Havana's ruins

Wow!  I’ve never seen anything like old Havana.  At least the parts I saw today.

Old Havana is a little like the walled part of Quebec City.  It has narrow sidewalks and streets, just wide enough for one person and one car. Really old colonial style buildings, most 2-3 floors high, beside each other like townhouses.  When you look into the doorways from the street, you can see narrow stairways, small courtyards and mini balconies, all mostly in ruins.  But lots of people seem to live there and operate tiny businesses.

In these old buildings and streets, I saw a woman selling coffee in tiny cups, through an iron gate, to people on the street.  I bought a small pizza from a man whose work space was under a stairwell, in a space about 4 feet wide.  There were a few fruit carts, a man using a stationary bicycle to sharpen knives, a shop for shaman things, and many bicycle taxis. 

While walking along the waterfront and shopping in a large art/souvenir stuff warehouse, I spoke to a man who used to be a coach for Cuba’s sprint kayak and canoe team and who’s travelled to many cities in Canada. And Rilke, a driver of a vintage car taxi who explained that Cubans were always allowed to sell the cars they owned before the Revolution in 1959.  But, only recently have they been allowed to sell new cars they acquired after that.  This is because the only new cars people could get after the 1959 Revolution were gifts from the government for being long term exemplary workers.

It appears that Raul Castro, who became president after his brother Fidel became ill, is more moderate and has been slowly changing some government policies.  Very complex and interesting!

Photos:
#1-A street vendor in the "ruined" part of old Havana

#2 - One of the 1000 or so vintage cars in Havana

#3 - a view into one of the doorways in the "ruined" parts of old Havana

#4 - A shaman shop in old Havana
#5 - A bicycle taxi in old Havana - there are lots of them!!!