As part of my MA degree (I'm doing a dual MBA/MA program with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship and Latin America, respectively) I am required to conduct research and write a thesis-like paper with a small team of other students in the program. I have teamed up with three other entrepreneurs who share similar interests (Aymeric, a Belgian who is in the German track, who started a mid-sized pharmaceutical company in Europe; Will, an investment banker turned entrepreneur who quit his job and moved to Mexico to start a chain of ice cream stores; Stephan, a German in the Spanish track who worked for Bain and McKinsey as a strategy consultant and who has also worked on a number of start-ups).
As part of our research on entrepreneurship in the developing world, I figured it would be fun to try to go to Cuba, so I applied for an academic research license through the Department of the Treasury, and to my surprise, it was approved and on March 5th I headed to Cuba for one of the most adventurous ten days of my life.
Havana
In the above two pictures you can see the Capitolio in the center of Havana, which is modeled after the US Capitol Building.
Baseball is a staple of life in Cuba. Children play in the streets, parks and plazas, while dozens of men gather every day in a "peña" in one of the central plazas to talk baseball all day long.
A strikingly obvious omission in Cuba are "tiendas." Throughout Latin America people turn outward facing rooms in their homes into a small convenience stores selling bread, milk and other staple foods. In Cuba, food is strictly rationed, as you can see on this ration board in one of the state operated ration stores. Small bottles show the amount of rice, oil and sugar that is rationed to Cubans and small stacks of soap (for bathing and clothes washing) are also on display. There are shortages of these items throughout Cuba, but store operators and factory workers often find ways to steal these items and sell them on the black market.
Cars from the 40's and 50's dominate the streets in Cuba. As you can see, it is rare to see a car being driven without every seat being utilized.
In Cuba, resourcefulness is key. They continue to use and repair things that would have been disposed of decades earlier in the United States. I even saw men repairing disposable lighters (refilling them with fuel and replacing the flint).
I went to a playoff game while in Havana (this was the league championship game). I've been to quite a few baseball games, but I've never seen a more animated group of fans, at any sporting event. Thousands of people had actually made their own air horns by attaching horns to bicycle pumps. Cuba runs two currencies, one for tourists and one for Cuban nationals. My ticket cost me $3, but Cubans are able to attend for 1 peso nacional, which is equivalent to $.04 (4 cents).
Still overlooking the city of Havana is El Morro, a 16th century fortress that is perched across the bay from the city. It once protected the Spanish colony from the British and Caribbean pirates. It is a magnificent castle with dungeons, look outs and ancient canons.
The José Martí memorial at the Plaza de la Revolución. Martí was a Cuban who lived in the United States for nearly 20 years and then returned to Cuba to fight, and subsequently die, in a battle for independence from the Spanish. He is famously quoted in Cuban propaganda, which litters billboards throughout the country, having said "Viví en el monstruo, y le conozco las entrañas." or "I lived within the monster, and I know its entrails", referring to the United States. One interesting part of Cuba is that advertisements do not exist. All billboards are propaganda filled messages from the government and commercials on the two government run television stations are non-existent.
Opposite the Martí memorial is Ché memorial. This plaza is where Fidel and Ché Guevarra led their revolution that overthrew the Cuban government in 1959. Ché is one of the most popular and recognized figures throughout Latin America and is especially idolized in Cuba. Over a million people still gather in this plaza every year to hear the Castro brothers speak.
Sunset over Havana as the waves crash against the Malecón.Viñales Valley
Western Cuba is dominated by rural villages, farmland, conspicuous cliffs and unexplored cave systems. Horses are a common form of transportation for the local residents.
One of many tobacco farms throughout the Viñales Valley.
Farmers still use Oxen and a traditional plow to till their farmland.
The local "school bus" taking children to school in rural Cuba.
These shower heads in Cuba brought back shocking memories from my time living in Bolivia. Electrical wires are connected to a heating mechanism in the shower head to heat the water. Warning: Don't touch the shower head or turn the water off while wet! This can be difficult when the shower head is at shoulder level. Fortunately, having been shocked in Bolivia numerous times, I was able to avoid a similar experience in Cuba.Cienfuegos
Looking through an old fortress window which overlooks the bay of Cienfuegos.
An ancient canon at the Castle of Jagua at Cienfuegos.
Monument in the central plaza of Cienfuegos.Bay of Pigs
I was able to participate in Fidel Castro's favorite hobby - scuba diving. I went to the Bay of Pigs, the infamous site where 1400 CIA-assisted Cuban exiles unsuccessfully attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro's government. Cuban intelligence was warned of the invasion, and Castro and his army laid in wait for the ill-fated attackers. Several US ships were sunk and all 1400 men were captured or killed. Aside from this famous historical nugget, the bay provides outstanding scuba diving. It was the most pristine diving I've ever done - the reefs were untouched. Unlike most famous dive sites around the world, these reefs see very few visitors. It was genuinely one of the coolest experiences I've had during my travels. Absolutely stunning.
Beautiful beaches throughout Cuba create a vacationer's paradise.Trinidad
Trinidad is one of Cuba's oldest and most important cities having been founded in 1514. It was a central hub to the sugar trade. This monocrop economy dominated Cuba for several centuries and caused the deforestation of the entire island, but it also brought incredible wealth to the isolated island and allowed for what was once a modern and wealthy city.
American cars from the 1940's and 50's still run the roads of Cuba and act as an important part of the country's transportation system and culture. Taxi drivers often work without the meter running allowing them to game the system where they earn $17/month.
Men playing dominoes in the streets of Cuba is a common sight. A poker face doesn't do you much good when you have this guy sitting behind you!
I was able to meet up with a few friends from Wharton while in Trinidad. Unfortunately, our schedules didn't overlap more, so we only spent this one evening together. 
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