I opened up my cases containing camera equipment and film for the Cuban customs official. "Are you organized?" he asked. "Not really" I replied. Not even a faint smile graced his lips but the negative response was enough to curb any suspicion and I was motioned towards the luggage retrieval area. I looked around wondering where I might find my big cardboard box with my bike which would be my main made of transport for the next two months. All things collected and with some money changed to Cuban Convertible Pesos or "Cuc" for short I prepared myself for the inevitable on-slot of Cab drivers and touts a traveler will usually find outside an airport in undeveloped countries. I found it was not as bad as I expected. Waiting out front of the airport were buses or taxis to transfer you to your hotel in Veradero. The first thing you'll notice is that bus and taxi rates are not far off what they are in Canada. Cuba is not a cheap place to travel as most required services for tourists are state run and paid for in Cuc. This effort to separate the "tourist dollars" from local economy seems affective for the most part but as with any place local knowledge and experience will have it's effect on your budget. I took the taxi with my big box and gazed around at the first of my Cuban vistas.

Veradero isn't much more than a strip of land dotted with various all inclusive resort hotels. Though the beach is quite nice you will not find the real Cuba here and I would not recommend it for the adventure seeker though it would be great for a quick fun in the sun catered holiday. Needless to say after a couple of days despite the rain I put my bike together, packed the panniers and headed east out of town. A cyclist should consider route planning with accommodation oddities among others in mind . It takes a little while to get used to the rules in a communist country such as Cuba is now. One the basic ideals is to limit capitalism and state run most businesses. For example there are Cuban hotels and there are tourist hotels. There are Cuban buses and then there are tourist buses. There is Cuban currency and there is tourist currency. The rules apply for the most part but there are exceptions. Cubans and foreigners can hold and spend either currency and Cubans are now welcome to stay in any of the tourist hotels or resorts but they all require payment in Cuc which is about twenty time the value of a Cuban Peso. Most Cubans cannot afford this. In-fact the Socialist system demands that all Cubans are paid in Cuban pesos and most jobs average about fifteen dollars a month with a doctor or other professional making around twenty-five dollars a month and the cleaning lady in your hotel making about seven. With what you might give as a tip in Cuc you can see why anything involving the tourist trade is sought after work and why your taxi driver, barman or concierge will most likely hold an engineering or doctors degree .

Cubans are highly educated as one of the upsides to the system is free education and health care. Some people I met spoke perfect english because they had majored in english in University or taught english though these people were few and far between. The primary language is of-course Spanish. It is technically illegal for the locals to harass tourists they can also be fined for even speaking with you in the streets. This seemed to depend on where I was. It was much more of a concern in Havana for example while any other the small towns people felt free to socialize or walk down the street with me. I was told that Cubans can lose there jobs if they are suspected of speaking about politics with a foreigner. This was usually done in English and behind closed doors and it's no wonder I initially found it difficult to engage in such conversation with people in Spanish in public places.

I had many insights into the Cuban peoples plight as well as their strength to endure hardship. In a country where efforts are made to segregate tourist from locals, biking allows the traveler to get deep into the skin of Cuba. To travel under my own power and take in the experience as close as I could was vital to the overall experience. I was able to meet locals in the country and experience a side of Cuba that is unseen and rarely understood by the majority of visitors whom are sheltered from it's realities by bus glass or gated all inclusive resorts. Many locals would stop me to chat and always seemed happy and offered nods of acceptance when I told them I was from Canada. Canada has always maintained good relations with Cuba despite U.S pressure beginning with trade between the atlantic provinces in the 1800's to current business ventures in nickel mining. Canada and Mexico were the only two countries in the hemisphere to maintain uninterrupted diplomatic relations with Cuba following the Cuban revolution in 1959 and past Prime ministers of Canada such as Pierre Trudeau and Jean Chretien have been friends to Fidel Castro. One day I was pedaling along and a landscape caught my eye so I turned my bike around and contemplated the scene. Just then I man called out to me from beside the road. "Hello, where are you going" ? he asked I told him my destination and we got to talking. He said he made about six dollars a month selling bananas and that his house had been destroyed by a hurricane two years earlier. This Country is continually battered by the storms and a travelers will be reminded of the struggle to rebuild infrastructures like major roads in some areas. You won't see many severely desperate or homeless in Cuba though. One of the things the Castro brand of Communism provides is the basics of survival like enough food to live and basic shelter but there is little motivation to succeed in an environment that discourages financial success and many in-balances exist. People question why they are not allowed have certain foods in there homes like beef and resent the fact that the best cuts of meet go to the resorts to satisfy foreign palettes while they are left with a small ration of food per month. Despite the obvious difficulties faced by the Cuban people they were friendly and patient and proud to share their unique culture with me.

