Since I arrived home from a trip to Cuba, people have been interested to hear what I saw and what I learned about the country.
When asked about the trip, I always smile broadly and then I ask myself, “Where do I begin?”
Cuba is surrounded in mystery and complexities and to try to tell about it in a 15 minute conversation seems trite. Even writing this, I wonder how I can do justice to all I saw and learned.
First, let me say that I loved the country. People were friendly, the architecture was fascinating, the food was delicious and my money went a long way.
I will begin by telling you it was the trip of lifetime. That seems like such a cliché, but it is true. I stepped back in time- a time Castro froze when he seized control in 1959.
I stayed at Hotel Nacional de Cuba in La Habana. The hotel was built in 1930 and is referred to as the Enchanted Castle. It is a picture perfect example of elegance, a tropical dream of marble, granite and brass.
I am a fan of the Twilight Zone (telling my age here) and the elevators had brass dials that moved just like the ones on the show.
My hotel looked over the Malecón, a stretch of coastline along the nort shore of Cuba in the city of Havana. My room was three times the size of a hotel in America and I had views of the ocean from two sides of the room.
At night I would open the windows and let the sea breeze float through my room.
Most of the old buildings still show some of their old style charm, although few are in good enough shape for even the most basic living conditions. (Although, people live in them anyway.) The good news is that there is an enormous reconstruction effort underway, most of which is being financed by Spain under new development initiatives. Here, Cuba has allowed foreign investors to own up to 50 percent of a business or property (the other 50 percent owned by Cuba itself) - a good deal, since tourism is Cuba's biggest industry, with over 2 million visitors a year, mostly from Canada and Europe. Because of the United States' laws against investment in Cuba and with any foreign company that invests there, the largest investors are companies from Spain, who don't do much (or any) trade with the USA.
Cuba’s population is declining. Right now there are 11 million people with 2.4 million living in Havana. Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean.
You can travel from the rock beaches of Havana to the wide sandy beaches of Veradero. Both locations have 5 star hotels.
There are two currency systems in Cuba.
The first is called Peso Convertible, the currency for foreigners and tourists. For the moment, roughly 1 Canadian dollar equals 1 CUC (Peso Convertible).
The second currency system is called Peso Nacional or Peso Cubano and this money system is for the internal Cuban market and use. For example the Cuban wages are paid in Peso Nacional and working people can buy groceries and clothing in certain shops and pay with this lower valuated money. Monthly wages are $10 to $30.
Most people, around 93 percent, work for the government.  One peso convertible (tourist money) equals 24-peso nacional. In the hotels, resorts, restaurants everything is counted in peso convertible. However if you go with a Cuban friend to a museum or an event, the Cuban will pay in peso nacional and the tourist in peso convertible. In fact, the tourist will pay 24 times more than the Cuban but take in account that the average Cuban salary is $16 a month, so for him/her the price is adapted to his/her purchasing power.
But it becomes interesting when Cubans need CUCs to buy anything except the basics.
There is a huge underground economy in Cuba. State-run peso stores have very few goods available and the Cubans have turned to the black market to obtain needed food, clothing and household items.
One day in a cab I learned the driver was a doctor. An engineer was my tour guide in a cigar factory. Cubans have to supplement their income and they need CUCs to spend to buy needed items. They have learned ways to make money mostly from tourists. They have to get CUCs.  One such enterprise is private restaurants in private homes called Paladars. I ate at three for about $25 CUCs each meal.  The food was wonderful. I have never eaten better food anywhere. The portions are large, often too large for me. And each home was different and unique.
I saw very poor neighborhoods with six families living in a space for one.
This overcrowding leads to high divorce rates. Homes have little furniture and no electronic appliances. People sit in their doorways or in the streets. And you can forget even thinking about air conditioning; most people cannot afford basics, much less air conditioning. The average Cuban doesn’t have access to TV, radio or Internet.
The world is small for Cubans, compared to the world we know.
The Cubans are amazing people. They have nothing compared to the material things we have, but they seem happy and make the best of what they have.
Just take a look at the cars from the 1940-50’s. The Cubans fix the cars up and they keep running. As an interesting note, whoever owned the cars in 1959 when Castro took over still own them on paper. Well, not really. Castro owns everything and so there was never any reason to change the ownership of the cars.
Before I left some people asked if I was frightened. I guess the idea is that you cannot be safe in a communist country. I will tell you that I felt safer walking the streets in Cuba than most American cities including some areas of downtown Charleston. Some might say of course that is true when soldiers stand on the street corners with automatic weapons. That is true, but I walked the residential areas where there were no soldiers and I felt perfectly safe. We were told that our government is stupid, just like theirs, but that the people (Americans and Cubans) are not a part of the decision-making. So everything was OK between us!
Right now 40,000 Americans visit Cuba each year, most of them illegally.
Cuba doesn’t stamp the passports of American citizens. Since I was there legally, I asked and they stamped my passport.
I was asked what the best part of the trip was, and I have to say, the 1.5 hour massage on the beach under a Tiki hut was right at the top of my list. It cost me $15 CUCs.
Cubans are very interested in the upcoming US presidential election. Several Cubans told me the best candidate is Barack Obama. Cubans are hopeful that the embargo will end with the next presidential election. If the embargo is lifted it is estimated that 1.5 million US visitors a year will visit Cuba.
Throw in the imports and this could be a huge change for the better for the Cuban people.
We met with government officials including the Advisor to the Minister, the Minister of Imports and the Minister of Foreign Relations. It is clear that Cuba wants to move forward and improve relations with the US.
Right now Cuba has to pay cash through third world countries when doing business with the US. And Cuba can only buy limited food products from the US.
South Carolina does not do business with Cuba.
Government officials reminded us several times that they have never burned an American flag. They seem to wonder why year after year we continue to hurt them? The question was posed, “Who benefits?” and “Is it good to fight with your neighbor?”
I would like to see improvements for the Cuban people. A Cuban said you might define Cuba by: “Give me your watch and I’ll tell you what time it is” or “Tell me what you like most and I’ll teach you have to live without it.”
Sad as this is, this is how the Cuban people live.
When the embargo ends (and it will happen) and American tourists start flooding into Cuba what changes will take place?
I never saw fast food restaurants, large department stores or shopping malls. Eating was a true experience whether you ate at a Paladar or a grill set up on the beach; it was always wonderful. Hotel rooms were nicer than hotel rooms in America.
What happens when the money starts flowing into Cuba? I am afraid that the country will loose much of its charm.
Cuba is a city frozen in time. I am glad that I was blessed to see it before the commercialization changes the landscape.
Would I go back? No question about it; let’s start the paperwork.

Editor’s Note: Moultrie News Publisher Vickey Boyd was among a select group of journalists chosen by the S.C. Press Association to visit Cuba on March 23-29, 2008. The group visited as a work study group and meet with government officials and visited the newspaper office of Juventud Rebelde.

Click here to visit Vickey's photo gallery of Cuba.

Click here to visit Vickey's photo gallery of Ernest Hemingway's Cuban haunts.