Part 7. In which we get lost...a bit.

We headed off in the direction of the artisan market, passed some interesting signs, ate some street food,and looked at some of the old cars that really are everywhere. I didn't quite believe people when they said the cars are everywhere but they really are.

As a matter of fact, when we hired a local guide the following day, we asked her about the cars. She said that very few of them have the original engines anymore, they have mostly been converted to diesel. She said that a Cuban National, basically a "regular" citizen can buy and sell these cars amongst each other, but they are about $13,000 (yes thousand) pesos, and when you make about $300 pesos a month, it's tough to save up. Plus, they cannot be sold without the hiring of a lawyer.


As for new cars, the only people who can buy those, are actors, government workers, sports figures (boxing and baseball are very big in Cuba). She said you have to be "rich and/or famous" and you generally have worked abroad, that's the only way to justify earning enough money to buy a car. A souvenir seller, restaurant worker, hotel employee will never be able to buy a new or newer car. You have to prove where you got the money. If you decide to sell the car, you have to sell it to the same dealer that you bought it from, and you don't profit.

Anyhow, we walked and walked around the same few blocks probably 4 times and not only did we not see the market, we didn't see the St John's Hotel either. We went up a few streets, down a few other ones, across a couple more, finally a fellow (who had probably watched us go by 4 times) asked us where we were going, in very broken English. I showed him on the map, and "Oh, yes, yes, you follow, I take you there. Where you from? Canada? Vancouver or Toronto?" He rapidly led us down some streets that we hadn't been on, around a few corners and talked a mile a minute. The only words I could make out were "leche" which I know is milk, "uno, duos, tres" as he held up three fingers, and "piccolo bambino" which is Italian for "small children" so I assumed it was the same in Spanish.

Oh Oh. Is he asking me for money so he can buy milk for his 3 small kids? Is this a scam as he leads me deep into the mean streets of Havana? We round yet another corner and he proudly points out a crappy looking hotel that does indeed have a sign saying "St John's". It was assuredly not the place we wanted, but he escorted us inside and I felt too bad to leave, so I tried to give him 2 pesos, which he refused and we waited until he left before we left ourselves and trudged back to the hotel. No market today.