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Santiago de Cuba also known as the hero city among Cubans because of its important role in the revolution. The eastern regions of Cuba played a vital role in gaining Cuba's independence and overthrowing the Bautista presidency. While we were in Santiago we enjoyed a few mojitos on the balcony of a hotel over looking the sight of Fidel's first speech of the new republic at Parque Cespedes. The 26th of July 1953 was an important date to the revolution and one of the sights which the revolutionary army sought to take over was the army barracks, Moncada, although they failed at this sight many other locations suceeded. But what they did manage to do was to drum up support from the public as within days of the failure the Bautista government had brutally tortured and killed over 55 of the revolutionaries. The barracks still stands today and although Bautista had the bullet holes in the outer walls filled in after the event, Fidel had them excavated again once he was in power!
The town was abuzz with music wherever we turned, and the best place to enjoy the best of Cuban music is definitely La Casa de Trova with brilliant trova, son and salsa acts all day long and late into the night. We watched in awe at the locals dancing salsa and cha cha as though they were born dancing. We did try it ourselves but I'm afraid we don't have anything like their flair!
In chatting to some locals we learnt a bit more about life for the people of Cuba whereby everything is priced in the tourist currency meaning that clothes, food and transport are often well out of reach of the little people. It seems that with the opening of Cuba's doors to tourists the idea of equality among all Cuba's people has disappeared as those who run taxis, paladares (restaurants in their homes) and casa particulars and therefore earning tourist currency have effectively become the upper classes. Even outside those shops which locals can purchase from the queues to get into the shops snake down the road with only a few people allowed in at any time and most of the shops which have any stock are again priced in tourist currency. With locals earning the equivalent of $10 on average a week its hard to see how they survive given that this would only just buy us one meal!
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