After more than five decades, the US and Cuba have formally agreed to restore diplomatic relations later this month. While the stagnant island nation braces for change, Business Insider recently sent three reporters to Havana to experience the surreal time warp of this tropical nation.
We'll have lots of stories about our adventures on the island, which you'll be able to find here.
Scroll down to see our favorite shots and the stories behind them.
SEE ALSO: The 18 most gorgeous classic cars we saw on the streets of Havana
SEE ALL OF OUR ADVENTURES: Business Insider goes to Cuba
These two local women wearing traditional garb called out to us as we passed by on our way to Plaza Vieja. The 92-year-old woman on the left told us that she smokes everyday and her health is in excellent condition. They asked us for a few coins each after we took a few photos of them.
Until Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries took over the country in 1959, Cuba was once the top importer of North American-manufactured cars. The cars are commonly referred to as "yank tanks." We saw a man sleeping in the passenger seat of a "yank tank" outside of the second-largest church in Cuba, Iglesia de Jesús de Miramar.
For the next 50 years, owners of these "coches Americanos" would be forced to improvise repairs without access to replacement parts.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider