Life transpires in the street in Havana. In the morning people stand in their doorways having coffee, stand in small groups talking and planning their day, and some are walking their children to school. A few might even be going to work. In Habana Centro the buildings are dilapidated, the stairways are dirty and most of the plaster has fallen off, and often they are dark. Sometimes the contradiction in technology and color is striking. Here there is this bright new motor bike almost certainly of Chinese origin, the young guys in their brightly colored clothing, the new athletic shoes (Nikes?), and the dilapidated building, and the mix in skin tone/color that is the soul of Cuba. Life is incrementally getting better, but much of the country's infra-structure and many of its buildings are beyond salvage. Nonetheless the closeness of the neighborhoods makes for strong relationships and a lot of mutual concern, not a bad thing. Now if the government's social arms can get enough resources to improve things further for the people the country will be on the road to a better life.
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