The Reality of Life in Cuba…
Reality? There seems to be no middle class in Cuba. You are rich…or you are poor.
Our walking tour of Havana (read about it HERE) ended with a bus ride along the beautiful Malecon. (That’s the wide esplanade and seawall you see in so many Havana photos.) The buildings along that road were beautiful. Until they weren’t. That is the reality of Havana.
It truly seems there is no middle class in Havana.
Some of the hotels and apartment buildings were absolutely gorgeous, and we glimpsed some beautiful private gardens nestled behind wrought iron gates.
Kids played soccer in the church courtyard.
And beautifully clean laundry could be seen hanging from the most dilapidated balconies.
Tuesday must be a big laundry day in Havana!
Our hearts hurt for the poverty we witnessed, but one of our fellow travelers had a private conversation with a “local”. That man said many folks have lovely apartments BEHIND those rundown facades. That way the Communist government doesn’t know about their wealth!
Off To The Market…
Soon we arrived at the giant market housed in the warehouse building on the wharf.
The labyrinth of booths and hallways was typical of many markets I’ve experienced on many Caribbean islands.
In reality the vendors were VERY persistent. They didn’t take “no thanks” for an answer without a level of firmness in our voices. We discovered many of the trinkets and t-shirts were made in China and Haiti.
The vibrant artwork was my favorite to examine. (Notice some paintings were done on cardboard boxes!)
These two artists found a very productive way to pass the time between sales.
While we sat on a bench to “people-watch” were serenaded by two street performers. When they finished their song they were quite unhappy with the size of the tip we gave them. But it was all good.
Peepaw picked out a t-shirt and we headed back to the bus for the short trip back to our waiting ship. It was a wonderful day.
I’ve spent lots of time and energy sharing our Cuba experience with you. Now I’m anxious to share some recipes and some of our summer road trips and restaurant reviews with all of you too.
Connect With Meemaw…
Meemaw’s Tip: If you are on Facebook be sure to follow my Meemaw Eats Facebook Page. I post there almost every day. Also look for Meemaw Eats on Instagram. I often post what I’m cooking for dinner so you may find some inspiration there too. Heck, I even have a Facebook page for folks who love to grow and/or cook with fresh herbs! (I may be old…but I’m a Social Media Maven!)
Eventually I’ll come back to our Havana adventure. I’ll also show you some of the photos and stories that were shared with us by others we met on our NCL ship. And I’ll highlight our fun day on Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island and more food and fun onboard. But for now I’ll close with our departure from Havana in the wee hours of the morning.
As the city lights disappeared in the early morning darkness I said a prayer of thanks for the opportunity we were given to see that “beautifully sad” city.
We would go back in a heartbeat.
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