Scenes of Havana

I arrived in the Havana bus station early in the morning ready to find a place to stay. I enjoyed Daisy’s guest house but decided to be open to other possibilities. I walked through the light rain to make it to the capitol building then took shelter when the rain really started to come down. A very cool woman sat down next to me and we hit it off right away. Once the rain calmed down we walked to Old Havana on our way to look for one of her friends that had an extra room and a computer. We saw a few other places along the way but eventually we made it to her friends beautiful little apartment in the heart of Old Havana and I was able to stay there for my last few nights in Cuba. It was illegal for me to stay there, but it was only for a few days and it was so comfortable. We worked out a great deal for both of us and the Cuban government didn’t get a peso. It was perfect. I hung out with my new friends for the last few days touring the city and eating great meals with them. They told me a lot about the inner workings of the CDR (Committee for the Defense of the Revolution) and about Cuban politics in general. For that reason I won’t post any photos of them or mention their names. After my own travels throughout Cuba and subsequent discussions with them I have to say that I am not a fan of the Cuban government despite some of their successes. Free health care and education are terrific, an extremely low crime rate is great, successful sports and cultural programs are nice. While all of those successes are commendable, they are not the only measuring sticks of a great society. In any case I’m sure that real change will occur in Cuba and I think it will come about that much faster if all trade barriers are taken down between the US and Cuba and relations are normalized. Once Cuba can’t spin the United States into a perceived enemy the government will have to answer to its own failures and repressive measures.

On a lighter note, here are some of the best photos of Havana without commentary. Enjoy!





















































































































Worn boat keel