Some travel destinations are more urgent must-sees than others. How so?
Well, for one reason or another, many places are changing so quickly, or are so subject to sudden change, that they will be entirely different, or perhaps even inaccessible, if you wait too long.
A few weeks ago, a colleague went to Cuba. I was envious, because Cuba is on my bucket list and I know, as he knew, that since the American decision to drop sanctions on Havana, it’s only a matter of time before that destination will lose a lot of its unique identity.
Ideally, I’d like to get to Havana before the first McDonald’s or Starbucks, but since they are multinational corporations with more money than I can imagine, it’s not looking good.
I hope that the lot of the average Cuban will get better, although I am mindful that capitalism, like communism, doesn’t work for everybody.
It’s also a reminder of why we travel: to see destinations through the eyes of the people who live there. If they welcome the American dollar, then we should too on their behalf.
The video above is Los Paraguayos performing what is almost certainly the most famous Cuban song, Guantanamera.
