Havana ( Habana ). A voyage to Havana, Cuba, Caribbean.

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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7E4ZvvyPlLARZ4EFYUPKy3D-_lCo844LxUNsQDuJ8KZtXuaQz0ZMNsqSO6e0Wr7VVkZ_DfDkQ9R0QfSrPsRKpvmq7enqx1hS-LdMtBz-A3uTAnFp4kczWNmm3y6oL9QZJtLiw8iHDwDC/s200/Havana,+Cuba+17.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TvI_OaAGSQY/UYPNc0CCa8I/AAAAAAAAiC4/oQHBAMRCLvI/s1600/Havana,+Cuba+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TvI_OaAGSQY/UYPNc0CCa8I/AAAAAAAAiC4/oQHBAMRCLvI/s640/Havana,+Cuba+8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARoWggNw_2Cd8ECNzf9Ifh2yfaxxf1-MHMjbMf2eho2zcZKIrxS1XODZerr1QZNhSihnYvo07U9uGdo0pL57qeoEAlKH4yFpbjDvur4qBgpmXxOI4CctGO0u-lGYpN9EN895JoHdoUmlo/s1600/Havana,+Cuba+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARoWggNw_2Cd8ECNzf9Ifh2yfaxxf1-MHMjbMf2eho2zcZKIrxS1XODZerr1QZNhSihnYvo07U9uGdo0pL57qeoEAlKH4yFpbjDvur4qBgpmXxOI4CctGO0u-lGYpN9EN895JoHdoUmlo/s320/Havana,+Cuba+10.jpg" width="320" /></a>Habana is a one-off. Sitting pretty as the Caribbean’s largest and most vivacious city, its romantic atmosphere and infectious energy are the stuff of legend. Where else do you find vintage American cars running off Russian Lada engines, ration shops juxtaposed against gleaming colonial palaces, and revolutionary sloganeering drowned out by all-night parties?<br /><div class="mpuWrapper " id="mpuInContent"><div class="mpuInner"><div class="adContainer" id="adContainer_mpuInContent"><noscript> <div> <a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/2009.lonelyplanet/rest-of-site;dcopt=ist;ctt=caribbean;cnty=cuba;dest=havana;tnm=overview;sz=300x250;ord=123456789?"> <img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/2009.lonelyplanet/rest-of-site;dcopt=ist;ctt=caribbean;cnty=cuba;dest=havana;tnm=overview;sz=300x250;ord=123456789?" alt="Advertising" width="300" height="250"/> </a> </div> </noscript> </div></div></div>Habaneros (inhabitants of Habana) love their city and it’s not difficult to see why. Amid the warm crystalline waters of the sparkling Caribbean, over 500 years of roller-coaster history have conspired to create one of Latin America’s most electric and culturally unique societies. The stomping ground for swashbuckling pirates, a heavily fortified slave port for the Spanish and a lucrative gambling capital for the North American Mafia, Habana has survived everything that has been thrown at it and still found time to innovate. At the forefront of modern Latino culture, Habana has spawned salsa and mambo, Havana Club rum and Cohiba cigars, mural painting and Che Guevara iconography… And the list goes on.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XbWWNZL7eNjrIt2yMiVVhmXJcJ1NC5jK61n6deTUgFijuhJpO_2bX3xDFXG0DsWdnZYItYf0c384YS0ZXyIEQVBSCmN6xmLCRHKm31CjTLzyQcFhENN8vxkj4j8htqeAV_A7OXiEa0wO/s1600/Havana,+Cuba+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XbWWNZL7eNjrIt2yMiVVhmXJcJ1NC5jK61n6deTUgFijuhJpO_2bX3xDFXG0DsWdnZYItYf0c384YS0ZXyIEQVBSCmN6xmLCRHKm31CjTLzyQcFhENN8vxkj4j8htqeAV_A7OXiEa0wO/s320/Havana,+Cuba+13.