Monday, November 19, 2007

Street Portrait 1


Taken at the corner of Neptuno and Galiano...

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can even tell where you're looking in the photo: west, on the South West corner of the intersection, opposite the LA EPOCA department store.

It's too bad that everyone from the United States can't just pick up and go to Cuba when they want to.

Best wishes,


Walter

Roy Llera said...

La Epoca...many of those in this image most likely could not afford to shop there.

It's unfortunate that anyone in Cuba can't just pick up and go to any part of the world when they feel like it. Think about it...they can't leave...

Anonymous said...

Very few could afford - that's true. However, that fulano in striped polo shirt and Adidas sneakers doesn't have that problem ...

Yes, American perespective sometimes is funny. Interesting thou, that despite all that bloqueo rhetoric which is going on for nearly half a centuary, most Cubans have a lot of love to any American they can see on the street. Amazing!

I remember shopping in that store one December night. When I finished it was dark on Galiano and there was no lights at all. While I had a lot of eyes aiming at me I was thinking about that Italian tourist who was killed in Centro a few years earlier. Finally I decided to ask for direction to Rapido in my broken Spanish. Quite a few people very gladly directed me there and I realized how shy and timid Cubans are when I was afraid of my safety ... well, I wasn't in Detroit, thanks to God!

Roy Llera said...

Belen, you can see that they are Adidas sneakers...your eyesight is better than mine!

Ese fulano I am sure has other problems...maybe he is jinitiando in the street...selling tobacco, suggesting a paladar, or a chica...maybe he works in the ever growing black market...being a afro cubano...dressing nicer than the average Cuban makes him an aesier mark for the police...who are always stopping young black men in the streets.

I have yet to have a negative experience once a Cuban is aware of my being from the USA. Most Cubans view the Americans as a big part of their future...gone are the russian language classes only to be replaced by english. Also realise that many Cubans are supported by Cubans living in the states and don't view the citizens of the USA as a problem...only the government.

As for crime on tourists in Cuba, I have never felt so safe in another country as I have felt in Cuba...it's quite amazing.