Traveling to Granma Province in 2024 added another insight into a remote rarely visited part of the island. It threaded this isolated area to Cuban history for me. With spectacular coastline, mountainous regions and traditional small towns, we were welcomed into homes with Cuban kindness, beds and warm meals. Cuban hospitality was on full display despite black outs, flat tires on dirt and washed-out roads, crowing roosters and daily struggles to find gasoline to continue our journey. Granma Province takes its name from the yacht Granma used by Che Guevara and Fidel Castro to land in Cuba with 82 Rebels to touch off the Cuban revolution in 1956. Granma is full of reminders of its storied past. It felt strange to stand in the place where the revolution started, adding one more layer to my Cuban experience and understanding.
