All language subtitles for Have1

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

I'm here in Havana,

about to start
my 1,500-mile Caribbean adventure

to two of the most intoxicating
countries in the world -

Cuba and Haiti.

Why don't you tag along?
Take it away, boys.

Hoo!
(MEN PLAY UPBEAT MUSIC)

Oh, yay!

Vamos!

(CALLS OUT IN SPANISH)

(MEN SING IN SPANISH)

Cuba and Haiti are
close Caribbean neighbours,

but very different countries.

Travelling west to east,

my journey will take me
the length of Cuba,

the Caribbean's largest island.

This is very good tobacco, isn't it?
Si.

From powdery coral beaches
so loved by Hemingway...

Look at this. (GASPS)

..to infamous revolutionary cities.

This, of course,
is Fidel Castro's town.

And then on to Haiti...

I'm obviously quite happy
sitting here on this side.

..a country with
a revolutionary past...

(GASPS) The citadel!

..and a troubled present.

Unbelievable amounts of litter
on the foreshore.

This unique journey will glimpse
the hidden side...

I'm on my way to a voodoo ceremony.

..of these fascinating countries.

MAN: This is the paradise.

It's miraculous.

Port-au-Prince is one of
the most extraordinary cities

I've ever been in
all around the world.

(MEN SING IN SPANISH)

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

OK.

Oh, agua!

Agua! (LAUGHS)

Havana, Cuba's capital,
was founded by the Spanish

in the 16th century

as a gateway to the conquest
of the Americas.

Look, how beautiful.

Immense church.

(GASPS)

The Spanish influence is
still everywhere you look,

but 60 years of communist rule
has left it looking

just on the chic side of shabby.

This is the old part of Havana.

You could spend all day long,
A, getting lost,

and, B, just walking up and down
these ravishing streets.

All the walls and all the paints,
just the colours are so great.

Here, we've got a lovely light cream,
and this dull raspberry sorbet.

(MEN CALL OUT IN SPANISH)

(CAR HORN BEEPS)

The streets here are
kind of haphazard.

Sometimes, they've got taxi bikes.

Sometimes, they've got these cars
you can hear coming. Dum, dum, dum.

But, actually, I'm looking for a gym.

No, I mean...

Obviously, I'm fighting fit already.
Why would I need a gym?

No, the truth is, I don't go to gyms.

But I'm looking for a particular gym.

A boxing gym.

Ever since meeting Muhammad Ali
in the '70s,

I've been a fan of the sport,
and Cuba is rather good at it.

No other country in the world
has produced

more successful amateur boxers
than Cuba.

Come, come. Come, come.

Since 1972, Cuban male fighters

have won an astonishing
37 Olympic gold medals,

more than any other country.

I just adore boxing.

I know it's not really considered
terribly good

to love these pugilistic things,
but I just love it.

It's one of the oldest forms
of fighting.

It's the most natural thing
in the world. You put your fists up.

But oddly, in Cuba,
women are actually banned

from taking part
in any competitive boxing match.

She's so good.

(TRAINER CALLS OUT IN SPANISH)

This is Idamelys,

one of the best
amateur female boxers in the country

who's battling to change the system.

Idamelys, do you think that
you have a gift for boxing?

What are your ambitions as a boxer?

We must write in and allow women
to compete for Cuba.

Good. You'll be there.

(CHUCKLES)

I hope Idamelys's dream comes true.

But what would Andy Cruz,
one of Cuba's best boxers,

make of her chances?

A quick visit
to the National Boxing Centre

and I can find out.

Andy, perdona. Perdona.

Say "hola" to the camera.
BOTH: Hola.

Andy, will you do me a great favour?
Will you come with me?

OK.
Please.

Andy, will you go into the ring
and start fighting, but not too hard?

Come here.

To spar against one of your idols
as cool as a cucumber,

that's the kind of nerve that one day
will bring Idamelys Olympic gold.

Hey, hey! (CHUCKLES)

Campeones.

