Cuba - Fusterlandia

Begun 20 years ago by José Fuster, Fusterlandia is on-going surreal art project covering several suburban blocks with Gaudi-like decorations and structures some 20k or so west of Havana Vieja.  

It was a long bike ride there that took me through the upscale neighbourhood of Miramar and along the coast to the district of Jaimanitas.  

 Colourful and whimsical mosaics cover houses and walls all over the neighbourhood and Fuster's studio is the centrepiece with all sorts of tile covered structures from foundation up two stories to the rooftop.  

After that long ride, I discovered that I'd arrived a lunch time and the studio was closed.  A guy who worked there assured me it would be open in 15 minutes at 1:00.  So I pedaled off to find a beach to sit on and wait.  

This spot looked idyllic but the odour of excrement on the ocean breezes drove me away before long.  

Arriving back at Fusterlandia shortly after 1:00, I was informed that it didn't actually open until 2:00.  Not feeling like waiting another hour, I hopped back on the bike and, frustrated, made the long ride back to Havana. 

A note about cycling in Havana........ Friends had warned me that cycling in Havana was a bad idea mainly due to the bad condition of the roads.  So it was with some trepidation that I rented a bike and set off.  However, once on the bike, I felt the happiest that I'd felt since arriving.  Starting off in the Old Town, rather than being an annoying obstacle, as they were when walking, the crowds seemed to part for me and I found the condition of the streets in general no worse than Mexico City, the drivers considerably more genial and much less traffic. The main drawback was the foul emissions from those old cars and trucks.