I went to Cuba years ago when a window of oportunity opened in the 1980's. I was young then and it all seemed so sad and dilapidated in Havana. Then the door to the US closed.
It is now 2016 and once again, I find myself in Cuba...a country that until now the world has been visiting but citizens of the US were not allowed. Now, after 80 years, we are again permited to visit.
This fall, there are 6 US airlines that have asked permission to fly from the US to various cities in Cuba. Cruise ships are planning stops and hotel companies are getting ready to build on the facades of those historic dilapidated buildings. Here in Havana where their capitol building was created to mimic our own, tourism is on the rise. Restaurants are opening daily with owners given permission to make a profit on their own. Private enterprise is permitted and the countryside is awash in new enterprizes.
The Russians left Cuba in 1989 and across the Cuban countryside everything fell into disprepare. After the gloroious days when Fidel made trade deals with all the communist countries and Cubans were living in the lap of Russian luxury, when the Berlin Wall fell with the colapse of the cold war, Cuba colapsed as well. Blackouts were regular and food and water were in scarce supply.
Today with toursim at an ever increasing demand, the Cuban economy is rebounding. Iberostar and Melia hotel groups have created large properties hosting thousands daily. 4 & 5 star hotels, guest houses, restaurants and clubs are filled to the brim daily with visitors from across the globe. Tour buses are full and there is a lot to see and enjoy. Not only the history of these wonderful old buildings is blosoming, but museums, botanical gardens and small cities in the mountains as well as by the sea are weloming to everyone.
The public buildings are still very empty and in ruins....but all is changing fast. Now is the time to visit the new Cuba, before it turns into a place that will be like all the rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment