Episode 153 The Travel Show

Cuba is at a turning point.

Last year saw the end of decades of isolation from the USA,

with tourism needing a new spirit of enterprise here.

Some sanctions have been lifted, like commercial flights from the US.

The wheels are in motion, but everyone's wondering exactly

where is Cuba headed right now?

That question is especially poignant after the recent death

of Fidel Castro and election of Donald Trump

to the US Presidency.

If the thawing of relations does continue, the economy here may

benefit but is this country in danger of losing its soul?

Those precious assets that make this place, well, Cuba!

On my first trip here for nearly 20 years,

I'm on a mission to find out!

It may be a small island, 90 miles off the coast of Florida,

but Cuba has a unique story to tell.

Ever since Fidel Castro and his band of revolutionaries

seized control in 1959, the country has followed

its own socialist path.

The USA imposed a trade embargo on Cuba in the early 60s

and Americans here were told to return home immediately.

Classic cars like this were left behind when the rich

American playboys left town after the revolution.

Now, it looks like they're on their way back!

The new US President may threaten to reimpose

recently lifted sanctions...

But right now, driving around Havana in vintage cars is a hit among those

tourists who're already here.

You're restoring this 1958, lovely Bel Air car.

Can I help?

OK, come on!

Sit down.

OK.

Checking the window.

OK.

Turning?

At this moment?

Open.

OK.

Perfect.

Incredible, going inside these old cars!

Beautiful!

All these wires made in the 40s and 50s!

I feel like a master craftsman, even though

all I was doing was this...

Nonetheless.

Julio was a taxi driver five years ago, with his beloved

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air.

Now he's taken advantage of government reforms

and is a partner in a business that restores and hires out classic

vehicles to tourists.

There are now 22 cars in total under their banner.

This is such a rewarding thing to do!

Already cleaner!

Painting it!

Tourists will be important for us, this business particularly.

The business brain behind the company is Julio's wife.

She has already been invited to Washington

by the Vice President in recognition of her entrepreneurial acumen.

She's lucky.

Most Cubans can't travel.

For us, it's very important when we finish the restoration to get money.

For us, it's very important when we finish the restoration to get money.

You get money?

We can't travel.

We live like capitalists.

We work a lot but we live better now.

Only three in Cuba!

In a country where even a brain surgeon can earn only $30 a month,

running a private enterprise like this can be

relatively lucrative.

It was Julio's wife who quickly saw the appeal of vintage

Chevrolets to foreigners.

Beautiful car.

Can we go for a drive?

She wasn't always a fan of these vintage vehicles.

Now she has names for all of them, including her favourite - Lola.

At the beginning I didn't like to drive but now I love to drive.

It's very easy and it's not common to see a woman

driving this kind of car.

What's happening here?

Wi-Fi area in this part.

They are connecting with the internet.

So like a hotspot.

Everyone comes to get online.

Wow.

The internet is the revolution that passed Cuba by.

For most, it's unaffordable and restricted.

Take a stroll around town and you see more evidence

of a gulf in wealth.

Ration shops, poor housing conditions and two

parallel currencies - one for locals and one for tourists.

This market trader tried to explain it.

This is what?

This is convertible peso.

Soon?

When the embargo lifts?

I hope so.

For that explanation I'm going to give you a tip.

Thank you very much, you're kind!

Take care.

On the flipside, there is a strong sense of national pride here,

of pulling through, and many local communities have thriving

cultural scenes.

The Chaleco de Hamel, complete with murals and crazy artworks,

is a shrine to Cuba's African roots.

This is the voice of black Cuba.

Raw, intense, even sometimes angry.

Always emotional and passionate!

This street is the brainchild of local artist Salvador.

He encountered opposition from the authorities

who accused him of promoting dangerous, mythical beliefs.

And then, rather rashly perhaps, the performers let me join in.

From the raw and passionate, to the sublime.

The Cuban National Ballet School, founded in 1962, today

with some 3,000 students, is the biggest of its

kind in its world.

This couple are partners on and off the stage and they feel ballet has

a unique place in the Cuban way of life.

As rising stars, Annette and Danny live in a nice part of town

with their young daughter.

But they say there is no sense of celebrity here...

But people recognise you?

They say "it's Danny"?

And as night falls in the city, old Havana loves to

celebrate its artistic side.

The Gran Teatro de La Habana, a Havana landmark since 1838.

But with the Castro government's belief in arts for all,

it's become a theatre for the people, not

just the privileged.

It's a big charity gala tonight.

The talk of the town.

And choreographed by the living legend of Cuban

ballet, Alicia Alonso.

Danny and Annette get themselves ready.

And so to the centrepiece of tonight's show.

Annette and Danny perform a sequence from the ballet Giselle.

It may look effortless, but this is the result

of years of dedication, and a passion I've already noticed

so many Cubans share.

Head out of Havana and there's an awful lot more to discover

about the Cuban archipelago.

My next destination is Trinidad, the sugar town, halfway along

the coast of the island, some 350km from the capital.

One really cool thing I've noticed about Cuba,

there's hardly any traffic!

We've been driving down some of the main arteries in the island

on the way to Trinidad and I've hardly seen any cars!

This is what perpetuates the notion that Cuba is stuck in a time warp.

A perfectly preserved, Spanish era colonial settlement.

Tourism is Cuba's biggest industry and is currently booming,

fuelled by the rush of new tourists - many from the USA.

Hotel rooms in the capital are heavily booked, which leaves

the traveller on a limited budget with a Cuban option

of casas particulares.

This is basically the AirBNB prototype, people lease out

spare rooms to tourists.

And for many this is a lifeline out of poverty.

But where is the man who actually runs this B!?

Hola! How are you?

Very well!

Welcome!

Hello!

Who is this?

Let me introduce you.

Luno.

My favourite horse!

Turns out Julio has several strings to his bow!

Not just a hotelier, but also a horse whisperer!

You're going to show me how to keep the horse calm?

Fantastic.

Starting to be nervous.

The neck goes up?

Yes.

And of course, the restlessness can reveal itself in other ways.

Nice! Really nice!

You actually talk into the ear?

No!

This is the funny thing, we never whisper!

We establish the cheek, then you see the body language.

I have a solution.

You and me, we lose the hair!

Transplants are expensive but you can do this!

You look like a heavy metal rock star.

Appropriate, as Julio's favourite band is Iron Maiden.

Horse and a cheap hat!

On a more serious note, Julio and his wife,

a trained accountant, are more proof of the

entrepreneurial spirit that is blossoming all

around the island.

He's an ambitious man.

I need...

Freedom to do business.

I am not afraid because I know Cubans are smart enough

and won't lose the Cuban identity.

Some Americans, I work with them, they say soon you'll have

Some Americans, I work with them, they say soon you'll have

McDonald's, Starbucks...

Maybe similar, but in Cuban style.

I like good burgers and good coffee but in our style!

Julio took me on a trip by Trinidad on horse and cart.

On the town?s cobbled streets, it's the most practical way!

You'd like to try?

Sure!

Doing very well!

Common sense is everything!

Common sense is everything!

Soft hands...

And our man of many talents isn't finished yet.

Julio runs photography courses for tourists too.

Interesting location.

What do you like?

This kind of photo is like hunting.

But no rifle, a camera.

Not like this.

Julio actually likens his style to a gunslinger.

The John Wayne technique!

They do this.

Feel the adrenaline. Movement.

This is the way.

Vertical!

Very good!

Julio finds his perfect shot.

The tower is the symbol of Trinidad.

I'll reach that point!

Show me!

One shot is enough!

Wow, bang!

He's on a roll here...

No change to the picture.

The picture comes to you.

You love who?

Iron Maiden!

What's your favourite song?

All of them, but...

Run to the Hills?

How does that go again?

Run to the hiiilllsss!

Just down the coast, 180km south east of Havana,

is Cienaga de Zapata.

This is where you find the historically

significant Bay of Pigs.

The scene of the failed invasion by Cuban opponents

to Castro in 1961, backed by the US government.

Any invasion of these days is from a new rush of tourists

to sample the island's nature.

That potentially itself creates a new problem.

Because until now, Cuba has been protective

of its environment and wildlife.

That includes protecting this fella!

The critically endangered Cuban crocodile.

This breeding farm was created at the behest of Castro in 1962.

There are 4,000 crocs here in total, separated by age and size.

Wow.

Check this out.

Obviously they can't bite now!

Colours and markings, distinctive.

Yes, one of the characteristics.

Cuban.

What makes them different!

Wow!

One movement from me!

When they get bigger, I'll be jumping!

Cross breeding with the thriving American crocodile is the biggest

current threat to the Cuban crocs.

We are prepared.

And this is what makes the Cuban crocodile so unique.

They jump for food!

All of this is to protect the species of the Cuban crocodile.

Yes.

To stop it being overrun by American crocodiles.

Something symbolic here?

I don't know! Maybe!

My time in Cuba is about to end, but sunrise in the morning gives me

one more special glimpse of the island's wildlife.

This is the biggest swampland in the Caribbean.

It's also home to 33 kinds of aquatic birds,

including one of the most glamorous, the pink flamingo.

They come and go as they please.

Now, not all residents of Cuba enjoy that kind of freedom and certainly

not over how their country is run.

Recent changes may now take another twist with the recent US

administration, and the death of the original revolutionary leader

of the flock, Fidel Castro, has been a revolutionary moment.

There's no turning back now for Cuba and the rest of the world will watch

with keen interest to see how this proud island negotiates its journey

into the unknown...

Hello there.

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