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARoWggNw_2Cd8ECNzf9Ifh2yfaxxf1-MHMjbMf2eho2zcZKIrxS1XODZerr1QZNhSihnYvo07U9uGdo0pL57qeoEAlKH4yFpbjDvur4qBgpmXxOI4CctGO0u-lGYpN9EN895JoHdoUmlo/s1600/Havana,+Cuba+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>But with its crumbling tenements and increasingly traffic-clogged streets, Habana is no conventional beauty. Despite boasting colonial edifices to rival Buenos Aires and a dramatic coastline to match <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinationRedirector?atlasId=361780">California</a>, the city lacks the jaw-dropping magnificence of <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinationRedirector?atlasId=359279">Paris</a> or the spectacular physical setting of <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinationRedirector?atlasId=363153">Rio de Janeiro</a>. Instead, a large part of Habana’s attraction lies in the visceral and the abstract. Walk the mildewed neighborhoods of Centro Habana or Vedado and you’ll soon pick up the scent – here a mysterious Santería ritual, there a couple of drummers pounding out a rumba beat. The ins and outs are often hard to define and the contradictions endlessly confusing – perhaps this is why Habana’s real essence is so difficult to pin down. Plenty of writers have had a try, though; Cuban intellectual Alejo Carpentier nicknamed Habana the ‘city of columns,’ Federico Lorca declared that he had spent the best days of his life there and Graham Greene concluded that Habana was a city where ‘anything was possible.’ <br />But thorn or flower, Habana’s mesmerizing powers will quickly lure you in. The opportunities to lose yourself in the melee are limitless – take a guided tour around Habana Vieja’s enchanting colonial monuments, experience the pizzazz of a late-night cabaret show, stroll along the Malecón (Av de Maceo) as the waves crash over the sidewalk, or admire the skillful reconstruction job on a sleek, streamlined 1956 Cadillac.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4sH75fYIugWPKoYqZSRipQ15XJILQP-87F2utDkeobW4UOME_H5yQCsCCd8yT32Cz-GSj-BIbQrX1ve2KJ-AAEOvDq0Dy4SNynwhCKWLKJisNYbP5XIvTmB4y2VHcjmIeLqGAF54EEq0t/s1600/Havana,+Cuba+31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4sH75fYIugWPKoYqZSRipQ15XJILQP-87F2utDkeobW4UOME_H5yQCsCCd8yT32Cz-GSj-BIbQrX1ve2KJ-AAEOvDq0Dy4SNynwhCKWLKJisNYbP5XIvTmB4y2VHcjmIeLqGAF54EEq0t/s320/Havana,+Cuba+31.jpg" width="320" /></a>Traditional sights aside, Habana’s greatest attraction is its earthy authenticity. This is no trussed-up tourist resort or cynically concocted amusement park. There are museums here, of course, along with beautifully preserved palaces, top-notch hotels and rather tasty restaurants. But walk a couple of blocks north of leafy Parque Central and you’ll suddenly find yourself on the set of a real-life Elia <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinationRedirector?atlasId=360562">Kazan</a> movie, a dusty 1950s time warp where workingclass mothers still go shopping with their hair in rollers and young kids play baseball in the street with sticks and rolled-up balls of plastic.<br />While 50 years of Socialism have taken their toll on Habana’s fragile social and economic fabric, the indomitable spirit of its citizens is a constant source of inspiration. In a society that invented camel buses, stretch Ladas and steaks made from grapefruit skin, survival is second nature and personal sacrifice almost a rite of passage. But how ever much you fall in love with this flawed yet utterly seductive city, capturing it in a sentence will always be a conundrum. ‘Habana is very much like a rose,’ said Fico Fellove in the movie The Lost City, ‘it has petals and it has thorns…so it depends on how you grab it. But in the end it always grabs you.’