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welcome to Cuba my favorite country in the Caribbean it’s a place where cars look like this where buildings look like this and wear Wi-Fi well it really doesn’t work welcome to Cuba definitely the best way to see Havana is by cruising in a convertible this video is a little bit different because I’m here with my YouTube post-production team to celebrate the recent success of the channel [Music] I like YouTube and that is a dream team together we will take you around Cuba’s lovely capital city of Havana to find out what makes this place so special and why it seems to be stuck in the 1950s all the signs here are so retro check this out as Outsiders our goal is to find raw stories from the Cuban people in hopes of understanding what life is like in this communist nation that is blacklisted by most western media that has Cubans facing their worst economic crisis in decades but first we have to get there and I’m already running into a big problem at the airport the immigration police confiscated my drone and locked it up in the back room detaining me for more than two hours while they documented every step and asked a million questions I hope I get it back when I leave the country it took an hour and a half for her to write by pen Pages Pages after a very stressful experience in the airport we’re here here we made it yeah there’s our ride I planned it for you just for you what do you think Joe that was cute my first thought was to look for a seat belt LOL right away the guys are loving the colorful antique cars it really is a thing in Cuba the ride is Bumpy and smells like a gas leak but the air is fresh and the streets of Havana are looking dark and mysterious we finally arrived to our Airbnb so we could crash and get ready for a full day of Adventure tomorrow guys for the next 72 hours only I’m running the biggest sale of the year for my just go merchandise 30 off everything in the entire store that includes all shirts hats bracelets and travel accessories and it’s available on a first come first serve basis I’ve been wearing the two words just go across my chest since 2017 because it’s a constant reminder to step out of my comfort zone and live life to the fullest tens of thousands of like-minded Travelers around the world are wearing their disco gear and you can be the next just click the link down below and get 30 off everything in the store only for the next 72 hours alright guys let’s head back to Cuba we have this amazing host that’s unexpect here her name’s Patricia so I got us this whole Airbnb here it’s like a penthouse all the different rooms right in the middle of downtown Havana The Old City we’ve each got there’s what six five six rooms yeah this place is sick man oh yeah coolest part to this Airbnb is this little rooftop which I’m going to see for the first time wow I mean this is just Epic got the whole views of the city from up here [Music] what do you guys think so far first impressions Havana is the capital city of Cuba and it’s where all the action takes place only 200 miles from Miami the historic old town is so beautiful that it was named a world heritage site by UNESCO it is surrounded by four plazas where you can find picturesque monuments fortresses churches and palaces from different periods of time and walking around here really feels like you’re stuck in the 1950s Wild Man when’s the last time you saw a payphone [Music] thank you first time out of the USA that’s right and yeah and how is it so far it’s incredible it’s it’s it’s almost exactly what I pictured which is great I think it’s gonna feel weird going back yeah the City offers one of the most comprehensive collections of retro buildings and distinguished architecture in the world ranging from Baroque to Art Deco but if there’s one thing that stands out about Havana it’s the cars so I can tell you all the year of the Chevrolet so this is a natural Land look like a 52 that is in a Mercury and that one is in a Buick and this is an academy probably 1952 you like that one yeah all right we are about to roll in 1950s cars around Havana does your father yeah pretty late Lane nice to meet you [Music] cool things that you can do in life but nothing’s better than cruising around in a 1950s Chevrolet in Havana and our friends are here man I vouch my thoughts zero thoughts for the record I had the idea for a team trip and I pitch Dominican Republic and AJ goes no Cuba and I said yes Cuba and then I booked everyone’s flights and now we’re here that’s because I’m a communist the old school American vehicles are left over from the era of the 1959 Revolution when the Castro regime prohibited citizens from purchasing new cars three years later the U.S established a trade embargo which essentially cut off nearly all imports and exports with Cuba only those Vehicles physically on the island at the time of the Embargo could be freely traded or sold among the people and roughly 60 000 vehicles are still in operation today but if you want to drive a car in today’s economic State you better bring your patients that huge line of cars behind me are people waiting in line to fill up their car with gasoline because a huge shortage here that’s the gasoline line how many hours how many days hey dude I don’t know if the camera got it but the line went all the way down the block even more than the block Cuba’s gas crisis has become a pressing issue with big consequences the country relies heavily on imported petroleum and with the tightening of sanctions and trade restrictions the availability of fuel has dwindled down to almost nothing the countryside of Cuba is particularly affected with Industries like Agriculture and transportation taking a big hit limiting food production and distribution Nationwide the gas crisis has created a domino effect on the overall economy intensifying hardships faced by the population personally speaking I have empathy for the Cuban people and I’m well aware that being in Cuba as a tourist is a very different situation we’re walking around Revolution square and