Havana, Cuba, November 2007


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1&2) The Cubana planes are of the same vintage as the ancient U.S. cars that prowl the streets of Havana, not a very reassuring thought as I boarded one in Cancun. 3) The other thing not reassuring was the frequent police check points. My van from the airport was stopped for about 10 minutes on the way in. Besides stopping cars, I saw the police checking pedestrians just about every time I went out. This is something that few tourists mention when raving about Cuba. This was the first overtly repressive country I have visited. I found this and the failed economy to be deeply disturbing and over shadowed an otherwise pleasant visit.

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4) There are constant reminders of the troubled U.S.-Cuba relations. Near the American Interest Section is this monument of black flags. It is used both as a reminder of the struggle against the U.S. and to block view of the messages displayed in the building windows. 5) Across from the José Martí Memorial is this giant wire sculpture of Che, the poster boy of the Cuban revolution. 6) Finally, in Central Havana I saw one of many pictures of President George W. Bush and Luis Posada, an ex-CIA operative. The later is accused of act of terrorism against Cuba. As of this writing Posada was reported to be living in Miami much to the displeasure of the Cubans who want him.

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