(CHUCKLES)

This year marks the 60th anniversary

of the event
which defines Cuba's history -

the great revolution of 1959.

But since Fidel Castro
swept to power,

what have six decades
of communist rule done

for the country and its people?

Look at our car, Will.
It's a Buick, yeah?

William is
a 29-year-old former teacher,

now tour guide, who lives in Havana.

William...

Can I call you "Will"?
You can call me whatever you want.

I shall call you "Will".

This is a sensational country,

but it does seem to me
that it's poor.

What is the average wage?

When I was teaching, basically,
my salary was about $25 a month.

$25?
$25 a month.

A month?
Yeah.

That's the kind of basic average?

That's the kind of basic average,
like the average salary.

I know, though, in your head,

you're thinking,
"Hey, it's not enough."

Yeah.

You gotta understand we got
free healthcare, free education.

And some of the food,
it's subsidised also.

Is it?

Yeah.
Basics?

Like basics,
like a few pounds of rice,

you know, sugar
and things like that.

This huge revolution that took place

and your great heroes,
Fidel Castro, Che Guevara,

is this what they hoped
Cuba would be like, do you think?

I think they were trying
to do something different.

They did a lot of good things.

I think that the biggest issue here
is that we get stuck in time.

Yeah.
It's improving.

But I think we're, like, too slow.

I mean, the rest of the world
moved on and we stayed the same.

So, I think that's where
they have to change,

in my own human perspective.

I don't want another revolution.

I don't want my people
to get killed in a civil war.

I don't want anything different.
I just want a little bit more.

The Cuban Revolution
stunned the world

and turned its two heroes,
Fidel Castro and Che Guevara,

into revolutionary icons.

Their utopian vision
of equality for all

also brought political isolation
and 60 years of sanctions,

which has stifled Cuba's development.

But one institution that survived
communist austerity is the National,

the hotel that was at the centre of
Havana's pre-revolution mafia scene.

It famously hosted Lucky Luciano's
mafia conferences in the '40s.

(SINGS IN SPANISH)

And later,
welcomed guests that included

Frank Sinatra, Winston Churchill
and Marlene Dietrich.

It may not now have
the glamorous clientele of the 1950s,

but every night
there is still a cabaret show.

(CONTINUES SINGING IN SPANISH)

This is backstage.
Backstage always looks like this.

Oh, look at this!

So, here the girls are,
they'll do their own make-up,

they'll have everything
spread out here.

All the costumes hanging.

It's fantastic.

(MAN SPEAKS SPANISH)

(GASPS) Look, you see.
Look, the men's room.

(SPEAKS SPANISH)

Permiso? Can I try it on?

Ooh, so nice.

Look, you can just glimpse down
to the stage down there.

(SINGS IN SPANISH)

Bravo, bravo!

I love watching rehearsal. You see
such ENERGY in the rehearsals.

When they're all dressed in costumes,
they'll look fine.

But here you sometimes see
much more of the actual performer.

Come with us to this stage.
Please, come with us.

Oh, my God!
(MEN SPEAK SPANISH)

On this chair? Can I stay?

Yeah?

Thank you. (BLOWS KISSES)

Is everybody here from Cuba?

Yes, everybody.
Everybody here from Cuba?

Yes.
Beautiful.

And tell me,
the song you were singing,

which was wonderful,
what were the words saying?

About Cuba.
About Cuba.

About Cuban rhythms,
our culture, our cigars, our ron...

..love, you know, really romantic...

Passion?
Yes.

(GASPS) Look at this.

It's fantastic to dance
with this headpiece on.

And this quite...
Can you show me, darling?

Look. Look at this bustle.
That's heavy.

And all tied on carefully
with your neckpiece.

Look at you, sweetheart.

And then this, with feathers flying.

And the beautiful tights there.
Can you turn around for me?

Look at that!
You see, like a peacock.

Hey! Now, look, Captain Cool.

Look at this.

These are kind of mafia shoes,
aren't they?

It's just... (LAUGHS)
It's fabulous.

(AMERICAN ACCENT)
Waiter, another drink here, please?

