Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25065
Although some 80,000 US citizens were expected to visit Cuba in 1998, most entered through the back door, skirting the embargo for a chance to see Communist Cuba before it all changes. Castro is getting on in years and people realize that when he dies, an important era of history will come to a close, even if the Revolution doesn't. Communism right now might be the country's most compelling tourist attraction. Get it while it's hot! See the last communist country in the Western Hemisphere. Going, going ... Last winter in the wake of the Pope's visit, the media went wild over Cuba. The Papal visit gave journalists an excuse to see Cuba in a light different from the one cast solely by its controversi al leader. Historical ly, there might never be a better to experience it than RIGHT NOW. The lifestyle guru Martha Stewart was on the island for the Pope's visit. Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss met with Castro a few weeks later. Katie Ford of the Ford Modeling Agency was there and so was teen heartthrob Leonardo di Caprio. And then there's Robert DeNiro, Mohammed Ali, Alice Walker, Ted Turner and Ry Cooder. A holiday in Havana was once the American vacation, and now the "in " crowd is turning up in Havana again. Cuban immigration officials know the routine well. They've seen the Canadian, Italian, German and Spanish tourists who come for sun, sand, cigars, and sometimes sex. They wave through duffel bags of computer equipment or medical suppl ies without comment. They joke with American visitors, easily agree to not stamp US passports and send travelers on their way. "American?" one asks as I present my tourist card upon arrival. "So, what about this embargo?" The 37-year-old embargo has helped turned Havana into a city that time forgot. Flashy modern buildings haven't replaced the crumbling architectural gems, although recently UNESCO funds helped restore PHOTOS (LEFT TO RIGHn, MARLENE MARINO. SUZZANE SNYDER. CHERYL DUNN