| A bus took us the two hour ride into Cuba's
capital, and we got the usual tourist treatment: a walk through the old city, a chance to
buy rum and cigars, an hour to shop for trinkets in the large downtown market, two meals
to keep us from getting hungry, and the visit to the Tropicana show. It's OK, never mind
the "tourist stuff" - dig on the web or in a good guide to get a complete
picture of the city. But let me show you a few images of the city that may stir your
thoughts. These images will stay in my own mind as vignettes from this once great city of
Havana... |
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Tourists travel by bus, right? And the number on our bus is
"700", and we better remember it as we will need to pick it out of a string of
parked buses whenever we need to return to our seats to press on to the next stop. |
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| These buses are modern and comfortable. Cuba can only order them from
places that do not trade with the US. The current set of buses could be gotten from a
Volvo subsidiary in Brazil. But some ownership changes of that company closed Volvo as a
source, and now Cuba is looking at Mitsubishi as future supplier - but there seems to be a
snag somewhere. But I am sure they'll resolve it somehow and keep these buses running... |
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Connie and Rol, our travel companions. |
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Not far from our starting point, just past the town of Matanzas, Cuba's
highest bridge gives us a chance to snap a picture along the highway.
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| Eventually, we are in Havana. A view of the city through
the fogged-up glass of the hotel's window shows houses and backyards, right down to the
ocean front. |
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We don't stay overnight, but have a chance to change at dinner time and
thus were assigned a room for maybe half an hour. |
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The old city has churches and old buildings dating back
hundreds of years. In many places, renovations are being made to restore some of the
old glory. I do not take pictures of the decaying parts of the city - to point at these
would seem like a violation of dignity of the people that live there. |
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 How
did that rooster get up there, two stories high in the apartment building? And where are
his hens? |
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Yes, we take pics and point at things. Because the city is interesting. |
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| Kids in school use the streets for play as part of phys
ed - but is it real? Such societies are so conscious of what they show to the public that
one wonders whether some staging goes on. But these kids we see are well looked after and
it would jive with what we hear about their education system. |
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| Vehicles can be quite primitive, like the bicycle taxi,
or the moving cart. |
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And a chair can be repaired on the street. |
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Cars are often dated as well - the street scene has aspects of an outdoor
museum. Cubans keep old cars running. One of the common major modifications is the
replacement of the old gas-guzzling engine with something more frugal. Like this
Studebaker seems to have a little Hundai engine, as the "H" symbol on the corner
of the hood indicates. |
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The revolution celebrates its victory with a monument and a showcase of
some military hardware. The current government rules from some non-descript buildings
nearby. |
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The old parliament building, el Capitolio, has been assigned some
insignificant function. Its street is still a major avenue, but the facades are
trite and traffic volume is pathetic, like in most parts of the city. |
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I place myself at a lamp post beside the curb and snap a stream of traffic
images. But instead of a quick succession of fleeting cars and buses, I must wait long
between shots and am thankful for "any" movement on the road. There isn't much
going on... |
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We stay for dinner and the show, and then head home, worn out from a long
day. |
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