Yeah, I think I'll have a Cuba libre.
Thank you so much.

When Castro swept to power in 1959,

capitalism was replaced by communism
almost overnight.

Many of Havana's richest residents
fled the country.

But not all.

Josie.
Hello.

I'm Joanna.
Oh, hello.

I am Josie. It's a pleasure.

I never dreamed I would see inside
one of these beautiful Cuban villas.

(CHUCKLES)
How old is it?

It was built in 1929.

Oh, was it?
Yes.

Come this way.
Oh, look at this.

This is the library.

This part of the house
have something very special.

Yeah.

I think because I have
so many memories here.

Is this you being married? Look.

Bella, bella, bellissima.
20 years old.

Were you 20?
Yeah.

Little thing.

What a fine man your husband was.
Beautiful man.

That one is the dining room where
my husband used to play the chess?

Yeah.

He used to play with Che Guevara.

Did he?
Yes, yes.

And did they play here?

He came once here.

Che Guevara, what was he like?

Beautiful.
Was he?

A very nice person.

Very, very, very nice.

What was it like here
during the revolution?

Beautiful.

And what is Cuba like today
to live in?

Is there enough food here?
Can you get everything you need?

No. No, no, no.

Ooh, look.

This part is the big kitchen
of the house.

Yeah. What is this? A fridge?
Yes.

1942.

Ooh!

And never been repaired,
and it works.

It works?

And works.
Oh, it's beautiful.

It reminds me of the great Cuban cars
driving around.

Ah, yes, of course.

Look at this,
this lovely marble staircase.

This is mahogany, I think, is it?

Yes, it's never been polished.

Oh, wow.
Never been polished.

Wow.

This was my mother's.

What a beautiful room.

And here's the bathroom.

Look at the window!

My husband was born here.

He was born in here?
Yes, in the bathroom. Yes.

Oh, what a place.

Josie's house, like a lot of Cuba,
is like stepping back in time.

May I give you a kiss?
(GIGGLES) Of course, of course.

Very nice.

Due to sanctions and poverty,

many people in the countryside
still travel by pony trap.

Well, I'm just whizzing along.

We're in the north-west part
of Cuba now.

This is the Vinales area.

And the composition of the soil here
and the microclimate

provide the perfect conditions

for growing the best tobacco
in the world.

The tobacco industry has been huge
here for over 200 years.

This stunning landscape is littered
with small farms

that produce over 20,000 tonnes
of tobacco every year,

Muchas gracias, Alessandro.

I'm going to meet Aida
and her husband,

and they, with their oxen
which they plough their fields with,

grow the best tobacco leaves around.

WOMAN: Hola, Joanna.
Hola.

Como esta?
Bene. (CHUCKLES)

Molto, molto bene.
Thank you, thank you.

Aida, let me come and see.

Oh, lovely pigs and chickens
and beautiful thatched barns.

This is where you dry the tobacco?

Si.

Oh, look at this, Aida.

Can I smell? Isn't that beautiful?

Si.

This is very good tobacco, isn't it?
Si, si.

And what is it about the climate
that makes this so good?

I love this.
I love the sort of chain gang.

It's actually a lovely
and efficient way of doing it.

Extremely good for the physique.

(SPEAKS SPANISH)

Aida's tobacco is grown organically
and is entirely pesticide-free.

Once dried, 90% must be sold
to the government cooperative,

ready to be made into cigars
and exported all over the world.

Have you ever made your own cigars

and rolled them
on your leg like this?

(LAUGHS)

All the cigar rolling
happens in factories.

Here, each worker must produce
over a hundred cigars per day,

carefully packing, rolling
and pressing each one to perfection.

It's a tradition here that workers
are read to throughout their shift

to entertain and educate them.

Well, sounds like
the perfect job for me.

Well, this is rather exciting.

I'm taking the place of the reader,
the "lector de tabacaria".

And today I'm going to read them
something which I've chosen,

and I hope
they're going to enjoy it.

Buenos dias.

A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens.

