Havana (March 11)

After breakfast we boarded our bus for a trip to a local food co-op and market.

As a quick bit of background, at the present time the government controls most businesses and professions.  It sets the salaries.  The salaries are very low compared to the cost of goods sold.  The government controls and rations some food staples, but the ration is insufficient by itself.  Cuban families spend a great deal of time trying to stretch part of the small salary to get the most food for the lowest cost.  They also look for ways to make extra money.  

In this system, a doctor of medicine can make far more money moonlighting as a cab driver than the meager salary she or he receives from the government for his or her professional services.  

We were told that the government has recognized that it has created a welfare state and is now trying to wean people off it by introducing incentive programs and private business opportunities.  Owning a taxi is one.  So are the paladars (private restaurants).

Now, back to the co-op and market.

First we visited the co-op with its dilapidated interior, ancient equipment and scant supplies.

Adjacent to it was the open-air market with its limited variety of produce and meat, the latter being prohibitively expensive for many Cubans. For this reason, Cubans sometimes refer to the butcher counter as the "Meat Museum".

We returned to the hotel for a great lecture and Q&A session with Marc Frank, author of Cuba Revelations: Behind the Scenes in Havana. 

At the end of the session I asked him about the book that I was current reading, Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana by by William M. LeoGrande and Peter Kornbluh.  He considered it highly credible. 

We had lunch at the paladar Cafe Laurent.  Getting to it involved a scary elevator ride up but it had a nice view and good food.  Walking down the five flights of stairs trumped getting back on the elevator.

Next we traveled to the Marianao neighborhood of Havana to meet with members of the theater company Estudio Teatral La Chinche. This included seeing them act out a scene from a play (translated by Hilary and Marlon) followed by a Q&A session.

Our last stop of the day was at Plaza de la Revolución.   The centerpiece of the plaza is the José Martí Memorial.

On the Ministry of the Interior is an image of huge mural of Che Guevara with the inscription  “Hasta la Victoria Siempre” (Always Toward Victory).

The mural on the telecommunications building is that of Camilo Cienfuegos.  The inscription reads “Vas Bien Fidel” (You're going well, Fidel).

Someone asked our guide why images of Fidel were not more prevalent here and all over Cuba.  The answer was that Fidel still being alive, he was not yet an icon of the revolution.  

For any conspiracy theory junkies reading this post, the betrayal of Che Guevara in Bolivia and the mysterious plane crash that killed Camilo Cienfuegos eliminated two potential rivals leaving Fidel Castro the undisputed leader of the main faction of the revolution.  From what I have read, there is no hard evidence to support a suggestion that Castro was involved in the demise of either man.  There is a new book by Cuban journalist Alberto Müller coming out that accuses Fidel of betraying Che.

On our own for dinner, Pam and I walked to a paladar called Le Atelier at which we had a reservation. The food was excellent but our waitress was not.

We walked back to the hotel to finish packing in preparation for our departure to Santa Clara tomorrow.