Cuba, My Final Take

I fell in love with Havana.  At first, I was a little nervous. After leaving the airport we drove through revolution square and you could feel the repression. But once we got into Havana, the island began to open up.  Despite being poor and oppressed, the Cuban people were warm and welcoming.  After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US turned the screws and the city began to decay.  There’s a beauty in the colorful ruins, but also a sadness that this once jewel of the Caribbean resembles Syria in places. But it’s beginning to change. Once Raul Castro took power in 2008, he began to loosen the screws. Artists and Musicians and Chefs are beginning to make money and in turn are restoring the Spanish style masterpieces into boutique hotels and restaurants.  You can feel these mini revolutions bubbling to the surface, giving the people hope for a better future. I can’t wait to go back to the place Hemingway called home for nearly two decades.