After a local tour of the Viñales Valley, I once again take the three-hour drive back to Havana.

By the time I arrived in Havana, it was completely dark outside, and the city of Havana had transformed into a world of night.

The people on the streets, the language you hear, everything is different from Japan. This is a different world.

In Tanzania, the first country I visited, I was overwhelmed by the sheer power of nature.

At that time, I thought that returning home was still a long way off.

But it's already...tomorrow, and my 80-day journey is finally coming to an end.

During this local tour, which included a visit to a farmer's hut, I was exposed to a different Cuba.

The heavy darkness of reality that occasionally glimpses through the Cuban people's joviality...

Listening to our guide, I was struck by the problems Cuba was facing.

I finished my last itinerary in Cuba while admiring the dark green scenery of Cuba from the car window.

I finally arrived at the farmer's hut under the blazing sun, almost suffering from heat stroke.

The selling point of this tour is that you can listen to the farmer's story and have a local meal.

After the meal, we were also shown the process of making Cuba's famous cigars.

It was an exciting experience to feel the rural atmosphere of Cuba.

June 11. The last day of the actual stay in Cuba.

The following day, June 12, they would finally board their flight home.

I was down due to the salsa incident, but I managed to recover on this day.

On this last day, I had booked something called the Viñales Local Tour with a local tour company.

It was truly a last-minute revival, as I was prepared to cancel the event if I remained in poor health.

Cuba has its good points and its bad points. The good part is the wonderful education and health care system. I also studied at the University of Havana for six years and in Japan for one year. All for free. It is wonderful that everyone has a chance to learn. But today Cuba has serious problems. We have serious problems with the economy and tourism."

My local guide began by telling me about the harsh reality of the situation in Cuba. This article will discuss the horrifying reality that the country's foundation is crumbling as it tries to build an economy based on tourism. And Japan is no stranger to this. I was horrified by my guide's story.

Cubans are a jovial people who love music and dancing."

I am sure you all have such an image. I had such an image as well, but now I have experienced it firsthand. It was truly a culture shock. I was so shocked by the joyousness of it all that I fell down.

The deciding factor was a sudden decision to take private salsa lessons. I am not very good at cheerful things, but I never thought it would turn out like that...

Cuba is a cheerful Latin people.

As I have told you, Castro, the leader of the Cuban Revolution, was also a bottomless source of optimism.

Cubans are just cheerful, singing, dancing, and enjoying life. Various books have described the Cuban temperament in this way.

But I honestly thought in my heart: "I'm not going to be able to do this.

Is that really the case? Not everyone is like that. It is an exaggerated image created by foreigners, isn't it?

So I boldly asked Daniel, our local guide who accompanied us on our walk in Havana, about it.

We decided to stay in the old part of Havana, called Old Havana.

This is a World Heritage-listed city, and you can still feel the atmosphere of old Cuba.

On this day, we will take a leisurely stroll through Old Town Havana with a local guide.

Cuba is all about music.

Musicians are playing everywhere in the city.

As you wander around town, you can hear the typical Cuban sounds coming out of nowhere.

It was a moment that made me feel that this is Cuba.

After paying my respects at the Che Guevara mausoleum, my next stop was the center of Santa Clara.

Arriving in downtown Santa Clara, one gets a sense of Cubanness from the colorful buildings that are showing their age.

Wander through the city and walk to the nearby Armored Train Assault Monument. The victory here in Santa Clara was decisive for the revolutionary forces in the Cuban Revolution. I came here because the battle that triggered it took place right here.