For the first time that I can remember I have known what it is like to be free from anything American. As someone known to go on the odd rant about the American imperialism that is being forced on to the rest of the world it was a particularly enjoyable experience. However, I have to admit that at the same time that I found myself having some withdrawals…

One of the most obvious features of Cuba is the (mostly mutual) general dislike and boycott of all things American on Cuban shores. The most obvious effect of this is the lack of American tourists in this tropical paradise in their own backyard (which after seeing the newly wed, over fed or nearly dead pouring off cruise ships in Cayman is a welcome change). However, over time the smaller effects of Cuba ’s socialism and anti-Americanism started to surface.

The most obvious difference between Cuba and any other country I’ve had the opportunity to wander around is the general lack of facilities for support international tourists. While it was more then possible to survive with my half-arsed Spanish vocabulary (mostly either taken from movies or by adding an ¨O¨ to the end of an English word) there weren’t the usual Westerner (read ´American multinational´) establishments that give you an easy to understand and known option when you get bored of language and cultural barrier challenges and just want to find somewhere to eat, sleep, ask about tourist info. Although there’s little to miss about McDonalds, KFC, etc, things like major bank ATMs, ´Tourist Oasis´ hotels like Hiltons and internet cafes come in particularly handy when you want to spare some locals some confused looks over your blundering linguistic skills.

The other thing that it took me a while to notice was the pretty much complete lack of commercial goods and the mechanisms for distributing them. While it is somewhat to be expected given that Cuba is a socialist country and renowned for foreign embargos, I never really put two and two together to consider that not being able to buy retail goods would naturally lead to a complete lack of brands and advertising, as well as just the stores selling them. I’d like to think that this says something about my conditioning from being brought constantly surrounded by ads up in a free market capitalist country and not being able to imagine a world without them, but some might argue that the lack of perception is more on an individual level…

The most interesting thing about the lack of advertising in the streets was that it was instead replaced by propaganda billboards and messaging. I was in no doubt that I had just arrived in Cuba when the first sign I saw upon leaving the airport depicted the Bush administration and friends as the axis of evil. While my personal favourite billboard was one comparing George W to Hitler, the majority had a more positive tone either extolling the virtues of socialism, praising Cuba , or just generally ensuring that you didn’t drive down a street without seeing the face of martyr / banner boy of the Revolution – Che Guevara.

I used to have a few reservations about the way that at home ´that image´ of Che Guevara had become a popular brand logo and symbol used to sell all kinds of commercial kitsch such as t-shirts, hats, key-rings etc. It just never seemed right that the most recognisable symbol of Socialism was being abducted for capitalist use. However, now having seen just how over-saturated Fidel has led Cuba to become with it, I feel less concerned about it being exploited elsewhere.

Anyway, the upshot of this close encounter with how the other half live was not just the usual renewed appreciation for not being poor and being able to buy the mass produced products that we take for granted such as soap, pens, t-shirts and toilet paper. I now also have a shiny new watch that I bought as a result of the uncontrollable urge I felt to break my own duty free shop trade embargo’s and revel in my capitalist freedoms when presented with the branded merchandise in the duty free shops of the Panama airport departure lounge.

Photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/bc_melbourne/sets/72157600278934393/

p.s. for those wanting to know I´m currently in the hills of the Dominican Republic doing a bit of canyoning and rafting. Next stop I´m off to St Vincent and the Grenadines to jump on a yacht and learn how to sail.