The 12:39 to Matanzas

The 12:39 to Matanzas

I leafed through this month’s issue of The Atlantic hoping to find some interesting essays.
I found this essay between a story about Basque mixed drinks and Goolge’s fear of competitors (I mention that to both acknowledge the wide variety of stories and to demonstrate how uninteresting some of them are).
Being found of world travel myself, I had hoped this essay would be a short but interesting recollection of a trip to Cuba, a place that is inherently fascinating to Americans as it is one of the few places we are not allowed to go.
But no, it was not that.
The author, Michael Scott Moore, briefly described his experience on a train in Cuba. This particular train was formerly owned and operated by the Hershey Corporation but now run as a cheap form of travel for locals and tourists.
In truth, I think this would be an interesting experience for someone to have. But the way Moore shared it in his writing made it seem very unremarkable and difficult to relate to.