Dr. Bill Loesch,: a Dorchester resident, in Havana, Cuba last December. Cynthia Loesch photoLate last year, my daughter Cynthia and I traveled to Cuba. I wanted to celebrate the easing of restrictions on business and travel with Cuba of the US by President Obama after 54 years of a trade embargo.

I was born in Florida, and as a child I heard about the excitement of Cuba – its music, art and culture; the takeover by rebels under Fidel Castro in 1959; the making of a Communist country; the elimination of the US Mafia-controlled casinos in Havana; the Bay of Pigs invasion under President Kennedy; the missile crisis in late 1962; and the flight of thousands of Cubans fleeing their homes as the Castro regime took hold.

Here was an island only 90 miles from Miami, yet it seemed so far away in those long-ago days.

A half-century later, change is very much in the air in and about Cuba. This week delivered the spectacle of President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro together in Havana taking questions from the press. Last fall, Cuban Catholics gave an enthusiastic welcome to Pope Francis, who brought with him his message of hope. The country has seen the lifting of trade and travel by President Obama and, after 55 years, the re-raising of the American flag in front of a new US Embassy building on the Malecon thoroughfare.
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The Cubans are a truly resilient people. Their time is now, and now is the time to visit Cuba. However, Americans still cannot use the word “tourist.” We must say we are visitors who have come to Cuba to learn about one of 12 categories, such as bird watching, humanitarian interests, farming, history, religion, and music. Travel for Americans was restricted to groups, but now we can visit as individuals. And until last year, Americans could only enter Cuba by way of another country.

Cynthia and I found that the customs inspectors were strict, but professional and friendly. I expected to see lots of police, but that was not the case. In fact, during our entire trip we saw but four police officers. There will be more change this year due to Obama’s negotiations and the support of the US government.

The first cruise ship – Carnival Cruise Line’s “Adonia” – will head to Havana from Miami in May, with 700 passengers aboard, and repeat the trip every two weeks. JetBlue now has non-stop flights from New York City. And Cubans now have unrestricted exchanges, which is the best news of all. My hope is that all Cubans will be able to keep control of change for the best for their island, and not allow USA businesses to destroy this gem in the Atlantic.

If you love the arts, music, great health care, and an excellent education, the beauty of the island and its people will inspire you. In my view, the best book to read before traveling to Cuba is “Havana: Autobiography of a City,” by Alfredo Estrada, a Cuban-American author.
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A scenic side street in Old Havana. Cynthia Loesch photo
Where to stay: There are five-star hotels, smaller hotels, and hundreds of bed and breakfasts available. More than 60,000 hotel rooms are booked most of the time. AirBnb and Travelocity can help you. One concern I had was that the majority of toilets have no toilet seats. I thought the reason was it might be easier to clean he premises, but discovered that toilet seats were just too expensive. As public health advocate I hope the government, or some health organization, can fund toilet seats. Just try sitting on a toilet with no seat and you will see my point.

Where to eat: No matter where you go, the food is locally grown fish and vegetables and very tasty. In the last few years Raul Castro has created a huge farming system to provide food and jobs for all Cubans, and for the restaurants. And beginning in 2011 he created over 300,000 small business opportunities, including more “paladeros” – home cafes with limited seating in people’s homes. We ate at Dom Higinio’s while watching the family cooking our meal in their own kitchen and then we enjoyed awesome food. Our horse and buggy driver was surprised when Cynthia invited him to be our guest as we ate at this paladero, where we got to learn more about his family and hopes. We had a great time.

There is a growing number of fine restaurants. We ate at El Guajirito, which was in the style of ranchers, cowboys, and horses. One change we learned was that now Cubans can now afford to eat and relax in their own restaurants. We discovered the best way to find the best places to eat or visit is to ask. The economy is getting better, an improvement driven largely by the tourism industry.

Cubans are fantastic artists. We saw that as we visited the Mercado de Artesania, an indoor handicraft market at the Wharf on the Malecon where hundreds of vendors sell thousands of artworks, paintings, clothing, Guayabera shirts, and wood carvings.

Music is everywhere in the land of son, salsa, rumba, and trova; everything is alive and energetic. We witnessed many music students playing in different settings and learned that Havana has a major recording studio where students can produce and sell their music. Then we attended the Afro-Cuban All Stars, with entertainment from Legendarios del Guajirito, including Lazaro Villa and Virgilio Valdes, Luis Barzaga and Julio Fernandez; Luis Vallente “Betun,” Carlos Puisseaux, Ernesto Bacallao, Maida Mitchell, and Xiomara Valdes.

And we heard the performers chanting ”Viva USA, Viva USA,” sights and sounds that would not have been allowed a year earlier.

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One small business that brought back memories was an artist who made and sold paper-mache puppets, masks, and models of old cars. When my brother and I were in grade school, our mother who was an occupational therapist in Boston, and she taught us how to make paper mache hand puppets and marionettes. She wrote plays and scripts, and we had a live puppet show on the first TV station in Boston, Channel 4. That artist touched my memories and my heart.

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Cubans love and respect Ernest Hemingway who lived and wrote on the island and loved fishing there. The Cubans have made a museum out of his original home, keeping it exactly the way it was when he lived there. After the revolution he moved to Idaho, and died there. His wife, who had built a close relationship with the Kennedys, donated all his works and writings to our own Kennedy Library and Museum in Dorchester.

Other key places to visit are the tobacco farms and cigar factories, the coffee bean and coco bean farms, and the coffee and chocolate factories.

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Transportation: We found so many different ways to get around. First, we could walk anywhere, especially all over Old Havana. Or to take a horse and buggy ride over the cobblestone streets. Or with the charismatic Jose, who pedaled us on his bike. All of these hosts, including a taxi driver, shared how many Cubans know English but have only in the last year felt free to speak English and talk more openly with visitors. Although we were told not to discuss government, Cubans talk freely about so much more.

There are rides on double-decker buses; the newest cars are the tiny Korean KIA, which have clean energy; the most interesting ride for older Americans is in a classic 50-year-old Chevy or Buick, which reminded us of how far American cars have evolved with clean energy.

Health care: Here it is considered the best in world. I had a recent heart attack, and was told the care in Cuba is as good as in Boston. One vendor, where I found the best Guayabera shirt, showed me an incision for a heart operation that was so, so tiny. The Castros and their government have created free medical school education for anyone, with the condition that after graduation they must give a couple of years in service to neighboring countries. For example, when a cholera epidemic struck Haiti in 2010, more than 40 pecent of the 30,000 victims were treated by 1,200 Cuban doctors who helped stem the epidemic. And between 2004 and 2009, Cuban medics helped restore sight to about 1.8 million people in countries from Bolivia to Hondurus at no cost.

Cuba created the Havana-based Latin American School of Medicine and with it 10,000 scholarships for free medical training. In return the students hope and promise that upon completion of their studies, they will return to their own communities, or countries, to practice medicine.

The Castros have made education of all Cubans a priority. Illiteracy was 17 percent in 1980 and now is 2 percent. All high school students are encouraged to visit younger students—and tutor them. High school students learn history, learn how to reconstruct old buildings, and are becoming skilled adults to help in the historic renovation of hundreds of Old Havana buildings.

Religion: The recent visit by Pope Francis has given increased attention to the faith of Cubans, and the message of love and hope that the Pope is bringing to the world. Cynthia and I made a surprise discovery in finding the Hostel los Frailes. We thought it was a museum, but discovered a small hotel in a historic abbey run by Episcopalians. We joined for their weekly Friday evening service, a celebration of hospitality and hope in a quiet place of reflection. We received wine and chocolates as symbols of hospitality. If you visit Cuba, I suggest staying overnight in this hotel because of its historic environment and welcome ambience. Just around the corner from Hostel los Frailes is a brand new Muslim mosque, which opened in 2011. Freedom of worship is welcomed and growing in Cuba. We learned, too, that due to conservative family and religious views in Cuba, most gay men have not been free to share their sexuality. Still, we observed that people are starting to share and be more open.

I believe substantial change in Cuba will be slow and steady, but it will benefit all Cubans. This Cynthia and I fully support. Visit now and enjoy this beautiful country and its people.

Contact us for more info: Bill.loesch1@gmail.com or Cynthia.Loesch@gmail.com