Gracias. Gracias.

"It was the best of times,
it was the worst of times,

"it was the age of wisdom,
it was the age of foolishness,

"it was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity,

"it was the season of Light,
it was the season of Darkness..."

Cuba actually has one of the highest
literacy rates in the world.

But Dickens in English may not
have been the right choice.

I think my reading's having
some sort of impact on productivity.

Next morning, I'm back in Havana.

Thank you.

I'm catching the ferry
along with the commuters

to the other side of the harbour.

Apparently, all I need for my fare

is one little coin
that's less than a penny.

Thank you. Gracias.

Quite a casual way of setting out
over the water here.

My research has shown
that I can catch a train

from Casablanca Station
that will take me to a town

named after the world-famous
American chocolate bar, Hershey.

Casablanca.

Those are railway lines here.

Scusi.

Por Hershey? Hershey?
Yes.

Si?

(SPEAKS SPANISH)
No more?

Ya no.
Hoo..

Hace dos anos.
For two years?

(CHUCKLES)
I'm a bit out of date here.

So, I'm two years late for the train.

What do I do now?

In situations like these,
a girl just has to be resourceful.

The Hershey train is due to leave

from a station
much further down the line.

I just need to get there.

My fabulous friend gets me
to Jaruco Station just in time.

We're travelling on
the only electric railway track

in the whole of Cuba.

20 years ago, this train was
carrying Spanish commuters

in and out of Barcelona,

but Spain very kindly
donated it to Cuba.

So, now it's travelling
people like us to and fro

across the country.

The line itself was built by American
chocolate magnate Milton Hershey,

creator of
the world-renowned Hershey Bar.

In 1917, he bought thousands
of acres of cheap land in this area

in order to grow the sugar for
his burgeoning chocolate business.

(TRAIN HORN BLARES)

Along with the railway,

he built vast sugar mills,
a sports field, schools,

and an entire town
to house his workers.

Hello, hopping boys.

It's so strange being here
because we're in the middle of Cuba,

it's got a sort of feeling
of Pennsylvania.

And, in fact, Hershey had built
a little town in Pennsylvania.

And I think he brought
exactly the same plans out here

and said, "It worked there,
it'll work here."

And so here it is, little porches
in the front with a swing seat,

sipping a mint julep, no doubt.

Actually, probably here it would be,
I dunno, rum. It'd be a daiquiri.

Mr Cotier comes from a family
of sugar workers...

Hola.

..and still lives in the house
that Mr Hershey built.

Come out.
Gracias.

Beautiful.

Is this Mr Hershey?
Este Mr Hershey.

No!

Si.
Look at that.

Just kinda nothing.

A couple of little huts,
one stalky tree.

Tell me a bit about the industry.

Yeah.

Yeah.

After the great revolution,

Fidel Castro nationalised
the sugar mills.

Despite American embargoes,
the industry was kept afloat

by sales to the Soviet Union.

But once the USSR collapsed in 1989,
the industry disintegrated

and all of Hershey's sugar mills
now lie derelict.

An hour to the east of Havana
is Matanzas,

a city steeped in culture and music.

Camilo, can you turn off?
Yes, of course.

We're turning off here to go
to the service station

so I can go to the loo.

But apart from a lavatory,
there's something else here

that you don't get
at the Watford Gap services.

Of course, one of the things
that you absolutely have to do

at this service station
is to have a pina colada.

Which is better? Which is better?
The Special.

That's the one.

Oh, look, and you get the hat
back on it again as well. Hoo-hoo.

If you want more...
(CHUCKLES) OK. Thank you.

I'll try a little just to see
if it's quite strong enough.

Mmm!

Perfect. (GASPS)

Vertigo plus.
Look at the height of that!

This pina colada is fantastic.

I sound terribly naive,
but I've never had one before,

and particularly never
kind of created like this

at a service station
and served in a pineapple.

I live a very sheltered life.

You might notice something else
on this trip,

which is that although I'm obviously
a very sort of soigne person,

from now on, I shall begin
to mould away and go downhill.

