After a few days in Havana, I discovered myself getting vaguely comfortable with how daily life worked. The routine was both basic and comfortable. Have my breakfast, usually consisting of some pressed black-market ham and cheese, and some rather dry toasted bread. Get the espresso pot going with some of Karen’s good black-market Venezuelan coffee. I’d then walk over to the living room and click on the rather large flat-screen and watch some state-TV news, which was usually all that was on during the morning.
Unfortunately it was quite boring and a bit on the sugar-coated side. If you were to believe all the feature stories, Cuba’s government was: actively patching up all its potholed roads; fixing schools; installing traffic lights in dangerous intersections; and ensuring that all citizens have adequate transit service to and from work. (more…)