Cuba - Final Havana

Returning to Havana prior to my flight back to Mexico, I had a day to kill and spent much of it wandering the neighbourhood around my casa. 

Central Havana is a gritty, high-density area, people crammed into crumbling, old buildings 

 

                       No peeing here

and streets that look like a war zone, 

But everybody's lookin' good.

Barber shops and beauty salons abound.   







I'm sure there is much more to Havana, and Cuba in general, than I saw in my brief time there.  And, in fact, there were many gems amidst the rubble: well restored buildings and public spaces, sights I'm grateful to have seen. 

         

Bike powered knife   sharpener guy

That's the end of my Cuba experience.  I left there at the end of January so I've had a lot of time to reflect on my visit.  For the most part, I did not enjoy Cuba.  The poverty, the poor conditions and the scammers put me off.  It was interesting as a study of a very differently organized society and there were many beautiful sights and lots of photo ops.  But I wouldn't go back and was happy to get aboard that flight to Mexico City.