The truth is
it's unbelievably hot and humid.

And for people like me who have
this kind of hair, that's useless,

but added to which all your clothes

are sopping-wet - sopping-wet! -
all the time.

You think I look soaked? You should
see the cameraman - dripping.

Most of the Caribbean
has two stories -

that of the rich European landowners

and that of the miserably exploited
African slaves.

Everywhere, these two histories
sit side by side,

and Matanzas is no exception.

This is called
the city of poetry here.

And this is Marti, the great poet.

He wrote REAMS of poems,
and he was huge.

He was a kind of Virgil.

He was the Shakespeare,
actually, of Cuba. Fantastic man.

And look, she's broken her chains.

She's free.

This city also is called
the Venice of Cuba

because it's built on three rivers
and there are masses...

It's called the city of bridges.

It is so charming.

In the corner of the square

is an unchanged
19th-century establishment.

Hello, Joanna. Welcome.

(GASPS) Look at this.

It's fantastic.

This grand French chemist,
Ernesto Triolet,

established this stunning apothecary

that for 82 years cured and soothed
the sick of Matanzas

with fantastic remedies and potions.

We have many ingredients
all over the world.

Tapioca from Brazil,
bermellon from China.

Also, I have these drugs,
like cannabis, opiaceos, opium.

And also for the lovers,
maybe the cacao.

Is that good for lovers?
Of course, the cacao.

Anti-oxidant.
Is it?

All these things.
What have you got here?

This is the records
of the 55 volumes like these.

For example, we have the day
of today, June 1889.

Look, what's this?

That is for...to prepare
the suppository in mechanic way.

OK.
Don't be afraid.

What a beautiful little machine,
isn't it?

Don't touch, please.

Oops, sorry.

(GASPS) Well...

Look at this!

I can remember, as a child,
going into big old shops like this.

You're not old.
No, no, no.

But there would always be
someone behind the counter

who would say, "May I help you?"

Si.
Packages could be wrapped like this.

Oh, that's the last one.

It's beautiful.

I wonder what
Sloan's Liniment was for.

Look, Sloan is...
It might be for moustaches.

It absolutely worked for Mr Sloan.

And what happened
if people had an emergency,

needed to come to the chemist
at night-time?

So, over here,
we have this small window.

This is for the emergency.

The people standing
by the sidewalk, knock it,

and ask for the medication.

I literally don't think I've seen

anything sweeter than that
in my life.

So, when the big shutters are closed,

the night is dark
and you're frantic for help,

you rush round here
and this window has been left open

and there is this little gold hand,
and you just go...

But only on Monday night.
Only on Monday night.

So, don't be here on Tuesday
or else it'll be...

But on Mondays...and you knew
you'd come here for help.

Fabulous.

The real reason to come to Matanzas
is its legendary rumba,

born out of the indomitable spirit
of African slaves.

And its heart lies
in street performance...

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

..if the weather permits.

In a small backstreet of Matanzas

lives one of the country's
most awesome families.

(SINGS IN SPANISH)

The Munequitos de Matanzas is
one of the finest rumba groups

in the world,
formed over 60 years ago.

But this rumba isn't what
you might see on Strictly.

It's a form of music, dance
and spirituality

whose roots go
all the way back to Africa.

More than half of all Cubans
are descended from the slaves

brought over to work
on the sugar plantations.

(SINGS IN NATIVE LANGUAGE)

The slave communities fused elements

of imposed Spanish Catholicism
with African beliefs.

(SINGS IN NATIVE LANGUAGE)

Christianity is the most
practised religion in Cuba today,

but the group's
distinctly African rhythms

hark back to their heritage.

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

Are you all members of the band?

ALL: Si.
And you also? And you also?

Mmm!

Yeah.

And are you family?
Are you brothers, cousins?

Familia.
Si? Familia?

All familia?
Todo.

Oh, fantastic.

Fabulous. Yeah?

Is yours?
Si.

Is his one. And this one?

No. Oh...

It's family.

