Cuba: The good, the bad, the ugly. While cycling in Cuba is very safe with little traffic it’s sad to see a country in decline. I have bike travelled in Cuba for over 25 years and their demise was so obvious this year. Life in Cuba is not easy as their survival and economy is crumbling more every year. In addition to the obvious decay of roads and buildings as well as the empty resorts what’s new this year are the daily blackouts caused by the shortage of oil that powers the country’s generators. Outside of resort areas, most communities only had 4-8 hours of power per day. As you can imagine this causes significant hardships and creates difficult conditions for citizens and businesses. Most casas had generators so they were able to have lights and cook for their guests. They were the lucky ones with a source albeit shrinking of hard currency which protected those who have it against the runaway inflation. A good example is the exchange rate for Cuban Pesos at banks (85) and what you got on the streets (200). Last year I got 100 pesos for a dollar so by this measure the cost of everything has doubled in one year. Yet you don’t see obvious homelessness or drug use we see in most North American cities. Travelling by bicycle allowed us to move around without worrying about fuel or cancelled buses. There is no obvious solution to their gigantic problems and it certainly makes you appreciate living in a stable democracy. The US is largely responsible for this situation with their 60 year long economic embargo. It’s an eye opener of the effectiveness of economic warfare. Elbows up everyone.
The conspicuous generator
The money traders
When garbage collection stops
Cuba: The good, the bad, the ugly.
While cycling in Cuba is very safe with little traffic it’s sad to see a country in decline. I have bike travelled in Cuba for over 25 years and their demise was so obvious this year. Life in Cuba is not easy as their survival and economy is crumbling more every year. In addition to the obvious decay of roads and buildings as well as the empty resorts what’s new this year are the daily blackouts caused by the shortage of oil that powers the country’s generators. Outside of resort areas, most communities only had 4-8 hours of power per day. As you can imagine this causes significant hardships and creates difficult conditions for citizens and businesses. Most casas had generators so they were able to have lights and cook for their guests. They were the lucky ones with a source albeit shrinking of hard currency which protected those who have it against the runaway inflation. A good example is the exchange rate for Cuban Pesos at banks (85) and what you got on the streets (200). Last year I got 100 pesos for a dollar so by this measure the cost of everything has doubled in one year. Yet you don’t see obvious homelessness or drug use we see in most North American cities. Travelling by bicycle allowed us to move around without worrying about fuel or cancelled buses. There is no obvious solution to their gigantic problems and it certainly makes you appreciate living in a stable democracy. The US is largely responsible for this situation with their 60 year long economic embargo. It’s an eye opener of the effectiveness of economic warfare. Elbows up everyone.