Cuba has been the place I wanted to see most in the world all my life. I enlarged and enlarged, I exalted and glorified, it was almost a utopia for me.. It was as if the writers I started to read in high school, Sartre, Nazım Hikmet, Hemingway and many others, were inviting me to Cuba like my friends who invited me to play on the street when I was little.. Then the day came, I was 23 years old and as a result of the decision process that developed at a speed that even I did not understand, I found myself in a long Cuban adventure.. Of course, the first question that will arise in the minds now is “Did it turn out as you expected?” will be. It’s already engraved in my head as the best place I’ve been to in my life, let alone not disappointing me, with so much expectation in my head.. So much so that in this period when we are on the verge of going crazy as a country, it can even be said that recycling from Cuba has created a nightmare effect.. I still live in Cuba in my dreams and my dreams while lounging on the streets of Istanbul.

Cuba is difficult to describe and to understand without visiting. There is little useful information on the Internet, a lot of talk.. It is not easy to find the one who swayed towards communism, the one who made up that people are unhappy and hungry, in short, the one who has no idea about the subject.. (I didn’t do the rhyme on purpose) So I have to say in advance that the event will proceed like a small series. Because I want to write what I know, shout out to the whole world if I can.. I will also try to share the information I got from people I met while I was there.. Because we know very little about Cuba, and I think everyone deserves to know more about the beautiful country of happy people.

On What I’ve Heard From Locals and The System

Cuba’ I thought it was essential to add such a small chapter before I got into the sightseeing issue of. What I learned there, I not only engraved it in my mind, but also took notes, and I thought it would be more fluent to explain it in the form of items by adding my personal absurd experiences to the subject.. Here you go;

• The most common fact we know about Cuba is that they are “Communist”. While many people make the mistake of perceiving communism as an oppressive and restricted regime, things are not quite as you think in Cuba.. Although it may sound like an exaggeration, there is a fact that I will definitely stand behind; The people I saw, knew and spent time with in Cuba were the happiest people I’ve ever seen in my life.

• The idea that people are poor/hungry/desperate is a true misconception.. Rest assured, in all other countries this problem is much more advanced.. Because there really is an incredible equality here.. To summarize:

• While we’re talking about it, let me just mention it.. They also have an incredible love for Che, Raul and Camilo.. It is possible to see something about Che at every point, especially in the Santa Clara region.. Although Camilo is not known in our country, he is one of the leading leaders of the Cuban Revolution and the other person in the revolution square, which you can recognize from Che’s huge silhouette Camilo Cienfuegos. Unfortunately, with the curse of age 27, he dies as a result of the crash of the plane he used and cannot be traced.. Before his death, he supported and invested so much in many issues from oil extraction to raising education rates in Cuba that he is loved like crazy by the Cuban people.. When you wake up in the morning and turn on the TV, you start watching images of Fidel and Chavez hugging each other and walking here and there together.
• Fidel’s brother Raul Castro is at the head of the country at the time.. Just like Fidel, Raul is one of the leaders of the revolution, a leader known as “Comandante”.. He is said to be less domineering and softer than Fidel.. Cubans were banned from traveling abroad unless for work-related reasons, until Raul Castro became head of state.. However, with the arrival of Raul, this ban was lifted.. But Tony and other Cubans complain that the countries they want to go to do not give them visas, even though they are given such a chance by their country.. For this reason, Turkey is very popular in Cuba.. Because I have met many Cubans who say they come and live here because they have no trouble getting visas from us.. There was even a musician who said, “Oh, say hi to Doctor Özgür when you go to Bodrum.”. Almost all the houses I’ve seen had televisions.. The mobile phone, on the other hand, could be seen in many people, even if not in everyone.. There is no internet anywhere in the country except for the capital Havana.. In Havana, the only place where I could find internet personally was the hotel I stayed.. His half hour was like 5 CUC, so $5.. By September 2014, people are scheduled to have their own email, but not yet finalized.. They aim to improve the prevalence of the Internet over time. Havana has an incredible influx of tourists. Because everyone is chasing to see “Fidel’s Cuba”. Tony Morfa, a Cuban guide I met there and learned a lot from, says that all tourists come to see Fidel’s Cuba, and that’s why there has been a boom in tourism.. Tourism is an incredible source of income for Cuba.
• The most important cities of the country can be considered Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Trinidad, Santa Clara and Cienfuegos. Although I personally dislike Varadero, she can be included in the list for her contribution to tourism.
• Contrary to many Cubans, Tony, who is a guide there, had a chance to visit the Czech Republic, France, and had the chance to go to a few more countries. “Would you like to live there?” When I asked him, his answer to me was: “We love our country very much.. we are very happy here. We only have difficulties in times when we have economic problems.. However, this problem can be experienced in any country in the world.. I have no desire to leave my country.”
  
