke. Once again our Cuban friend was saying that everything was okay. Surprisingly we managed to get the car to a service stop. The car had completely broken down. We could no longer start it up. We had to wait 8 hours at the service station for an alternative car. During this time we witnessed a power cut which turned off all the lights for 5 minutes. It was a very bizarre feeling. Finally, a van arrived to pick us up. It had been modified into a normal car but with household appliances. After a very long time we had arrived back to Cayo Coco. A couple of bottles of Havana Club had saved our lives as we became very chilled about the situation we were in. 
 
Each time I visit Cuba there’s always a new and funny experience waiting for me. 

In 2011, my family and I visited Havana for the first time. We were strolling along the beautiful streets of Havana when I noticed a sign saying “NCA DOJO”. I was very curious so I decided to ring the doorbell. A women opened the gate. She told us that there is a karate club here and if I wanted more information then I would have to return a couple hours later. Returning back to my hotel I was very excited by the opportunity to return to the dojo. I took my kimono with me and returned to the dojo a couple hours later. This time an older man opened the door in a kimono and asked me to come inside. I was welcomed into their home/dojo and participated in both beginners and advanced lessons for a couple of days. It was an unforgettable experience for me to train in the heart of Havana in 35c weather. There were no windows, only shutters, so I could hear all the noises from the street: the cars, people talking, children playing. The dedication of the students was eye opening. They all trained to the best of their ability, no excuses. The sensei’s dedication to karate was also strong. His knowledge was second to none. The atmosphere in the dojo was unimaginable. I began to understand what karate meant to these students. One of the things that I will never forget is the warm up of the advanced group. Everyone had to warm up alone. I personally started running and intensively completing certain movements. Everyone else was warming up statically. After my warm up I began having problems with my breathing due to the humidity and heat. The other students were waiting patiently for the lesson to begin. Whether I’m teaching a lesson or actively participating in a lesson it was easy for me share my knowledge as these students were open to learning more about karate. I’ve trained in different fields of martial arts in multiple parts of the globe. However, I’ve never been met with such dedication, respect and a positive attitude towards training. Whilst training with them I felt as if I was part of the family. When visiting Havana for the past 10 years I’ve tried to bring my closest friends with me to so that they can also witness what I have experienced in that dojo. I can happily say I have achieved this.

Sensei Pedro Damaso Falcon Lopez founded the NCA Dojo in Havana in 1989. He is someone very important in my world of karate. I have learnt a lot from him. He has made me feel a part of his family, with whom I’d like to spend more time with. I have a famous quote by Gichin Funakoshi that only begins to define his approach “The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory nor defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants…”