Introducing Cuba
Dogs sleep on the motorway as a Russian Lada roars past, brightly painted in the incongruous colors of the tropics. Behind it a 1954 Cadillac belches black from its impossibly large and beautifully contoured frame. The two Cold War classics coexist here so naturally that it’s curious to imagine that this is the motoring equivalent of seeing a penguin and a polar bear on the same ice floe. After a century split evenly between US and Russian influence, Cuba is slowly rousing itself as the Cuban Revolution moves on to its next stage.
With Fidel having shuffled off stage left, Cuba’s boundless energy threatens to burst at any moment. Yet, until it does, 1950s Americana overlaid with a generous layer of 1970s Sovietica lives on in a glorious and unique time warp. Whatever your opinion of this most divisive of nations, there’s never been a better time to visit.
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Morning mist over Vinales Valley.
- Alfredo Maiquez
- Lonely Planet photographer