Cuba has a past as colorful and unique as the land and its people. The native peoples were decimated after the island was discovered by columbus then followed many wars and diplomatic acts between Spain, England local peoples and the United States to control what started as huge wealth in sugar production. The iconic Che Guevara battled along side Fidel Castro and his brother Raul for liberation from the Batista military dictatorship in the 1950's. This was of-course the cuban revolution and the Castro administration has been in control ever since with it's communist socialist style of government. An ailing Fidel Castro seems to be bouncing back like a determined prize fighter and has given control to his brother Raul whom is loosening some government regulations on the operation of small business for example which has been closely monitored in the past. The younger population of Cuba is now hungry for technology and anxious to to become a part of the digital age. There seemed to be definite generation gap between the older population whom may still remember what a pre Castro ruthless "Batista" dictatorship was like and a younger generation whom is highly educated and anxious to be apart of an increasingly connected global village. A cellphone was one of the most sought after items but difficult to obtain because of the price. Most Cubans are not allowed to use the internet but are allowed to email. If you are a foreigner you must show your passport and buy multi use cards from government run internet houses.

My bike was a hot topic of conversation. With current trade embargoes and the collapse of the the Soviet Union which was Cubas main trading partner anything not produced in Cuba is difficult to obtain and a good bicycle is a very valuable item. Fidel encourages the use of bicycles and even started to factories to produce them but most bikes are chinese made and of poor quality as are the parts like tires. There is little traffic on the roads which are good for the most part and because drivers are used to seeing bikes everywhere as important modes of transport they are respectful and will usually warn you of their presence when passing by giving a quick honk before they pass you. If you have a good bike but need crucial parts like tires in Cuba your out of luck so bring spare tubes and a good repair kit. Also bring extra clothes to give away since a good pair of shorts or a tee-shirt can cost as much as a months wages for some Cubans. Items we take for granted every day like toothpaste and soap for example are unattainable for most. In a country with so much seemingly fertile land and year round growing season it's hard to understand why more than half of Cubas food is imported. The country seems to lack the infrastructure necessary to produce and distribute it's own potential. I saw a few produce gardens that were state run and some food venders on the streets and produce stands but they were small and nothing seemed to exist on a larger scale other than the sugar cane fields and banana plantations. Tourism has past sugar export as Cubas main source of foreign exchange.

One of my interests in visiting Cuba was it's music. I've played percussion for a many years and Cuba is the Mecca for any serious player. Cubas african rooted and caribbean flavored music along with all kinds of jazz and modern styles one of highlights of any trip to Cuba. In every city and large town there is a "Casa de Musica" and or a "casa de Cultrura" where you can find locals playing and dances to the infectious rhythms of Cuba. I'd hoped to find an instructor and study for a while and eventually found the spot. As the old saying goes when the student is ready the teacher will appear and he did in a small city Called Baracoa. Jose Carlos had been living there his whole life and and I was fortunate to spend a week learning some new rhythms and breaking some bad habits. Baracoa could sum up what is Cuba in itself . It had a special easiness and charm about it. The city had only been connected by road to the rest of Cuba in the 5o years of so and is Cubas first colonial settlement. In-fact Columbus landed only a 1oo km north of there and this was the land that prompted him to claim that it was " the fairest island human eyes have beheld... it is certain that where there is such marvelous scenery, there must be much more from which profit can be made ". It is indeed picturesque as the seaside mountains dotted with Cubas national tree, the royal palm jut out from the winding coastline along with green jungle in the hills and white sandy beaches. The region has many natural wonders like the worlds smallest tree frog and colorful polymita picta tree snail. Combine all that with the colonial architecture rich culture and warm hospitality of the locals and you've got a fascinating place that Baracoans are rightfully very proud of. Baracoa will celebrate it's 500th birthday this coming August, A significant milestone along a historical road not unlike it's transportation routes. Smooth blacktop gives way to relentless potholes and muddy stretches then back again to winding and wonderful. Change or Revolution in other words has molded the small island over the years and is now on the cusp of another shift. Though necessary for the benefit of the Cuban people and growth of the country the inevitable move into the modern age will have some cultural and social drawbacks just as the current system of government has created some positive and unique spinoffs. You will see next to no advertising in Cuba apart from the viva Fidel and revolution praises which are written on billboards and various signs around the country but I truly doubt that the locals are placing these in-front of their houses or on the outskirts of towns. Cuba is now on the cusp of a new Revolution. Lets hope it's a change for the better.

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