> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://ktna.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Susitna Writer's Voice--Journey to the Forbidden Isle #3, by Tony Martin - URL: https://ktna.org/susitna-writers-voice-journey-to-the-forbidden-isle-3-by-tony-martin/ - Published: 2015-06-22T08:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2017-10-23T06:24:37.000Z - Description: When it became possible for residents of this country to travel to Cuba, Talkeetna resident Tony Martin wasted no time getting there. He wanted to share his experience, and knowledge - Author: KTNA Staff - Tags: Susitna Writer's Voice, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 01:28 ![Cuba22](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba221.jpg) When it became possible for residents of this country to travel to Cuba, Talkeetna resident Tony Martin wasted no time getting there. He wanted to share his experience, and knowledge gained, with others. Here’s the third of his three-part story: My name is Tony Martin. I recently had the opportunity to visit Cuba. I wrote down my impressions in a short piece, which I have titled: “A Journey to the Forbidden Isle.” Hopefully, this travelogue will provide an insight into the history, politics, economics, and the people of an incredibly diverse and complicated country. The opinions expressed are my own. Part III: Guantanamera and The Chocolate Man: On the top floor of the Casa Grande Hotel, the view of the bay was reminiscent of San Francisco with the surrounding narrow, hilly streets. The evening light was serene with a wave cloud creating a grey mist over the Sierra Maestra Mountains while leaving blue skies over the sea. At one side of the square below was the oldest colonial house in the Americas, that of Diego Velasquez , the first Governor of Cuba. (Text continues after photos). ![Cuba53](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba53.jpg) ![Cuba54](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba54.jpg) ![Cuba55](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba55.jpg) ![Cuba56](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba56.jpg) ![Cuba57](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba57.jpg) ![Cuba58](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba58.jpg) ![Cuba59](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba59.jpg) ![Cuba60](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba60.jpg) ![Cuba61](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba61.jpg) ![Cuba62](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba62.jpg) ![Cuba63](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba63.jpg) ![Cuba64](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba64.jpg) ![Cuba65](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba65.jpg) ![Cuba66](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba66.jpg) ![Cuba67](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba67.jpg) ![Cuba68](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba68.jpg) ![Cuba69](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba69.jpg) ![Cuba70](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba70.jpg) ![Cuba71](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba71.jpg) ![Cuba72](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba72.jpg) ![Cuba73](https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Cuba73.jpg) Santiago, also the name of the city, was the battle cry of the Spanish Conquistadors who set out in search of Eldorado and the Golden Man. Cortez to Mexico, Balboa to the Pacific, Pizzarro to Peru, de Soto to Florida. Next came the Pirates and Corsairs, like Henry Morgan, who leveled the Fortress Moro that guarded the harbor. Then the French migration from Hati. Below in the Plaza Cespedes, children were playing futbol and a band was setting up to play in the park. Behind the hotel lay the San Juan Hill. There were no memorials to Teddy Roosevelt, but there was a commanding one to freedom fighter Antonio Maceo. A few blocks away were the Moncado Baracks where Fidel began his revolution and across the bay lay the rugged terrain where he fought his war with radio broadcasts and guns. At one side of the square was the balcony where Fidel gave his victory speech in 1959\. Jose Marti, was buried in a beautiful cemetery not too far away. My drink, a ‘havana especial’ was expertly mixed. My thoughts were: 50 years of an embargo will not negate a Cuban identity forged by 500 years of passionate history. Guantanamera is probably the most often played song in Cuba. Heading towards Baracoa at the eastern tip of the island, the people-bus stopped at the village of Guantanamo at the head of the bay of the same name. At the mouth, lay Gitmo, a US Naval Base and prison camp.The base occupies about .004% of the land mass of Cuba. The lease is due to expire in 2034 . An objective was to see the 17 mile long fence surrounding the installation, but our route provided no viewpoints as we skirted the dry hilly terrain. Driving along the coastal part of the La Farola, the road along the Caribbean, there came an awareness