Travelling has never been so popular as what it is today and every year more and more people book their holidays to go to some far away destination. Some of the most popular holiday destinations are America, Australia, France, Spain and Russia. London is also a favourite holiday destination that attracts thousands of tourists each year from all over the world. Over the last few years Cuba, which was once the holiday playground for wealthy Americans, has also seen a big increase in tourists. Cuba became a communist state when Fidel Castro became prime minister in 1959 and for fifty years or so no new infrastructure took place. Thousands of Cubans left for the United States and food shortages left people with very little to eat. When he became ill in 2006 his brother Raul Castro came to power and started to change things back again. In February 2008 he was elected the new President and since then major changes have taken place. New housing and hotels are being built and Cuba now imports most of its food.
Most tourists when visiting Cuba will want to see Havana, which is the capital of Cuba. This was where the rap scene began in the 1990′s leading on to the emergence of reggaeton which is still the most popular form of music amongst the young people in Cuba. Cuban food is a mixture of Spanish and Caribbean spices and by using a gas barbeque (gasgrill) the Cuban tradition of using spices for flavouring a meal is made easier. A traditional Cuban meal is usually served at the same time rather than in different courses. A typical meal might be Cuban bread, pork and black beans, rice and tropical fruits. Many dishes will be cooked slowly using Garlic, oregano and bay leaves to add flavour. Cuba is a well known for its love of sport with baseball being the most popular. Other popular sports include cricket, basketball, volleyball and athletics, enhanced only by a lava stone gas barbeque (Lavastein Gasgrill). Cuban’s population is made up from many immigrants such as Spanish, Italian and African descent and holidaying in Cuba will leave tourists with some wonderful and long lasting memories.