March 29, 2013: My 5-week visit to Cuba started at the extreme eastern end of the island. This is where Columbus landed in 1492. It's the beach-head where two of Cuba's revolutions began. For me, Santiago was the cheapest airplane ticket to Cuba from the Dominican Republic. As it turned out, this was an excellent place to start my Cuba adventure because it gave me the chance to work my way up to Habana.

Lonely Planet has some excellent advice about where to stay in Cuba. Instead of staying at hotels − which are full of French and German tour groups − stay with local families for $20 per night, breakfast included. Since the '90s, Cubans have been allowed to rent rooms in their homes to independent travelers. These accommodations, known as casas particulares, can be prebooked at Cuba Casas. Here are my delightful hosts, Masó and Marianella, in Santiago. They have two grown daughters, who've moved away from home, leaving them with a couple of nice, airy rooms to rent out. Masó is a retinal surgeon with work experience in China and Botswana. He speaks excellent English. My gracious hostess, Marianella, arranged my next two casas in Baracoa and Camagüey. If you want to experience the real Cuba and Cuban hospitality, this is the way to travel. And, if you need a place to stay in Santiago, click here to contact Masó.

Masó y Marianella

Cathedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción	Parque Céspedes at night	San Juan Hill
Santiago was Cuba's first capital (1515-1607) and is its second largest city today. Consequently, there are lots of sites to see and things to do here. At night, when the museums are closed, the city's restaurants, sidewalk cafes and music venues come alive. It's said that Santiago is where the Spanish guitar and the African drum met and fell in love, giving birth to the special music that's unique to Cuba, to which no one can resist dancing. Of course, no one dances like a Cuban. In many of Santiago's dance venues, Cuban men and women hire themselves out as dance partners. The tourists get their money's worth. An historical note: San Juan Hill, located on the outskirts of Santiago, is where Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders defeated the Spanish army in July 1898 in what Americans call the Spanish-American war. In Cuba, this war is known as the Hispano-CubanoAmerican war, and Roosevelt merely contributed to Cuba's victory. At least, that's what the monuments and plaques on top of San Juan Hill say.

Old houses and young horses	Downtown Santiago	Dominoes in the plaza
Santiago was the target of Dutch and English pirates in the turbulent 16th and 17th centuries. To protect their gold and other treasures, the Spanish built the massive Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca del Morro on a 60m tall promontory at the entrance to Santiago's harbor. The fort has been nicely restored and hosts a pirate museum.

Entrance to San Pedro fort	The south coast of Cuba	Santiago harbor	A resident of the fort
Santiago was my point of entry into Cuba. I spent five nights here adjusting to Cuban culture, the language, Cuba's peculiar dual currency system, seeing all the sites and finding out what Cubans do for fun. In other words, I had a great time here and recommend this place.