<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVB0uF9IOlCxelpBRClxlKP9JQrhHd2Lzh2ltxC-lTumKsCB0Rn1Dbq9REgxcNbiN9DGK-Fd1y45EklMMJLyvIF0USnI8I-5aV7wDJeNIgT8tv7xqgOuv1EYO3snkjcH7FfIUarewBwlM/s1600/Havana,+Cuba+28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVB0uF9IOlCxelpBRClxlKP9JQrhHd2Lzh2ltxC-lTumKsCB0Rn1Dbq9REgxcNbiN9DGK-Fd1y45EklMMJLyvIF0USnI8I-5aV7wDJeNIgT8tv7xqgOuv1EYO3snkjcH7FfIUarewBwlM/s320/Havana,+Cuba+28.jpg" width="320" /></a><a class="pin toggleMap closed" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/havana#" id="pinToggleMap" style="display: block;"><span class="showMapText">Show in Lonely planet</span></a><br /><b>Ready to go?</b><br />These tours & activities make it easy:<br /><ul class="inBody"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzQXiBepACEAoVq_UbkcPFQ9IyQVGvJ5gPIJOg2rydmL-BRN8E14-woAzRZptgUL7X7myhIVYwA8rKcYNiSX_kzs0xMvgxeyUOWxQaw0__M4-yVwh-y293gEOJsToDqrZKRfmOHocj0Ut/s1600/Havana,+Cuba+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzQXiBepACEAoVq_UbkcPFQ9IyQVGvJ5gPIJOg2rydmL-BRN8E14-woAzRZptgUL7X7myhIVYwA8rKcYNiSX_kzs0xMvgxeyUOWxQaw0__M4-yVwh-y293gEOJsToDqrZKRfmOHocj0Ut/s320/Havana,+Cuba+18.jpg" width="320" /></a><li><a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/caribbean/tours/culture-history/cuba-colonial?lpaffil=fbta1">Discover Cuba's colonial history in 15 days</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/tours/3-day-trek/cuba-on-foot?lpaffil=fbta1">Explore Cuba on foot</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/tours/small-group-trip/classic-cuba?lpaffil=fbta1?lpaffil=fbta1">See Classic Cuba in 8 days</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/caribbean/tours/wildlife-nature/cuban-rhythms?lpaffil=fbta1">Visit Cuba on a budget</a></li></ul><div class="relatedLinks clearfix"><h3 class="themeHeading">More about Havana </h3><ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Jyrf6q_1XrVZ5aKSB5-P_zPTOVnIaEFaEAra7HSkKRG6BT5QbOXRlTZxfgPluPJ0SDNa4MOfvdhJsw8irU9h7VL33KSFHpkpb3C7u0DzolKftqcblmIbk8WZBwNHV7M96WzOWo_V-8eY/s1600/Havana,+Cuba+32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Jyrf6q_1XrVZ5aKSB5-P_zPTOVnIaEFaEAra7HSkKRG6BT5QbOXRlTZxfgPluPJ0SDNa4MOfvdhJsw8irU9h7VL33KSFHpkpb3C7u0DzolKftqcblmIbk8WZBwNHV7M96WzOWo_V-8eY/s400/Havana,+Cuba+32.jpg" width="400" /></a><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/havana/weather">When to go & weather <span class="bottom"></span> </a> </li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/havana/transport/getting-there-around">Getting there & around <span class="bottom"></span> </a> </li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/havana/practical-information/money-costs">Practical information <span class="bottom"></span> </a> </li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/havana/history">History <span class="bottom"></span> </a> </li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/havana/work-study-volunteering/study">Work & study <span class="bottom"></span> </a> </li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/havana/travel-tips-and-articles">Tips & articles <span class="bottom"></span> </a> </li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/havana/hotels?lpaffil=hotels-beta">Hotels</a></li></ul></div><div class="relatedLinks clearfix"><h3 class="themeHeading">Make it happen</h3><ul><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/shopSearch?q=havana%5E2+or+Cuba">Shop for travel guides</a></li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/havana/hotels?lpaffil=hotels-beta">Search hotels</a></li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings/flights.do">Cheap flights</a></li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings/insurance.do">Travel insurance</a></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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Havana ( Habana ). A voyage to Havana, Cuba, Caribbean.

