"Politics & salsa dancing" a Havana Travel Page by wendydale

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Mercedes, my Cuban friend with her grandsons

The decision to go to Havana

As an American citizen, deciding to go to Cuba can be a huge decision. First of all, it's illegal, if things like that seem to bother you. (When I went there, I had just come back from a trip to Beirut -- and going to Lebanon had been much scarier because not only was it illegal according the the U.S. government, very few Americans actually went there.) Cuba, on the other hand, is filled with Americans. Keep in mind that I am a woman who would be traveling alone, but I already spoke Spanish and had done quite a bit of traveling in Latin America on my own already. I figured my biggest worry would be not losing my passport. (There is obviously no American Embassy in Havana so without a passport, you're pretty much out of luck.)

Somehow, the moment that seemed to define my entire trip was at a nightclub, ready to drink real Cuban rum for the first time when I suddenly didn't know how to order it. In Central America, I was used to requesting Cuba Libres (rum and Coke), but as I was about to pronounce the words, I hesitated. What sort of political statement would I be making by ordering a "free Cuba"? This was the feeling that pervaded my whole trip. As an American in Cuba, even if you're just there to dance salsa and experience the beaches, somehow, politics enters into everything. But maybe, that's just because I tend to think about these kinds of things.