ON THE TRAIL OF FIDEL IN CUBA

It is small wonder Cuba’s government had such a hard time finding Fidel Castro’s revolutionary hideout in the mountainous and verdant Sierra Maestra.

On the sound of an approaching spotter plane the occupants would release camouflaged shutters over the windows, as my tour guide nimbly demonstrates.

I take my time touring the buildings at La Plata, Fidel’s former HQ, scrutinising artefacts such as his funky ‘50s-style fridge and a typewriter used for communiqués. It was from here that

Fidel’s forces struck out for Havana, before overthrowing the Batista government in 1959 and installing Fidel as leader, a post he’d keep for 50 years.

The wildlife-rich Sierra Maestra is popular for its world-class hiking, but I am not yet done with the Cuban Revolution.

In a small restaurant in a village below the mountains, an aged group of musicians, dressed in the military green fatigues of the type seen in Fidel’s own revolutionary band, strike up a tune.

It’s a day that will live me forever.