CUBA UNFILTERED: A WALK THROUGH CENTRO HAVANA

Whilst Habana Vieja is the area where most travelers make a beeline for, it can get quite touristy - especially Obispo Street and Paseo del Prado on weekends. The place is lined with awe-inspiring colonial buildings in all their crumbling glory and permeated with an intoxicating mix of salsa, rumba, and rum - and I highly recommend a full day in the area, but for a more authentic peek at everyday Cuban life, Centro Havana is where the curious visitor should go. I can't say I'm at expert at Cuban life after a walk through the delightfully gritty and unfiltered streets of Centro Habana, but it does provide a glimpse of it - it is a microcosm of life in Havana where music, dance, passion, ration stores, and socialist ideologies are all stirred together in an eclectic pot that makes this destination truly unique and enigmatic.

Habana Centro is one of the best places to wander around aimlessly and get lost in Havana, but it can be intimidating to the uninitiated. It is a safe place to explore solo during the day, but it's best to steer clear of its dark and unlit side streets at night. A quick tip: I always oriented myself to the direction of the Malecon, Havana's hard-to-miss seaside boulevard that spans the districts where travelers are most likely to explore during their stay in this city that has been stuck in a time warp since the 1950s.

Above: a kitchen that provides free food for locals who need it. Below: a friendly baker on the side streets of Habana Centro.

Above: no Starbucks fix here, just your friendly neighborhood coffee shop. Below: a bag depository before going into the shop.

Above: women multi-tasking - chatting on the doorstep of their homes while selling local biscuits. Below: local shops selling sandwiches.

We walked around early in the day and there was a constant - albeit milder - hubbub of activity. Our local guide told us that it comes more alive in the late afternoon when more locals gather outside, play sports on the streets, talk to neighbors from their balconies, and check out passing men and women from the comfort of their doors.

Above: commerce is everywhere - a local barber sets up shop in what looks like an old garage. Below: furniture and appliances being moved into a casa - someone's been shopping!

Above: a manually-pedalled taxi plying the streets of Habana Centro - best for short distances. Below: playing street chess in the middle of the day.

Cuba is one of the last remaining socialist countries that practice Marxist-Lenin ideologies. Its economy is controlled by the state - services such as health, dental, education are provided for by the government. It also provides its citizens with ration stores that sell food and household supplies at a nominal cost.

Above and below: entering a ration store and seeing a libreta (ration book), a common sight in every Cuban household. It's a needed record for them to avail of and track monthly staples.

Cubans are not allowed to buy or sell properties. Homes are provided by the government and are passed on from one generation to another. There are no property taxes imposed upon these homes, but they do pay mortgage at a maximum percentage of 10% vis-a-vis the total combined household income.

Several private businesses are now popping up in and around Centro Habana and beyond, now that the government has allowed locals to own one in certain sectors. Highly regulated, but still a sign of progress. Baby steps.

Above and below: an artist's studio in one of the side streets of Centro Habana. It also doubles as a bar at night.

We popped into a local handicraft market catering to locals and we were the only foreigners there. There is nowhere as stark a contrast in the divide between locals and foreigners as in Cuba, where a dual currency system is in place. We paid in CUC (Cuban Convertible Peso) vs. locals who paid for goods in CUP (Cuban Peso). There are talks in the government of possibly merging the two in the near future, but only time will tell if and when that happens.

It's fascinating that this street has an invisible divide between areas frequented only by locals and the touristy avenue of Obispo. A few more blocks from the Boulevard / local handicraft market is the iconic Hotel Inglaterra and the bustling Paseo del Prado, where the two contrasting worlds collide - local and foreign.

Centro Habana has its share of inspiring architecture - but the best part about it was the chance to see and observe locals in their everyday natural habitat, away from the tourist-geared commerce (hint: touts!), curated shops, and pay-per-picture hustlers in all their colorful glory. I love Old Havana as well, but Centro Habana was a breath of fresh air and was a more local and authentic experience. It does not sell you the postcard-perfect side of Havana that proliferates in travel websites and Instagram pages - rather, it gives you a TASTE of the real Ciudad de Habana: raw, gritty, untamed, and unafraid to show its different side, flaws and true colors.

HAPPY TRAVELS! x

#Cuba