A shop on Obispo Street last January while in Havana. The street has changed dramatically since I was last there (5 years earlier). Many more shops, lots of them selling souvenirs and other kitschy items. A quick survey indicated almost all of it was manufactured in China. It's then not a lot different than Myrtle Beach or Gatlinburg. While we there a friend purchased her own house. She had saved for 12 years and got enough together to make the purchase. Things are slowly changing, the government has gotten much more active in the micro management of the tourist industry. Perhaps good for them, but those who were trying to work independently are being effectively squeezed out of business.