that there was no need to see an archaic fence surrounding a plot of land that was no more in Cuba than was Anchorage, Alaska. Without Soviet missiles, Cuba was not a threat, but the danger of a nuclear holocaust still existed somewhere on this planet. And the struggle for human rights against the forces of oppression seems to be a never ending one. Acutely, my eyes began focusing on what those on the other side of the fence could not see. My thoughts were questioning premises that those behind the fence don’t confront. What exactly does the USA represent? What exactly are USA interests overseas? Why does this country have 900 bases worldwide? How are human rights advanced with torture and drones? Why does Cuba export doctors around the world and the US exports F-35s that don’t work? The US citizens behind the fence do not feel the rhythm of Cuba, uno, dos, tres, the beat is infectious, uno, dos, tres. They can’t dance the salsa, drink Cuban rum, sip Cuban coffee, eat Cuban chocolate, smoke a Cuban cigar, listen to the sounds of the streets , or appreciate the genuine warmth and hospitality of the average Cuban. If the servicemen and women could experience these things, they would need no orders to dismantle an old fence. By definition, Gitmo is a detention camp for all behind the fence In the main square of Baracoa the first city established in Cuba, there is a small monument to Chief Hatuey, a Taino Indian and Cuba’s first national hero. Hatuey fought the Spanish, was captured, and burned alive in 1512. The countenance on the bust is fierce as Hatuey stares at a church, 100 feet away, which houses the only surviving cross of those which Christopher Columbus brought with him from Europe. Symbolically, this spot, the juxtaposition of church, square, and memorial, might as well mark the place and manner in which the modern world was born 500 years ago. Baracoa, has a natural charm , the feel of a tropical paradise. The people are without affectations. On the roof of the home-stay, the view to the east was the water and a straight shot to Europe. Other buildings rose around like tiers in a stadium, so it was possible for neighbors to see and be seen. One afternoon; on every rooftop, laundry was drying in the breeze. Across the street, an old woman was sewing, a mother was rocking a baby, in the street, men were playing chess, children were kicking a ball in the street, vendors were selling their wares. The noise was like a playground: children shouting, music blaring, dogs barking, roosters cock a doodle doing. Andreas , the owner of the home-stay, was supervising some young carpenters as he was planning a minor expansion He was beaming with pride like a master on a sailing ship under full sail. The next day, on the slopes of flat topped, El Yunque, our park guide, Manuel , with his wife and two children, shared a cup of chocolate at their humble cottage. A beautiful and well tended garden led to the door. On a day tour, at a homestead, the owners demonstrated the process of hand making chocolate to be edible and drinkable. Their crops were systemically organized in a miniature ecosystem. Ricardo, our local guide, extolled the virtues of chocolate, but not of rum, for the skin, for the complexion, for the blood, for the internal organs, and as an aphrodisiac. Near Boca de Yumuri, at a small fishing village, an old man expertly played Spanish ballads and school kids in a simple schoolroom broke out into laughter at my paper airplane. Community, family, and dignity are the virtues of a society that doesn’t have too many things. Katrina, 20 years old, an assistant guide, asked how a camera function on her cell phone worked. She added: “The revolution was important, but it was fifty years ago.” The words, under my breath, were ” the times, they are a changing.” Back in Havana, after an airplane ride in sweaty Russian-made AN-26, our city guide, Loren informed us, in unaccented English, that high speed ferries were being authorized to travel to and from Miami and that there will be a direct flight from New York to Havana later this summer. Her expectations were high. My sense was that a new generation of young people was fueling a tsunami. Cuba was not as regimented as expected, not as militarized as expected, The committee for the defense of the revolution (CDR) was not as strong, twittering was not yet practiced by the masses. The moment is now. Capitalism will be meeting socialism, and no doubt there will be an amalgamation, Cuban style, and two nation’s governments will have to adjust. My cab driver to the airport had small & equal sized flags, a Cuban and a US, hanging from his mirror. Below was a small statue of the Virgin Mary. In her hands was a glass filled with a dark liquid, probably a cuba libre…uno, dos, tres…” the men are for the women, the women are for the men, and the music is for everyone”. The song could have been: From Cuba, with Love. This concludes Part III of “Journey to the Forbidden Isle”. Once again, I’d like to thank KTNA for providing this opportunity to share my story. Journey to the forbidden Isle, By Anthony Martin