"I recently returned from a trip to Havana, Cuba. Usually when you see pictures of foreign places, you get the postcard highlights of rather ordinary cities. But a captivating postcard of Cuba can be made at any time on any street corner. All of the cars are older than yours. Most of the buildings are crumbling and need paint. The face of every single person evinces a story.

Walking down El Prado, it became evident that I was the only American around. I was even hard pressed to find anybody with the same skin color. I did not see one single advertisement except a billboard proclaiming 'Socialismo!’ You will not find a Big Mac or Starbucks no matter how hard you try. There are no commercials on TV. It is a rare trip when you come home and describe a place with things that you did not see. I was only ninety miles away from Florida, but I found a place that could compete with Atlantis for mystique and exoticism."

- Jace Freeman