• The old American cars you see in movies, documentaries, on the internet, of course, are really that common. Moreover, it is not the kind that requires you to say, “Oh, should we get on one of these colored ones today, Ertuuu”. They are everywhere, the taxis you take, the cars used by the public are always old American cars.. Of course there are new cars, but I don’t think you’ll want to drive them while you’re there.. The only problem with old American cars is that they can let you down once in a while, which I think is definitely worth the risk.. And don’t worry, even though I use it many times a day, such a situation has never happened to me even once.. (I take no responsibility though, so don’t curse me there later.)
• 95% of houses and buildings in Cuba have no glass. They use blinds or iron. In any case, the doors of all houses are open, as the cases of theft are very few, especially when compared to other Latin American countries.. As you pass by, you see inside all of them, you feel as if you are included in their lives, albeit momentarily.. Even if you go in and say “let’s drink cold buttermilk”, they won’t refuse anyway.. You can attempt such. It would be better if you want sugarcane juice instead of buttermilk.

• Houses in Cuba are quite small.. There is no excess of anything in the country anyway.. Everything as it should be, as it should be. There are very few things in the house. Another interesting part of the job is that everyone lives in a family.. For example, you are the child of a Cuban family.. You live at home as a mother, father, siblings, grandmother, grandfather.. If you get married, your spouse will come with you.. You become an even bigger family. You have the right to live in a separate house when you get married, but people often have to live together as it is more convenient financially to live together. Alternative solutions for such situations are to rise above their houses.. As you can see, it is our pen.
• While we are talking about marriage, let me tell you about an interesting state initiative and its conclusion process that I learned from a native.. In Cuba, people don’t have a chance to stay in a hotel unless it’s related to work.. Because they do not have a budget to allocate financially.. For this reason, our brother Fidel says “don’t stop, just keep going” and throws an idea for the newlyweds.. Newlyweds have the opportunity to stay at the hotel for 2 days, and have access to soft drinks + one cake in their room.. Think of it like a honeymoon package favor from the government. However, this system was abolished when some good Cubans took advantage of this job and started to get married and divorced many times in order to receive the same service several times.
• The country’s national sport is baseball. You can also see children playing football in the Real Madrid/Barcelona jerseys on the streets, or a man who has his entire leg covered with a Ronaldo tattoo.. But still baseball is in the majority. It is possible to see children playing baseball in the fields and squares reserved for this purpose.
• Two of Cuba’s most important resources are sugar cane and tobacco.. I will talk about how to eat sugarcane and the issue of cigars in detail in the next post.
• Although I cannot give the numerical value of the literacy rate in the country as of today, I know that they are at an incredibly good point in this regard.. The country attaches great importance to education and arts.. Compulsory education 12 years. Thousands of children learn salsa from a very young age and are encouraged to engage in the arts.
• Cubans are incredibly friendly people.. Yes, they are as friendly as you can make this generalization.. They can come and sit next to you on the street, send kisses if they like you, and make you dance when you go out at night.. If you see eye to eye on the street they say good day / good evening. Don’t get ready like us, don’t be silly. You are in Cuba, get up, learn some salsa, dance. When they ask where they are from and get the answer to Turkey, they usually say three things: Atatürk, Istanbul, Bodrum.
• I can’t help but add that Cuban people are terrific flirtatious.. But they do it in a cute way. So instead of feeling uncomfortable, you start to find the situation cute.. Still, there may be a situation of depression towards the last days.

• Cuba There is no way you can spend a day without music in. You will shake that butt, you will keep the rhythm with that foot, friend. Accompanying the sounds of Guantanamera, Comandante Che Guevera and Chan Chan rising from every street, you will make up your own words.. While walking in the side streets, you will mingle with Cubans dancing with the sound of music overflowing from the houses to the street, you will think “I deserve to be this happy too”, and you will dream of “Oh, if I had stayed a little longer”.
• In the previous article. I lost myself, I’m moving to the informational side of the job. Music has a really important place in the country.. They acknowledge Beny More as the country’s most important artist. Of course, Buena Vista Social Club is also of great importance.. While I was there, I had the opportunity to meet them on a small scale and even climb their stage and dance as a result of their requests.. Climb and dance too. But if you are a woman. Yes.
• Musicians playing at the venues you go to start raising money after their song is finished.. This is important to them, so feel free to give 1-2 CUC. You will also find that 90% sell CDs. These will be the type of CDs we refer to here as “pirate”.. At first, one thinks whether it is lousy or not, but this is because they are making their own recordings and the possibilities allow so much.. I bought 3-4 of them and now I am listening to one of them while writing this article.. pretty cool. I think it’s worth buying.
• If you want to watch something about Cuba, I can suggest something like this, based on the information I got from the local;