CUBA

I left Cuba as depressed as its people.  A nation, whose vibrancy and hope for a better life stalled more than a half century ago.  Promised a utopia by Fidel Castro, its failure left the nation listless, poor and dreaming of a new life in Miami.
 
Few bits of everyday life were not controlled by the central government.  Meat and fish were rationed to state restaurants.  The most notable evidence of free enterprise were“paradores”—-homes opened to guests, with meals served out of small kitchens.  Most of the country lived off rice and beans and bananas, with beef a scarcity.

And Havana’s touted colonial architecture?  Very few facades had been restored.  Vintage cars were a main draw, the most popular was the ’57 Chevy.  It’s once venerated music scene was limited to a few tourist spots.

The country produces very little.  Its major exports are cigars, sugarcane and rum.  Near the top of its revenues producers is tourisms.  The state has created a beach front for foreigners seeking winter sun.  Typically, they fly in, then hop straight to the coast.  Missing Havana altogether. Cuba is great—-the beaches, that is.