recapitulating cuba: havana, day 3, después del almuerzo

many of the early twentieth century buildings in el vedado and el centro are a real mess --- others have been rehabiltated or been well maintained all along --- it's a study in vivid contrasts

and cuba has plumbed the depths of poorly designed, reinforced-concrete additions to historic buildings --- for decades, they did not have the luxury of indulging in historic preservation

after lunch we had an un-scheduled stop to experience callejón de hamel, havana's answer to paradise gardens and pasaquan --- whoa, howdy, what an excellent mess!
mostly the creation of salvador gonzáles escalona (b. 1948)

we arrived just in time to catch a performance of los ibellis doing their interpretation of afro-cuban music, specifically yoruba influences

the final stop for the day was the cuban literacy museum, located in the nether reaches of havana's western suburbs --- the museum chronicled the country's ambitious literacy campaign in 1961 that virtually eliminated illiteracy in little more than a year --- we met the minister of education in zimbabwe, who was there to learn about cuba's literacy program

by the time we got back to the hotel, all we could do was go into the bar and drink multiple mojitos