"Havana" a Havana Travel Page by leffe3

Havana, pre-revolution, the most exotic of all Caribbean cities. A city of the night, where casinos, bars, sex, restaurants attracted money and all the associated trappings. And by day, the sun worshipping (or sleepng off the excesses of the night before and preparing for the night ahead). A hedonists delight but where only the few became rich.

But Havana was the key city in the Caribbean before casinos and the playground of (predominantly) US tourists. Founded in 1519, the city is sited at the mouth of a deep bay with a relatively small opening to the open sea - making it an ideal place to protect. Hence the Spaniards made this their chief Caribbean port, where the annual silver convoy bound for Spain from the Americas would gather. Thus the city of Havana boomed, reflected in the architecture of the city. Even today, it is seen as the best preserved surviving Spanish colonnial city in the New World.

Havana's glory is firmly in its past. Sadly, due to lack of money and foreign trade, along with the embargo placed upon the country by the US, the city is effectively falling apart. The grandeur of Spanish colonial buildings is being undermined by the sea air and neglect. The UN has declared Old Havana a World Heritage Site and Cuba therefore has access to funds for renovation. And this is happening - parts of the Old City are becoming considerably spruced up. Some foreign investment also helps (non-US companies) with several hotel chains represented in the city and which has resulted in direct renovation of the buildings. It is also rumoured that US companies, through off-shore interests, are holding the 'right of purchase' to many of the grander buildings in preperation for when the embargo is lifted.

Falling apart it may be, but Havana is an extraordinary place to visit. Home of 2 million, it's a vast, sprawling city predominantly spreading along the coast rather than inland. Most tourism is centred round the Old City with the occasional foray into the Centro and Plaza de la Revolucion. It's an incredibly welcoming city, there's little in the way of crass over-commercialism (it takes a day or two to realise that what is odd about Havana is that there's no advertising billboards except for political slogans!), traffic is not over-heavy (although the gas-guzzlers still use leaded petrol so there are times when you feel as if you have spent the day in a full underground car-park with every vehicle's engine running, belching exhaust fumes straight at you) and there's all those rum-based cocktails to try out.... :)