Cuba – fascinating, nostalgic and incredible sad.
My Dad, Viola and me travelled the whole island searching for the amazing images people have in mind when thinking of Cuba. But to say the truth it was only partially discoverable in Hanava, the capital. Houses, streets, cars everything was extremely run down, people didn’t have the money or the muse to keep it alive. Internet was forbidden to be used by Cubans, we could only access certain parts in overpriced hotels. Cellphone were still quite unpopular, the good old phone booth helped to communicate. My being this 50’s car lover was still damn happy to have daily access to those wonderful creatures. The glamours Cadillacs or better Mercurys are long gone, those five left are overpriced tourists taxis. Most of them were simple Chevys which miss windows, mirrors, seats and sometimes even a door, but they still provided the living cost for a whole family. Politics were extremely corruptive, prices are the same as in Europe, what makes access to most nice amenities impossible for cubans since there are two different currencies, obviously the cuban one is extremely low. Fortunately I was able to do some personal work even though my models got in serious trouble with the police. (on every citizen comes 3 policemen) If a cuban is not holding a tourist-guide there are not allowed to talk or be seen with tourists… It is so cruel and unfair to see that a government is treating their own people worse than foreigners. Money rules so does the foreigner.
