Tour of the most beautiful parts of Havana

I am so glad I took the walking and driving tour of Havana!  Until today, I had mostly only seen the most neglected parts of the old city.  Today, I learned there’s some very beautiful parts.  And more about the country as a whole.

My tour guide was really knowledgeable and bilingual.  I was the only client on the tour, so I got to ask a million questions!  While driving around, she showed me some of the different neighbourhoods in Havana.  Including one that was called, in Spanish, “forbidden” because it used to be a forested area where it was forbidden to build.  But they eventually did build some very beautiful houses there, where the rich lived before the revolution in 1959. The rich also lived in an area called Miramar “Sea View”.  The big beautiful houses in these areas were used for embassies and government offices after 1959.

During the drive, we also saw a big lovely park with a small river running through it.  The government is trying to clean the river, which has been polluted, mostly by the same types of sources we have at home.  But there is one very different source of pollution that Cuba has and will be difficult to stop.  The dumping of dead animals into the river by shaman, during rituals.  While there, two people were performing a ceremony.  There were three dead chickens on the shore waiting to be sacrificed….

While walking, the guide told me about Cuba’s building and infrastructure efforts.  The restored buildings are amazing!  And show a lot of vision.  In one plaza, the government destroyed an underground parking lot and streets that were built when the USA was mostly in control, to restore it to it to a grand walking plaza!

I learned that everyone must go to school until grade 9, but most continue to grade 12 because that’s almost necessary to get a job.  University is free for everyone and lasts 4 to 6 years.  Students can choose their program, based on their grades and aptitudes and availability.  All graduates are guaranteed a job.  Men must stay in that job for 2 years and do one year of military service.  Girls must stay in their “graduation” jobs for 3 years.  After that, you can change jobs, based on your skills and job availability.  Everyone makes almost the same salary, regardless of job.  Except for doctors who had their salaries doubled recently and service providers who might make tips.  Cubans are now allowed to have small private businesses.  But I still don’t know exactly what that implies.

Photos

#1 - A horse and buggy for tourists in one of the renovated parts of old Havana

#2 - A choir practicing inside a beautiful church

#3 - Antonio, a really nice 75 year old security guard at my hotel, in front of the main entrance doorway
#4 - A shaman performing a ceremony, and ready to sacrifice 3 chickens into the river
#5 - A Cuban man with a Tim Horton's T-shirt.  He had no idea that it's kinda symbolic!

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