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A Paradise Called Cuba |
Cuba Links at Bottom |
Cuba is a fascinating place. Visit La Habana Vieja and you'll see crumbling remains of the colonial era. People live and work in these once imposing buildings, darkened caves, some without windows or doors. Their former grandeur is apparent. You will occasionally see a renovated example of this fantastical architecture; these structures were renovated using gifts from Canada and Europe. Tourism is welcomed for the hard currency it brings to the country. The US dollar is the de facto currency of Cuba, much to the embarrassment of the government. An American cannot use credit cards drawn on a US bank, nor can we travel from the US to Cuba directly without a special visa. This means we must carry hundreds of dollars in cash with us. Locals are forbidden to approach tourists, even though the converse is permitted. |
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![]() Admittedly, Cuba is a scary place for a freedom loving guy like me. The day we arrived we were screened by three units of security personnel; each layer of security wore a different uniform. It's all part of the checks and balances of a totalitarian regime. Even though the locals cannot legally speak to you, they are economically desperate enough to walk by you and whisper their pitch to you, at the rate of about once every 20 seconds. It's amazing, you sit down and nobody speaks to you (you and they are being watched!). When you walk, they walk by you nonchalantly to try and sell you something (or plead for money). |
The morning after we arrived, at breakfast, we watched on television in the hotel restaurant, Fidel Castro giving his annual anti-American president speech. The waiter in the rooftop restaurant turned the volume up to double the comfortable listening level, for our benefit I am sure. He was trying to communicate to us through Castro, the very effective orator. Cubans hear the constant message from their government that America is evil, that we're depriving them participation in the world scene. We continue the bully act because Cuba is powerless and we won't change the 'status quo.' This being said, they know that America is where it's at, explaining the LOVE-HATE feelings they have toward us. Outside 'La Habana Vieja', there are 13 additional political districts. Many Canadians and Europeans opt for these 'other' districts. In the outlying beach areas, the stark reality of "El Cubano Olvidado" just isn't witnessed. |
![]() So why did we go to Cuba anyway? My wife had just graduated from university with a degree in English Literature, and she was drawn to the writing of the legend Ernest Hemingway and his utopian attachment to Cuba. |
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Lobby of the Park View Hotel on the left, and the restaurant on the top floor (great view). This is where we stayed, right in the heart of La Habana Vieja. |
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A side street in La Habana Vieja on the left. On the right, a sign, when translated to English says, "Revolution is defending the values that one believes is worth any sacrifice". |
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The wonderful old cars of Cuba. |
Some Cuba Links | |
Anti-Castro page (lots of pics)     | The Real Cuba |
Good B/W pics of Che and Fidel together     | El Che & Fidel |
Castro's speech database     | Speeches |
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