I believe I am the only Cornerite to have seen Castro in Havana up close. I described the experience in The Outside Story in 21 years ago.

Curiously, [Havana] has many of the qualities associated with capitals of regimes that the forces of progress seek to overthrow. The leader, when he appears in public, is always in uniform. The streets are slow and somnolent. Most of the buildings are old, charming and slightly decayed; a few are new, ugly, and falling apart. The police are brisk and visible….
Castro listened while [Jesse] Jackson spoke. He is getting on. He is stout now, and the hair is graying, which pictures convey. The surprise was the face–lined, softening, the face of an English eccentric, Mr. Dick perhaps. He could still give five speeches before breakfast.