Ernest Hemmingway

Ernest Hemingway, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1952 for "The Old Man and the Sea,'' and the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954, is one of Cuba's national treasures. His books are taught in most schools and his memory is revered. Even Fidel Castro reportedly considers his writings an inspiration. Hemingway's trail is still as fresh as the trade winds that blew him here in the 1930's.

Hemingway had lust for travel and for life. It carried him across the world in search of adventure, weaving a trail for his fans to follow. Some of his hangouts were in this island. Seated at La Bodeguita del Medio, the very same bar where he spent many night's, we sip a mojito (an ice cold, mint-laced rum). This is where you should begin a Hemingway tour of the city. The Old Man, who would have been 100 this July, came in 1934 from the Florida Keys in his classic wood-hulled fishing boat, the Pilar. He stayed here, on-and-off, for over 20 years. He loved this part of town, with its rum joints and centuries-old architecture. At Hotel Ambos Mundos, just one block off the centre of Viejo Havana, was Hemingway's first home in Cuba, and his room - No. 511 - has become a museum. Catch a chambermaid, and she'll let you in to wander around. Gaze out the windows at Havana Bay as he must have. Legend has it he conceived the plot line of "For Whom the Bell Tolls." A plaque on the hotel's facade boasts he wrote the novel in the hotel.

In Central Havana--once the red-light district--is the Capitol, a re-creation of the U.S. Capitol Building that was formerly the seat of the Cuban Congress. Today it houses the Cuban Academy of Sciences and the National Library of Science and Technology. El Vedado is the site of the Plaza de la Revolucion, a huge square hosting two lavish hotels, mass demonstrations and speeches by the President. The government's efforts to promote the tourist industry have been greatly helped by Cuba's natural and man-made attractions--sunshine, beaches, mountain ranges, historic architecture, a vibrant Latin culture, low crime and, relative to other developing countries, an educated, healthy populace.

Travellers from many countries are finding this a worthwhile mix: Jumbo jets full of Canadian, European, American and South American tourists arrive at Havana Airport regularly. Havana has retained one of its most enduring legacies: a rambunctious nightlife. The city's profusion of bars, discos, and nightclubs entice tourists toward frozen daiquiris (the drink was invented in Havana), salsa music, and extravagantly costumed showgirls.