Cuba (Havana)

---

Whilst in Cancun, I had assumed that I could purchase a ticket through Cuba´s national airline, Cubana, without any problems. Prior investigation revealed that flights are normally fully booked up for the next couple of days. However, their website is a little behind as I discover that the next flight is 8 days away when arriving into Cancun, and I don´t want to spend 8 days in Cancun! Fortunately, Cubana has a sales office in Cancun which are very helpful in finding me two cancellations - departing on the 20th and returning on the 24th. I´m wary that this might not be enough to see Havana, but it turns out to be just right. Prior planning is required as you can only take one of four currencies to Cuba - Canadian Dollar, Swiss Franc, Euro and the British Pound. Patriotically, I opt for the latter. It´s also best to exchange Mexican Pesos at the airport rather than in Cancun where rates average 17.5 pesos to the pound whereas I recieved 21.9 at the airport.

My first introduction to the oddities of the Cuban economy is when I arrive at Cancun airport. I had become suspicous when the Cubana sales office told me to be at the airport for a 11.30 even though my flight was at 18:45. When I arrive there are four lines being checked in - two for Cubans and two for tourists. The latter are being scheduled on an earlier flight, although they don´t know what the time will be until they have finished checking everybody in. It´s not until the last minute that a departure time appears on the board and we finally take off around 16:00 (this is fortunate as the forthcoming delays would´ve meant me arriving into Havana in the middle of the night if I caught the original 18:45 flight). The plane is interesting with no Cubana logos and which suspiciously looks like a re-conditioned Soviet plane, equipped with a couple of propellors. However, it takes us safely to Havana, a 1.5 hour flight, with a further 2 hours to negotiate customs despite there being 22 immigration desks! They don´t stamp my passport but do take a photograph of me; perhaps influenced by U.S. tourists who are still prohibited by their Government to visit Cuba.

After eventually discovering my rucksack dumped in the corner of the baggage hall, I catch a taxi into Havana Vieja. The taxi is an old but pristine U.S. car; I don´t quite catch what the driver says but it´s either 47 years old or built in 1947. These type of cars are common throughout Havana and are an interest all of their own. Hotels in Havana are extremely expensive; the much better alternative is staying in a Casa Particular i.e. staying in a family´s spare room. It´s like couch surfing, communist style! Apparently, families were allowed licences to rent out their spare rooms for extra cash following the collapse of the Soviet Union which had financed Cuba to the tune of $5billion a year. My favoured Casa is full for the first night so I stay with another local family - very welcoming and a very nice place with a giant breakfast. My second night is at my favoured Casa La Verde which I´d recommend to anyone. It´s an over the top colonial house with just about every bit of colonial bric-a-brac imaginable. It´s like I was sleeping in a museum! Both of these Casa´s were in Havana Vieja amongst filthy streets and decaying buildings. If it were any other city you would immediately feel uneasy but locals are friendly (or at least don´t hassle you) and seem happy in what seem to be third world conditions at times.

From the two Casas, I wander the old town which is undergoing a painstaking renovation. The renovation seems to be restricted at the moment to key landmark buildings, main squares and main thoroughfares linking such renovation works. Elsewhere, Havana seems to be an infinte city of decaying colonial granduer. I had not anticipated the area which colonial Havana would cover - it seems endless - and the selection of photographs on facebook are the tip of an iceberg where thousands could have been taken. The streets are often filthy and poorly lit and what you assume as being a derelict ruin is often occupied by a very full family. Shops and services are in short supply. On the night of my arrival, I had walked 8 blocks until I found a restaurnat selling food (the menu was more restricted than its two pages indicated; rice, salad and chicken). Bread shops are common but not much else. There are no supermarkets and whilst small shops do exist they are often bereft of any decent food items (normally containing soap, cans of pop, rum, biscuits etc). Even the clothes shops appear to be second hand bargain basement stores in dilapadated surroundings, and these are the better ones!

Of course, there is a flip side to all this and that is the impact of tourism. Because there is a dual money system in Cuba (tourist use Cuban Convertable Pesos ´CUC´whilst Cubans can use standard Cuban Pesos), tourists pay high prices for almost anything. To me, this is a good idea as it seems to be financing the restoration of Havana. However, it is also a double edged sword as those very restored places appear to be catering more towards the tourist. It was sad to see a Paul & Shark shop in Plaza Vieja; I´ve never seen a shop look so out of place. Whilst I only saw another two western shops (both Adidas), perhaps they are sign of things to come. I just hope the Cuban Government keeps a tight control on occupancy and usage of these restored buildings.

Amongst the streets of Havana Vieja, I wander through Plaza Vieja. This has been almost wholly restored and is now a favourite hunting ground of tourists dining in the expensive restaurants, although some museums do exist (none took my fancy). Unfortauntely, whilst the buildings have been well restored, the floor treatment has not. It is quite obvious how grey modern floor bricks ahve been used whilst original cobblestones continue on the connecting streets. It creates an unfortaunte jarring effect and only adds to the feeling that the place is becoming commercially orientated towards tourists.

Continuation north from Plaza Vieja leads to Plaza de San Francisco with its large church whose construction was begun in 1608. This is the first stop for the cruise liner tourists and therefore attracts the type of fake entertainment that only cruise liner tourists appear ameniable to.

Further north is Plaza de Armas. This has been partially restored and seems to resemble the Plaza as it was centuries ago. Locals have stalls selling second hand books and happily chat amongst themsleves on the ornate steel benches places amongst the well kept gardens. It is a great place to take a seat yourself and soak up the history and the pleasantness of the surroundings. On the northeast side of the Plaza is the Americas´oldest colonial fortress, the Castillo de la Real Fuerza, built betwen 1558 and 1577. The west tower is crowned by the famous bronze weather vane La Giraldilla; you might recognise her from the Habana Club logo.