it’s pretty empty get this big feeling of emptiness because we’re walking on this concrete that’s massive from this officials eight hours he had a speech there for eight hours all communist countries that I’ve been to have have this like Eerie feel I don’t know emptiness and sadness like uh Caracas Venezuela has a square like this and Pyongyang North Korea has a square like this this does have Pyongyang Vibes dude yeah yes it has Pyongyang Vibes I don’t feel surveillance though I don’t feel like I can watch it’s a good point why is Che Guevara in Cuba ah he joined to fide and he was part of the most important part of the cube are you proud to be Cuban yes I am Cuba faces a tough situation due to its political history resulting in a poor quality of life for its citizens Decades of communist rule have held back economic growth so Cubans are living through hardships like poverty limited access to goods and services and a lack of opportunities for example the average salary is less than 50 US dollars per month making it very difficult to make ends meet moreover access to basic health care and education is compromised by the government but America’s role in aggravating these difficulties through embargoes and sanctions has further complicated the struggles faced by the Cuban people and yet strangely we feel welcomed here and despite their limited freedoms the locals remain happy in the streets and proud of their identity we’re just walking on the street here and there’s like people on still some kind of parade in front of us [Music] decided not to take a nap walking around the streets you find things like cannons just laying on the ground just just a cannon when in Havana don’t forget to look up we’re about to check out a cigar Factory here in Havana it is so cool these are boxes of Monte Cristos yeah I love these vintage boxes these are so valuable in the states seriously and if you don’t know cigars in Cuba this is where they originate from it’s so crazy to be here this bottle of rum is 3750 thank you very much High means a little Fruit Stand fruits and vegetables it’s cool that you have people’s houses that just open up their door and they sell things like here they sell fruit check this out 70 cents per pound I was literally just chilling inside watching TV we’re probably gonna do an old bookstore here man look at all the books in the back here it’s just cool like I geek out what about this it’s the great souvenir this is the square that we were standing on earlier and that’s Castro just dictating hundreds of thousands of people I bought four books this I think it’s the Cuban Constitution and this was printed here in 1943 wandering around this Old Town all the streets feel the same yeah [Music] this is Obama [Music] good places it’s Famous by Hemingway and especially for the Mojito [Music] U.S yeah Superstar bro when when was that 2009 if there’s one thing to remember about Cuba it’s the people Everyone is looking out for us and smiling [Music] my career I gotta tell you at least from a tourist point of view it feels very safe here and you never know who you’re bound to come across I met a guy with a yamaka and he says he’s Jewish that was pretty wild to meet a Jewish guy just chilling on the side of the road it just shows that Judaism is everywhere cultures everywhere come to a place like Cuba never expect to meet Jews but hey it happens everywhere tonight we are going to go out and explore the nightlife of Havana which I’ve been told is amazing we’re gonna first hit up the bars and then go to a place called the Tropicana which if you don’t know what it is stay tuned it’s my first time going and it’s gonna be epic we are rolling up in style to the Tropicana the most famous nightlife spot here in Cuba I feel fancy you look fancy bro [Music] the Tropicana is a famous show that dates back to 1939 and you may have heard the name because a hotel in Las Vegas is named after it it’s famous for its colorful cabaretios and fusion of afro-cuban music that also showcases traditional Caribbean dances I have heard so much about this place and man we are in for a real treat [Music] with me follow me the Tropicana was everything we expected to see and it really makes us proud to experience such a colorful and vibrant culture we hitched a ride back home to sleep off all that rum and charge our batteries for tomorrow [Music] we’re in early after a long night drinking ready to rock and roll yeah AJ ready to rock and roll oh hi Mateo buenos dias how’d you see amazing I didn’t realize I was asleep for another hour our Airbnb host has fed us some lovely breakfast we have scrambled eggs toast and butter and honey and cinnamon and coffee and tea and sandwiches I do realize that we are all coming to Cuba as American tourists and the life for the Cuban people is not So Glamorous my goal before we leave tomorrow morning is to make a Cuban friend and hear real stories about the struggles that they are living through so we hopped in the car ready to explore the city and as soon as I started talking to Mateo I learned something really special so my boy Matteo is actually part Cuban how are you Cuban you’re Abuelo’s Cuban and this is his first time here and we’re actually tracing down her house how you feeling nervous it’s cool I’m excited my abuela fled to Mexico in 1959 really 60. rough years went to Mexico then the US when she met my Abuelo who was living in the U.S at the time so they’ve never been back now it’s a school yeah now it’s a school it’s a school how old do you think the house is yeah that’s probably the original house that’s about right like my great Abuelo did well or my yeah man this is a baller house it’s crazy to just put yourself back in time and like imagine what it was like family’s so important number one at the end of the day the only thing that matters is family and the health of your family when I went to Vienna I went to my grandfather’s house and he was born and I found the address and it’s just like surreal to be standing in a place that you know your grandparents lived it’s emotional it really