Cuba - Still a Colorful Country

The visit to Cuba was instructional - it went far beyond what I was able to teach in years of university teaching of geography.
The first thing that struck me were the taxis lined up in from of our hotel -- mostly late 'fifties cars from the U.S. The 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air seemed to be the most popular. Our ride in a convoy of them -- all convertibles -- on our last evening in Havana was a real treat. We were told that Cuban mechanics and metal fabricators have to be really creative to keep them running. They definitely keep them painted in bright colors. Cuba is a colorful country, and the music and art were impressive. The food we were served was great, but learning about the lack of availability of a variety of foods that the average Cuban can afford to buy made our food taste a little less good.. Cubans whom we met seemed friendly and open in conversations; and really wanted us to know them. A big treat was the visit to the neighborhood of Muraleando, where a grass-roots arts center has been developed and is operated entirely by volunteers. They had us dancing to their music in spite of our old knees.