It is a small walk to the Catedral located in Plaza de Catedral. Similar to Plaza de Armas, the buildings which surround the Plaza seem to be largely untouched and not in need of any obvious restoration. The Plaza is dominated by tables of a nearby cafe/restaurant but these seem not to unduly detract from the originality of the place. The Catedral also allows a scale of one of its Bell Towers. The view of Havana is not as impressive as I had predicted but it is immediately noticebale how the Capitolio Nacional building dominates the skyline much in the same way as St Pauls does in London.

Unfortunately, Capitoloio Nacional is closed for refurbishment. If the inside is as impressive as the outside then there is much to admire. It is similar to the US Capitol Building and was initiated in 1929. It took 5000 workers three years, two months and 20 days to build at a cost of US$17 million.

Next to Capitiolo Nacional is the very beautiful Gran Teatro de La Habana, built between 1907 mand 1914. This, along with Capitolio Nacional, are the most impressive buildings in Havana. I miss out of seeing the inside the Teatro as a concierto had bought a ticket for was restricted to one of the side rooms. Doh!

I also visit Parque Historico Militar Morro-Cabana across the harbour (it begins badly as I catch the wrong boat!) It is occupied by two structures: the Castillo de los Tres Santos Reyes Magnos del Morro and the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana. The former was erected between 1589 and 1630 on an abrupt limestone headland to protect entrance into the harbour. In 1762 the British captured El Morro by attacking from the landward side and digging a tunnel under the walls. Hence, the latter was constructed between 1763 and 1774 and is one of the largest colonial forstresses in the Americas. Both occupy dominant positions from across the harbour and afford great views of Havana (again, Capitolio Nacional dominating the skyline). The complex is huge with many areas to explore. The size of the fortess and number of cannons is testament to how much the Spanish wanted to avoid another British invasion. In its latter days, the fortress was used by dictators Gerardo Machado y Morales and Batista as a military prison. Even more latterly, Che Guevara established his revolutionary headquarters here and as such many of the exhibits are dedicated to the life of Che Guevara. One of Che´s many achievements was overcoming Batistas men totalling some 10,000 with only 300 guerilla fighters. Batista fled the country after the revolution with US40$ million in Government funds.

I spend my last two nights in an apartment in the Verdado district. This is much more a of a commercial modern area relative to Havana Vieja. It has hotels and the main university thus making it the place to party. It is from here that I visit the U.S. Interests Section building; this being the centre of Cold War style wrangling since it opened in 1977. Unsurprisingly, police presence around the building is extensive and I am whistled at a few times just for stopping on the footpath! Interestingly, in 2006 the U.S. began broadcasting messages and news through an electronic billboard. In response, the Cuban Government built an anti-imperialism park outside with hundreds of flagpoles to obscure the billboard! The billboard seems to have disappeared (perhaps as a result of a softer approach under Obama) but the flags and park remain.

I also visit the much lauded necropolis but am a little disapointed. In effect, it´s just a large cemetery of the scale and granduer that you would expect of a capital city. It is also nowhere near as impressive as the cemetery in Buenos Aires.

Parqe Lennon is also visited which includes a surreal bronze statue of John Lennon sat on one of the park benches. Interestingly, I overhear the guide of a tourist group commenting on how Cubans were barred from listening to The Beatles until the early 1970s as the Government were wary of allowing English (i.e. U.S.) influences.

Plaza de Revolucion was also visited, the scene of huge public addressments by Fidel Castro; apparently up to 1.2 million people gathered. I suspect this figure might be inflated as the scene of my visit is similar to a deserted car park. The star shaped column and Jose Martin statue are ok. It seems ironic that they were erected under the dictator Batista to celebrate Jose Marti but is now more famous for Fidel Castro´s gatherings.

My last morning is spent waiting to purchase a ticket for a tour of the cigar making factory, located behind Capitolio Nacional. The factory has been closed for 4 days and is due to open at 9am that morning which I have to make as my flight is at lunchtime. Frustratingly, I am told that availablity won´t be allowed to later that morning at the latest. However, I head to the factory to purchase a Romeo y Juliet cigar; the cigar of choice for Winston Churchill! Upon arrival I notice that tours are being conducted but only for some of the 5 star hotel attendees. This is frustrating and only goes to show a growing disparity between tourists (and their conditioned visits) with the true authenticity of Cuba.

Havana really is a fascinating place, full of contradictions. Everybody seems to be very content with what they have despite living in conditions that border on third world at times. The colonial architecture is amazing and extremely wide spread but is crumbling after centuries of neglect. What seems a very unsafe environemnt at times is actually a very safe place. The U.S. cars from the 1940s sharing the road with modern European cars. Lastly, the uneasy relationship of tourist orientated resturants and emerging shops (where only the tourist currency CUC can be used) against the extremely cheap ice cream and bread shop which the locals use with their currency. At times, It feels like two cities mixed into one.

Interesting times are ahead for Cuba. It seems to be at that tipping point and I feel very fortunate to have visited Havana at the current time. The Government has launched a public debate on plans to transform its socialist economy by reducing the role of the state and boosting private enterprise. Ordinary Cubans are being encouraged to discuss the changes so their views can be taken into account at a ruling communist party congress next April. Before present day Cuba sees in theose anticipated changes, I would urge anybody thinking of visiting Cuba to do it right now.

---