As you probably can imagine after reading my previous post, I am currently in full preparation for my Cuba trip.


Photo: “Guerrillero Heroico” by Alberto Korda

The can-not-live-without Cuba Lonely Planet Guide book is bought. I actually have had this for a while in order to detail plan my travel plans while in the country. It is amazing how much (practical) information these guide books contain. I have had these guide books with me on almost all my travels and this collection takes quite some space on the bookshelf by now.

My tourist visa was arranged last week, which went very quick as I could wait for it while at the Cuban consulate here in Stockholm. Usually I have to wait a few days when I apply for a visa as I have a Dutch passport, but apply with the consulates in Sweden.

In the last month I have tried to brush up my Spanish skills by following a Rosetta Stone course. It is fun to do, but I doubt if this is the best course as you just look at a bunch of photos and do not get any explanation what so ever. With me on my iPod Touch I have the Michel Thomas and Pimsleur Spanish courses as well, so I will be able to continue studying while traveling. Lets see how much that will happen though…

But by far the most pleasure I have during the preparation, is with researching on Ernesto “Che” Guevara. There is an incredible amount of information available about him on the net. The most well known piece of documentation is without a doubt the photo from Alberto Korda (see on top of this post), which is considered the most famous photo in the world… ever!

During last week I watched “The Motorcycle Diaries“, a movie about Guevara traveling through South America with his friend, Alberto Granado, on a motorbike. During this journey Guevara gets shocked by the amount of injustice he sees and this lays the ground for his future efforts to improve the world by participating in and starting revolutions. That part of his life is well documented in the movie: “Che, part one“, which is about the Cuban revolution and “Che, part two“, in which Guevara leaves from Cuba to start a revolution in Bolivia, where he sadly gets captured and executed by a group of CIA trained agents. Although I am not an expert on Guevara or Cuba, in my view the movies give a good insight on his personality. “Che, part one” gives a good insight in the reasons and goals behind the Cuban revolution and helps me better understand the Cuba we see today.

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Above is a photo I took in 2002 of the icon Ernesto “Che” Guevara on Plaza de la Revolución.