Strolling through the music filled streets of old Havana is like traveling back in time. With its eclectic architecture reminiscing of cultural influences that go back to its indigenous roots and settlement by the Spanish, Cuba’s architecture is a fusion of baroque style and neoclassicism.

The colorful old buildings wear their age with grace. And though many look dilapidated, these pastel colored buildings still stand majestically, defying time and neglect. Even when they look like complete derelicts, they still provide shelter for many families.

These are the kinds of buildings that elsewhere would have been razed to the ground long ago to make room for malls, car dealerships and modern office buildings.

Wandering through the streets of Habana Vieja, as the locals call it, you can experience the charm of Cuba in a true sense like nothing else. And on the rooftops (that's me peeking out of a hotel rooftop structure where we enjoyed an exquisite candle-light dinner), the city looks otherworldly or, more to the point, from another time.