Will you tell me what the songs
are mostly about?

I'm so happy to be with you.

Muchas gracias. Thank you.

Thank you, all of you.
Thank you so much.

The first rhumba was performed
outside on the streets

in the late 19th century,

and it's still the best way
to hear this fabulous music.

(GROUP PLAYS RUMBA MUSIC)

I had such a fear that
it was gonna rain and rain

and we wouldn't get to hear
the music in the square.

But now I'm just following
the sound of drums.

Hola.
(CHUCKLES)

May I come here to watch?

Gracias. Muchas gracias.

(CALLS OUT IN NATIVE LANGUAGE)

Today, rumba has evolved into
a mesmeric performance of drumming,

improvised lyrics
and extraordinary dancing.

All the different styles of rumba

performed in ballrooms
around the world

can have their roots traced back
to the streets of Cuba.

Rumba is now recognised
as a central part of Cuban culture

and Munequitos de Matanzas

are making sure that
it will live on forever.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

That was completely thrilling
just to be here watching that.

And having seen them before
and met them all,

they were just so charming

and so sort of courteous
and sweet-hearted.

And suddenly see them dancing like
an absolute storm - really thrilling.

Aren't we lucky to have seen it?

(SOFTLY) Rumba.

130 miles east lies
the city of Santa Clara,

a key battleground in the revolution.

Heroic freedom fighter Che Guevara

and a small guerrilla army
captured the city in 1958,

despite being outnumbered 10 to 1
by government troops.

Che's commanding victory
proved to be a turning point

for the Revolutionary Army.

Che Guevara died terribly young.

He was only 39.
He was executed in Bolivia.

Then his remains were interred
in splendour here

with some of his compatriots.

The thing that's kept him
forever a kind of poster boy

was that one memorable photograph -

him looking slightly
into the distance,

bearded, very young,
with a star on his beret.

And that photograph now adorns
every student room across the world.

Always has done. Always will do.

It was just an iconic picture
of what revolution can look like,

of the hopes for the future.

I wonder what Che would think
of Cuba today.

60 years of sanctions
and political isolation

have taken their toll,

but the country is slowly moving

to more conventional ways
of making money.

A 17-mile causeway has been built
connecting the mainland

to a string of beautiful islands
off the north coast.

Cayo Guillermo has become one
of THE hot spots in the Caribbean,

whose powdery coral beaches
once entranced Ernest Hemingway.

But there's a move away from

the communist-controlled mass tourism
of days gone by

and into the modern luxury market.

MAN: That's amazing.

Daniel Canas has made a career

launching top-end hotels
around the world

and he's about to open one of Cuba's
first five-star resorts.

Each room here has
their own swimming pool.

No!
Yeah.

That's amazing.

You don't need to come out
of the room, to be honest with you.

No.
You know?

Really sensational.

These thatched roofs
are made of what?

Is it banana palms? What is it?

No, it's plastic.

Stop it!
No, it's true.

What do you do?
Now, look, this is a thing.

What do you do with plastic?

'Cause out here,
you must drink plastic

by the ton, bottles and things.

Yeah. Well, they recycle here.

If there is a country
that recycles more, it's Cuba.

Is that the truth?
Yeah.

That's wonderful.
Let's go in here.

OK, so, here is
the Presidential Suite.

And as you can see,
the view is magnificent from here.

Oh, Daniel, look at this.

Wow. It's astonishing.

Have your own pool. You have
a little dining room table there.

You can have your breakfast
in the morning.

You've got a sort of day bed
to lie on up here with an umbrella.

And you can swim?
You can climb down, swim in the sea?

Yep, yep.

You can do all that.

Just imagine the sunset.

(GASPS) Where is that?
Right here in the middle.

There?
Yeah.

I think Che and Fidel
might frown upon

the proposed $5,000 a night price tag
for the Presidential Suite.

It's so interesting to be here
'cause we came

on a great big causeway
which has sort of separated this.

It feels as though
we're on a different island.

It hardly feels as though
we're in Cuba,

not the Cuba...
the little that I've seen,

not the Cuba I've seen.

