Habana

We were in Havana, Cuba this past weekend, such is the advantage of living in Cayman - quick weekend getaway trips, with direct flights to boot. Havana is historically beautiful, albeit rundown in certain areas, more like every other building yet they all still manage to exude charm that is hard to ignore or go unappreciated.

Being in Havana, makes me so thankful that I have never had to abide by communist rules or should I say a socialist regime in all five of the countries I've lived in. Watching Cubans trying to make a living, earning the same no matter what their occupation, it seems the best industry to be in is Tourism, where gratuities can be the only from of savings Cubans can put away for a really rainy day. That is if the government doesn't get to it first, as recounted by many resort employees during our 2004 Cayo Coco, Cuba vacation.

But the other aspect of it is, with that much pollution, smog and vehicle exhaust from vintage American cars still in use from the pre revolution era and where no one seems to drive with their a/cs on & their windows rolled up, it's a breath of fresh air to finally be back in Cayman. It's amazing how much we can take for granted something as little as fresh air. Or uncontaminated water.