My first morning in Havana
The first morning we spent wandering around the streets of Havana getting a feel for the city. Given that Havana has a population of about 2.1 million and spans an area of approximately 281.18 square miles we barely covered any distance although we spent the entire day walking starting at about six thirty in the morning. Havana is the capital city, a major port and the leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century and given its strategic location it served as springboard for the Spanish conquest of the continent. Walls as well as forts were built to protect the old city. The sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine in Havana's harbour in 1898 was the immediate cause of the Spanish-American War. Havana attracts over a million tourists a year which I'm sure will increase substantially if and when the United States lifts its embargo on Cuba. At present, the embargo which limits American businesses from conducting business with Cuban interests is still in effect. However, despite the embargo the United States is the fifth largest exporter to Cuba (6.6% of Cuba's imports are from the US). However, Cuba must pay cash for all of its imports, as credit is not allowed. The historic centre in Havana was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. Havana is noted for its history, culture, architecture and monuments. The United States does not allow their citizens to enter Cuba (the specific restriction is against spending money in Cuba) without a license. Some Americans got around this law by travelling to Cuba from Canada or Mexico since Cuba does not stamp passports and has no problem with Americans coming into their country. However, now the U.S. government will allow its citizens to travel to Cuba with a license issued by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. An American citizen cannot travel to Cuba for purposes of tourism, however an American can get authorization to travel under the auspices of a program whose activities are sufficiently religious, educational or cultural.
 
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Wandering around the streets I tried to get a sense of the city. I noticed the buildings needed repair and paint jobs and there were electrical wires sticking out of walls. However, the buildings were old and still beautiful and there was colour everywhere. The streets were very busy with the children going to school and people going to work. There were not many traffic lights and you had to be really careful crossing the busy streets. Unlike many other cities I did not see any beautiful/glamorous shops or department stores. Of course there were restaurants and coffee/juice/food places and a few people selling souvenirs from tiny shops or stands. As in most countries where electricity is very expensive there was laundry hanging out to dry.
Looking at these old buildings I could only imagine how gorgeous they would have been when they were built.
Children walking to school. I just loved the colourful buildings.
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There were old cars and trucks everywhere which added to the charm of the city. There is a new law in Cuba that eliminates a special permit requirement that in the past greatly restricted vehicle ownership in the country. However, the people found that as they went to the car dealerships that the prices had been sharply hiked which only a few people would be able to afford. People are not allowed to import automobiles directly so the government retains its monopoly. Many of the used cars also had huge asking prices. A new Kia Rio hatchback that starts at $13,600 in the United States sells for $42,000 in Cuba. Or a fresh-off-the-lot Peugeot 508 family car, the most luxurious of which lists for about $53,000 in the U.K. will set a Cuban back $262,000. Cuban's Communist-run government traditionally has placed huge markups on retail goods and services paid for with hard currency, a policy that amounts to a tax on people who can afford such goods. The practise applies to everything from dried pasta to household appliances to Internet access.
Some of the building door were open so I took photos of some of the more colourful entryways. |
There were colourful doors and windows everywhere. |
Like all cities there was graffiti.
A working couple posing. We came across Cubans selling trinkets and/or all dressed up and happy to pose for tourists. These workers expected to be paid with a peso (CUC). Cuba has two currencies. The Cuban Convertible Peso or CUC(introduced in the early 90's) and the Cuban National Peso which is the currency of the average Cuban. Tourists deal only in CUC's which are based on the USD. A few times Cubans would ask you to take their picture and then demand payment. However, after being paid the people were happy to pose as long as you wanted. I never minded giving the people a peso but our Cuban guide, Liban was opposed to this practise. Perhaps his view was that this was contributing to the hassling of tourists and makes the Cuban people look bad. I did notice that even some children were asking for money although this was quite rare. I think Liban felt that this practise does nothing good for Cuba and the tourists in the long run.
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I noticed a lot of people sitting or standing outside of their homes.
Cubans are definitely poor by North American and Western European standards however compared to many if not most of their Caribbean neighbours they are better off. Cuba is a communist country that does not conform to the international conception of a democracy, however it does have its own version of elections. There is also a basic rationing system that provides every single citizen with enough food to survive on. Our guide took us to one of the "shops" where rations are available. The Cubans also receive heavily subsidized basic living expenses such as cheap to almost free housing, electricity and water. We were told that Cuban citizens always have a house to live in and cannot be evicted during their lifetime which explains why there are very few homeless people in Cuba. Cubans also receive free education and healthcare.
Here is a picture of the book that recorded rations that people received.
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Most people were happy to pose and have their picture taken for no compensation. I found the people in Cuba to be very friendly and for the most part they certainly seemed happy and proud of their country.
On our walk we came across kids hanging out and playing basketball at their school.
I took a look in a car shop. Cubans are experts in keeping old cars running. Because replacing a car is so difficult in Cuba, those lucky enough to own a Detroit classic or boxy Russian import go to great lengths to keep them on the road as long as possible, swapping in makeshift parts and resorting to creative soldering. As a result of necessity, Cubans are experts in repairing almost everything instead of just going out and replacing the item.
One of the shops I mentioned. There are many small shops that are now owned by the Cubans so people are now being allowed to own their own businesses.
Another place of business that I went into to photograph. Here the people were making shoes. We always asked permission to photograph these places and no-one seemed to mind us looking around.
An old interesting stairway.
This woman was very happy to have her picture taken and did not want anything in return. I read that according to an OECD ranking of countries based on per capital Cuba is ranked as being somewhere between the 109th and 152nd poorest out of 196 countries. Apart from the extremely low living costs many Cubans have other "business interests" outside of their regular jobs in order to make additional money. Some of this work allows them to earn more money than their government wages. Most Cubans still earn government salaries that average around $20 a month, though some make significantly more as musicians, artists, employees of foreign companies and diplomats and doctors sent on foreign missions. Many others get financial support from relatives overseas.