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| El
Corazon de Cuba Atenas de Cuba People-to-People Program |
| Dispatch 9 - Havana suburb
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The
collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of  Cuba’s
favorable trade relations with the Soviet bloc had caused a severe oil
shortage. The government was
forced to switch to importing cheaper (and dirtier) diesel. Driving, for most,
became unaffordable. People switched to bikes, horses, flatbed trucks, taxis,
semi-trucks hauling passengers in refitted trailers, anything but private
cars. Traffic is light and Havana unlike most third world capitals, is
gridlock-free. All these various forms of transit somehow all worked together on
one street. After dinner, we took a walk to the Havana Libre (formerly the
Havana Hilton). When Fidel’s victorious bearded rebels entered Havana, they
replaced the Mafia (our Mafia) on the top floors of the then brand new
building, at least as the legend goes. Today, across the street, there
are two ice cream stands - one to purchase in pesos and one for dollars. It
was Sunday night, and the line at the peso stand stretched for a
block. Most of the crowd was young. |
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