is it really is emotional how have been part Cuban like formed your identity like do you have memories as a kid eating Cuban food Spanish speaking Yeah Cuban food and traditions things at New Year’s language but it’s funny just because growing up and looking so white I think there was always an element of me too that didn’t ever fully feel like I was Cuban even if my family told me I was because I didn’t look like the other people I knew who were Cuban so that’s something that even in the last like few years I’ve really started to feel more comfortable and grapple with and embrace yeah I think I was ashamed and confused about it for a long time so just getting to be here too yes that makes it yeah people that I talk to like all the time spent their childhood there crazy that’s so cool that’s crazy when you travel you just put yourself in situations that are cool and life-changing that’s a good example that’s part of the beauty man it is burning hot outside and we need something refreshing to cool us down so we are on our way into the suburbs of Havana to get some ice cream and hopefully make a local friend we are about to head to an ice cream shop it was built in the 50s under Castro and apparently it’s been exactly the same since then there’s a crazy line system here where on four different points of this place people are just standing around to get in and we can’t get in we can’t get in so our driver which is the father of our lovely host is trying to sneak us through so he’s just like wait here when you see me wave you in come in we got to keep our eye on him uh he’s now talking to the police guard This Is Such a Gangster 15 minutes later he gave us the wink and we made our way inside we’re trying to figure out this place we just sat down and then we ordered and then we’re like sit down at the other table that one’s reserved so we’re just kind of chilling here trying to figure it out but the cool thing is is that we’re surrounded by Cubans this is the only place so far in Havana that I really feel like I’m just in the country no tourists and apparently this ice cream shop has been around since the 50s it was actually open under Fidel Castro and it has been unchanged the recipe the style the vibe pretty awesome I’m pretty pumped for the ice cream ice cream [Music] we ordered and then 20 minutes later she came back and was like what did you order we’re like Four Scoops so then she went back to the kitchen and then they keep bringing everybody else around us so I don’t know they might be fun with us we have no luck making local friends here because everyone is awkwardly staring at us but the ice cream did come and man it looks tasty call this a five scoop salad and I think you can see why every different flavor in a bowl I don’t even know what flavor it is on top but pretty good I gotta say something the food in Cuba is not all that great which is why there hasn’t been any food content in this video but this ice cream on the other hand is spectacular it has that sweetness and that texture and it’s very rich but it slaps I’m not really sure what flavors we got here yeah yeah I’m actually I can’t figure out right it’s like vanilla and caramel I think it tastes almost like chocolate oh yeah it’s so confusing every time I try to think of like what the flavor is it’s a different flavor but it’s good though this is vanilla for sure but I don’t know what oh yeah what’s going on here I think it’s safe to say that there will never be a stranger ice cream experience ever in any of our lives we are heading back into the heart of Havana to walk around the streets with the hopes of meeting someone Cuban who would be willing to open up about their experience living under communism here we are in a beautiful spot in Havana it’s amazing got to see right in front of us we got old cars old buildings and it’s crazy water’s so blue where are you from America second time the country is amazing bro yeah [Music] oh yeah okay [Music] is between government no between people American people is very welcome here in Cuba this uh awesome lady we just met on the street invited us somewhere where are we going AJ I have no idea she’s she’s very kind so we feel good in our hearts about it so we’re following her kid where is she taking us no idea I think maybe this also very close to here [Music] this bar is super cool and super local it’s literally a hole in the wall it’s a tiny little room like the size of someone’s bedroom graffiti all over the walls pictures of Che Guevara and Charlie Chaplin and we’re just hanging out with our new friend named Laura who just literally found us on the street and invited us here pretty awesome it’s very nice country because here in Cuba the school is nothing for the school to the kindergarten and for University but the doctor is free to the dentist is free too not the multiple problem for us is very good understanding raising very well it’s very beautiful you know everybody is the same for the tourist is good because you making more local money now for the Cuban people in the world the salad is very down and the price foreign foreign [Music] [Music] This Woman’s bravery surprised all of us and it goes to show that people are not their governments this is a common realization that I’ve learned from my travels to every country and even if this is the first time overseas for some of my team we can all agree that the Cuban people are perhaps the most spirited in the world they remain proud of their history and they welcome American tourists despite the embargoes that we’ve inflicted on them it’s not that Cubans want to be stuck in the 1950s it’s just that sadly they have no choice more than 60 years after the revolution the country is still fighting for the most basic human rights and it’s difficult to sit down and listen to what they are telling us thank you so much for watching this story and I’ll see you guys next week oh and in case you were wondering I did get my drone back after a wild goose chase through the airport [Music] thank you
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