Original subtitles

(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