This is just luxury.
This is exceptional.

And then you think,
but this is a communist country

where every man is kinda equal
and we're all sharing things out.

Yet here is only for
the very, very rich.

But in the tropics,
paradise often comes at a price.

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

In 2017, Cuba was battered
by Category 5 Hurricane Irma

that wreaked havoc
along the north coast.

Badly hit were the area's mangroves,

salt-tolerant shrubs that cover
53,000 square miles of the planet

and are essential to its ecology.

Already, I can see, Pepe,
that this...

Yeah. Dead mangrove.
They look dead.

Yeah.

Pepe is a mangrove expert

and has been studying
the red mangroves

for signs of regeneration.

As you can see, this is a new...

That's a little baby.
..family member.

Yeah.
Isn't that lovely?

That's one island.
It'll gradually spread.

So, that new member
will grow into a big tree

and then put another small baby here
and get bigger and bigger and bigger?

And it's just in sand.

Yes, over sand.
This is just sand.

Well, it's extraordinary.

Little tiny fish.
Small fish, yeah.

Look at that.

And who else lives
amongst the roots here?

Do crabs live here?
Yes, yes.

And it's very important,
the crab, to the flamingo.

Yeah, of course.
It's the...

Staple diet.
..the food of the flamingo, yes.

Yeah.

The pink colour comes from the crab?
Yeah, the pink colour.

That's fantastic.

If mangroves disappear,

what is the effect
on marine life, on everything?

Very catastrophic.
Yeah.

Yeah.

So, red mangrove, you are a hero.
Yes.

'Cause you look after tiny fish,
you look after the seagrass.

You clean the air.
Yes.

It's the big...
It's the big mother.

I'm delighted to bump into

one mangrove resident
who lives above sea level.

This is the sweetest
little creature. She's...

She's like a sort of big marmot
or something.

A little thin tail
with stripes on it,

delicate little black hands,

and the fur rather like...

I don't know, it looks
a bit like an otter or...

I didn't know what it is.
She's just, um...

You know, she lives in the mangroves

and all she eats are mangrove leaves
and Saltinas.

Come, come. (CLICKS TONGUE)

Come, little one. Here we are.

Come, come.

Here you are, little one.

That was very nice.

Little teeth just went, "Fooh!"..

..took it away.

During our eight-hour drive
to Cuba's south coast,

we travelled through
vast and beautiful landscapes.

At the end of our journey,

there is a place steeped

in the old revolutionary spirit

that defines this country.

This is Santiago de Cuba.

Hoo-hoo, fabulous.

I've just left my hotel
and I'm just gonna walk around.

Evidently, Santiago de Cuba
has got the builders in.

They're frantically
sprucing the place up

for Castro's brother, Raul,
who's coming here

to commemorate the 60th anniversary
of the revolution.

This, of course,
is Fidel Castro's town.

He was brought up here
as a little boy.

And the revolution started here
in the great hills behind Santiago.

One thing experiencing its own kind
of revolution is shopping.

There's still
no advertising allowed,

but entrepreneurs are opening up
their own little shops.

La, la, la.

Just the sort of shop I love.

Oh, look, they've got
nail varnishes.

Look at these fabulous colours.

Oh, and they've got thread
and they've got razors

and we've got some Brillo Pads.

Perfuma?
(SPEAKS INDISINCTLY)

It's for nail varnish remover.

I actually need some. How much?

$2. OK.

It's quite difficult to get cosmetics

and things like shampoo
and all those things

which we take
for granted in the UK.

It's really hard
to get hold of it here.

And so things like us at home

you just go, "Yeah, got that,
I don't need it,"

here is like a treasure.

Gracias.

This looks like a government shop
or something like that.

Queue of people
queuing for something.

They're allowed a particular ration,

a number of things you're allowed
to get with your coupons.

And I think this is
the government store

where you can come to the front,
you put your coupon,

and you can get quite humble basics -

rice and sugar
and little tins of things.

