Last year the beautiful island of Cuba had over two million tourists and two of them were E. Michael Jones, St. George's town crier, and his wife Eleanor, who toured with a group from Bermuda.

Cuba's people and the architecture fascinated Mr. Jones. He explained that since the people's revolution in 1959 very little has changed.

Fidel Castro has held power since 1959, when his revolution overthrew Batista.

When one thinks about Cuba politics come to mind. It has a long history and has battled with the Spanish, the British and the Americans. The 15th century and before, was largely a time of peaceful living for the indigenous people of Cuba. It was only at the end of the 15th century that Europeans, led by Columbus, discovered the island and brought the indigenous culture to ruins.

"Traveling to Cuba was the experience of a lifetime and Cuba has a culture all its own. There are about 11 million people there and I will always remember the beauty of the people, their passion for art, music, the architecture, and the way they live in the moment,'' said Mr. Jones.

Mr. Jones took his camera and captured many interesting photographs of real Cuban people, their old 1950 cars, and the once splendid architecture that has not had a coat of paint in 40 years. Some of the balconies sagged and were supported by planks of wood.

He said that crime against foreigners is rare in Cuba due to the harsh punishments imposed.

Cuba was quite educational for Mr. Jones who does not speak Spanish, the national language. Despite this he was able to communicate with just about any local person, as all the locals desperately want to acquire the American dollar.

"As for the language - I visually see things and I am a good listener. I tend not to get to involved with language until I get to the place. I like experiencing it after I get there. I wing it!'' He learned that the average salary is ten dollars a month. If you are a doctor you would earn about $25 and if you are a policeman you make about $40 a month. Likewise an average person there can rent a two-bedroom apartment for two dollars a month.

Havana, the capital city has a population of about two million and was inspiring to Mr. Jones. The inspirational part came from Havana's people whose friendliness and hospitality were remarkable.

"I met many local people looking at them on their balconies and in their gardens. We had interaction even without spoken words. There were courtyards leading into the apartments. I took pictures of guys playing dominoes and saw a woman nursing a baby on one of my strolls.

"The people were pleasant and very clean. It was dusty and clothes were always hanging out everywhere. They wash often as they don't seem to have a lot of clothing.'' He found the most interesting mix of people at the colourful art markets. The art was varied and very creative and colourful.

Old Havana was fascinating to him. He saw many dilapidated buildings of earlier centuries. In fact there is a rich assortment of vintage buildings which have made Old Havana an UNESCO World Heritage site.

"Some of the historic districts where like living museums and the Spanish colonial structures were well preserved.'' Each day began with a lavish breakfast buffet at their five star hotel and then they were off touring to different places all day with a private tour guide.

"Transportation was horrendous and to see the various attractions we endured hours of travel in a private taxi. On the highways 30, 40, 60 people would be hitching a ride. Sometimes people could not get to work because `it was a bad lift day' and the employer would understand. We saw many bicycles.'' In the evenings he and his wife would return to the hotel and have dinner.

Later they might go to one of the Cuban clubs to listen to the local music.

"The music in Havana was lively and wonderful with choices of jazz, salsa and rock and roll. Many music and dancing clubs would operate late into the night.'' He found a couple of Ernest Hemingway's haunts in Old Havana, La Floridita and La Bodeguita del Medio.

On the eastern end of the island, quite a distance from Havana, is Santiago de Cuba and it is one of the oldest cities. Although earthquakes have damaged it many times it has a beautiful setting at the foot of the Sierra Maestra Mountains and overlooks a pretty bay.

Trinidad is a town of red-tile roofs and cobblestone streets and is one of Cuba's seven original towns founded in 1514. It is a UNESCO World Heritage City and the majority of the buildings are painted yellow.

Cuban cigars and rum are popular souvenirs. The top cigar brands are Cohiba or Partagas and Mr. Jones bought a box of cigars. Tourists are only allowed two boxes of cigars.

Cuba is known for its beautiful beaches and there are many untouched hills and rivers in the surrounding countryside. It is a vast country of about 42,000 square miles and the currency is the Cuban peso.

"We saw waterfalls, caves, went on a buffalo ride, visited a past coffee plantation and discovered a beautiful eco-tourism resort in the mountains.

Cuba was a fascinating place and we jammed a lot into a one week stay last October. I recommend it as a tourist destination,'' Mr. Jones concluded.

A luxurious cabin built on top of a giant baobab tree is among the exotic lodging at the Chole Mjini Lodge for visitors of Mafia Marine Park, Tanzania.

Mafia is a former cannibal hunting ground.

MINI SUPPLEMENT SUP