Habana is a one-off. Sitting pretty as the Caribbean’s largest and most vivacious city, its romantic atmosphere and infectious energy are th...

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Cuba. A voyage to Cuba, Caribbean - Havana, Santiago de Cuba...

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddRBCfiOs60J-mwemNI4VgefT9SaBZ7hFGZtY4NO8dVY806sUI4vMfq0Q_CKCvyzbRd7O2guR5h06XzWKPSdzLoe1KlK1I70AuBgvGCdeAtxYLqPKL0_Ddgc9dcUarCWzCRz8a3w1IHE/s1600/Cuba+Havana+50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddRBCfiOs60J-mwemNI4VgefT9SaBZ7hFGZtY4NO8dVY806sUI4vMfq0Q_CKCvyzbRd7O2guR5h06XzWKPSdzLoe1KlK1I70AuBgvGCdeAtxYLqPKL0_Ddgc9dcUarCWzCRz8a3w1IHE/s640/Cuba+Havana+50.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W_48kx8qSU8/T0Yxt75-q-I/AAAAAAAAC3U/6ZK7e7hksXc/s1600/cuba+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W_48kx8qSU8/T0Yxt75-q-I/AAAAAAAAC3U/6ZK7e7hksXc/s320/cuba+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Defying all logic, the world’s 105th-largest country is also one of its most instantly recognizable. Think psychedelic Che Guevara murals and antediluvian American Buicks, dudes with bongos and old men slapping down dominoes, queues outside ration shops and communist cadres smoking chunky Montecristos. Cuba has a way of going against the grain. It’s all part of its historical make-up, part of its dynamism, part of its intrinsic beauty.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ft9fdE1tMVw/T0YxudGRcdI/AAAAAAAAC3c/usmiUkCMBJQ/s1600/cuba+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ft9fdE1tMVw/T0YxudGRcdI/AAAAAAAAC3c/usmiUkCMBJQ/s200/cuba+3.jpg" width="200" /></a>Travel here not only requires a passport, money and a good sturdy rucksack; it also requires flexibility, creativity, good humor, patience and a healthy sense of adventure. Speaking Spanish, though not a prerequisite, is undoubtedly a huge advantage, and will allow you to travel further and dig deeper than the average tourist.<br /><br /><a name="more"></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F-jM4WWcLoo/T0YxxGpMrwI/AAAAAAAAC3s/s2NqtA1V_uQ/s1600/cuba+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F-jM4WWcLoo/T0YxxGpMrwI/AAAAAAAAC3s/s2NqtA1V_uQ/s320/cuba+8.jpg" width="320" /></a>Linguistic dexterity aside, Cuba remains an easy country to travel in and there are few barriers stopping you from wandering around pretty much how and as you choose. A slight loosening of the screws since Raúl Castro took office in February 2008 has allowed Cubans access to cell phones and entry into tourist hotels, meaning interaction with the locals is now simpler and often surprisingly candid.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HZi9NDJBLQ4/T0Y9a9KQzII/AAAAAAAAC4A/eK0vgKNBhHs/s1600/cuba+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HZi9NDJBLQ4/T0Y9a9KQzII/AAAAAAAAC4A/eK0vgKNBhHs/s400/cuba+5.jpg" width="400" /></a><b>Ready to go?</b><br />These tours & activities make it easy:<br /><ul class="inBody"><li>The perfect introduction to <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/tours/explorer/beautiful-cuba?lpaffil=fbta1">all things Cuban in 8 days</a></li><li>Take the kids along for a <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/tours/family/family-cuba-discovery?lpaffil=fbta1">family Cuba discovery</a></li><li>Hike across <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/tours/3-day-trek/cuba-on-foot?lpaffil=fbta1">Cuba on foot</a><h3 class="themeHeading"> <span style="font-size: small;"><a class="pin toggleMap closed" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba#" id="pinToggleMap" style="display: block;"><span class="showMapText">Show in Lonely Planet </span></a></span></h3></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ntBWh14LXUw/T0Yxx_2HX1I/AAAAAAAAC34/CG7u0X6FG8U/s1600/cuba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ntBWh14LXUw/T0Yxx_2HX1I/AAAAAAAAC34/CG7u0X6FG8U/s640/cuba.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="relatedLinks clearfix"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eVAE6q_7rP0/T0Yxu9PhH9I/AAAAAAAAC3o/y4PeJehU7dU/s1600/cuba+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eVAE6q_7rP0/T0Yxu9PhH9I/AAAAAAAAC3o/y4PeJehU7dU/s200/cuba+4.jpg" width="152" /></a><br /><h3 class="themeHeading"> </h3><h3 class="themeHeading"> </h3><h3 class="themeHeading"> More about Cuba </h3><ul><li> <a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/places">Places in Cuba </a> </li><li> <a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/weather">When to go & weather </a> </li><li> <a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/transport/getting-there-away">Getting there & around </a> </li><li> <a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/practical-information/money-costs">Practical information </a> </li><li> <a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/work-study-volunteering/work">Work & study </a> </li><li> <a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/travel-tips-and-articles">Tips & articles </a> </li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://hotels.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/">Hotels</a>  </li></ul></div><div class="relatedLinks clearfix"><ul><li><div class="destinationMapLink clearfix">Make it happen</div></li></ul></div><div class="mpuWrapper " id="mpuSponsorLrg"><div class="mpuInner"><div class="adContainer" id="adContainer_mpuSponsorLrg"><ul><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/shopSearch?q=cuba">Shop for travel guides</a></li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://hotels.lonelyplanet.com/cuba/">Search hotels</a></li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings/flights.do">Cheap flights</a></li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings/insurance.do">Travel insurance</a></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GCe76dhx2eg/T0ZCCbRH7gI/AAAAAAAAC4I/vABGKAIUu-w/s1600/cuba+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GCe76dhx2eg/T0ZCCbRH7gI/AAAAAAAAC4I/vABGKAIUu-w/s640/cuba+13.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><ul></ul></div></div></div></div>

Cuba. A voyage to Cuba, Caribbean - Havana, Santiago de Cuba...

Defying all logic, the world’s 105th-largest country is also one of its most instantly recognizable. Think psychedelic Che Guevara murals ...

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