Shops here aren't
always easy to find.

Hola.
Hola.

But I have a nose for a bargain.

Gracias.

What a great shop. Look at this.

T-shirts, sunglasses.

Ooh, now here we are talking.

I don't think I want
those gorgeous yellow high heels.

I've got to say,
I've got a bit of, um....

..I've got a bit of a passion...

Ever since the rumba band,

I've wanted
some dazzlingly-white shoes.

Now, let's see if I can possibly
get my foot in here.

And I can.

It absolutely fits.

I've got to say that what I like
about shops like this is that...

Also, I've noticed
that hanging next door

to this extremely attractive shirt,
which I'd quite liked to buy as well,

are some pants, just in case
you haven't got any pants.

Maybe a shirt, just a shoe,
a bra I've got.

It's just got everything.
You just don't want too much.

The thing that knocks us back
in shopping is too much choice.

I FLEE from huge shops.

Is this your shop?

Uh-huh.

And is this your home?

How lovely.

Well, I think
those are just fantastic.

Those are gonna be my new shoes.

I'll be the envy of everybody.

I'm thrilled. Thank you so much.

The hot streets of Santiago
have got me craving

a shady cool spot somewhere,

and just on the outskirts of town
is the very place.

I've heard of
this extraordinary garden,

which is just pretty much ferns.

This magical man
called Manolo Caluff,

who's obsessed with ferns,

he's one of the great botanists
of the world.

I'm gonna ask to see
around his garden.

Look, already I'm bewitched.

Manolo?
MAN: Buenas tardes.

Welcome to my fern garden.

Yo soy Joanna.
How lovely to meet you.

Manolo has collected
over 350 varieties of fern

and brought them
from all across the world

here to his garden.

Manolo, tell me, this is like
a lifelong obsession.

Yes, yes. I have 74.

You are?
Yes, it is.

I'm 73.
Ah, very good.

(BOTH LAUGH)

Here, we will enter a special place.

This is the paradise.

It's beautiful.

Tell me of this huge one here.
What is this?

Ah, this is the largest fern
in the world.

No!
From Malaysia.

The elephant fern.
(SOFTLY) Elephant fern.

Its leaves can reach
seven metres long.

This plant I brought from
a botanic garden in Jamaica.

A little plant on my pocket.
(CHUCKLES)

25 years ago.

Now it's an elephant.

(CHUCKLES)

(GASPS) Manolo, look,
I know it's not a fern,

but what are
these enchanting flowers?

It's an Indian plant.

Fausto...
Fausto?

..is the common name.

This flower has plenty of honey.
Proof, please.

Please. Exquisite.

She does like.
It's fantastic.

Yes.
Sweet as sweet.

Hummingbirds and other birds...

They love this?
And bees.

It's delicious.

It's miraculous.
Beautiful.

This one we have in Britain.
We call it "mare's tail", I think.

This one?
Yeah.

It's called the "giant horsetail".

Five metres high it can grow.
(CHUCKLES)

And these are the cones,
producing spores.

When I touch,
you can see spores flying.

Yeah.

And this plant is the ancestor

of all coniferous plants
on the Earth.

No.

Yes.

It's hard to think
in all the trees in Scotland,

all the beautiful pine trees

and the Scots pines
and the great Monterey pines

and the pine trees around the world

came from this little person here
millions of years ago.

Magic plants.
Magic plants.

They're really magic, actually magic.

This is a magic garden.

It's been such a pleasure.
Muchas gracias.

Thank you so much.

It's my last night
in Santiago de Cuba.

And what better way to spend it?

(SINGS IN SPANISH)

But I'm not quite done
with this country yet.

Next time,
my Cuban adventure will end

at one of its most infamous places.

Behind me is Guantanamo Bay.

Then comes Haiti...

(CHUCKLES) Thank you.

..where I glimpse contrasting aspects
of this captivating...

Most unworldly taste.

..but troubled corner
of the Caribbean.

There's a skull up there.

Captions by Red Bee Media

Copyright Australian
Broadcasting Corporation