RE: Old Miraflores
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¿Pero dónde se pueden mirar las flores en Miraflores???
Funny, how a name can be suggestive, only to have your expectations shattered by reality. I love how you pointed out the blazing sun and your thirst, which interestingly enough came across very well in your photos. The only thing that's fresh and cool here are the kids. Even the writing on the wall is faded, adding irony to the word siempre. But I love the queen on the tiles in your last pic, watching over her Miraflores approvingly. This puts things into perspective. She may be the oldest feature here, but for that she looks pretty young.
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They say it used to be a marshy area full of flowers before houses were built there.
That picture on the wall captivated me. The house must have been built before the triumph of the Revolution in 1959.
CDR means Comité de Defensa de la Revolución (Committee for the Defence of the Revolution) and ‘siempre en 26’ refers to a date, 26 July, which commemorates the attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba.
On that date, the country’s leadership would always inaugurate public works projects that had been completed in record time – you can well imagine the quality of them… Of course, it’s been many years since even that has been done. We live in total darkness. I’ve been getting electricity for less than two hours a day.
And well, personally, I think that thing painted like that over there is in very poor taste… Instead of worrying about planting at least some flowers.
Hahaha, I can't miss the sarcasm in your voice! And yes, I was even thinking how the high-voltage lines dominating your photos is in a stark contrast to the electric situation that I keep hearing about Cuba.
Do you have access to photovoltaics there? I could imagine everyone going for them, in the given situation, but I suppose they would also come from outside the country, which is the same problem, right? I keep hearing South Africa is dealing with blackouts too, but over there the simplest solution seems to be diesel generators. But in Cuba, since it is precisely the fuel shortage that causes the power failure, I don't think that's a solution.
A solar panel costs 250 USD, imported and delivered to my home. An EcoFlow costs over 500 USD for the smallest models.
Have you seen my Hive wallet?
As a journalist for 25 years, I never earned more than 15 USD a month… I’ve earned more from cryptocurrencies, trading and Hive than I did from my job in all those years. And I’m a university graduate. I made the mistake of staying in this awful country where people are slowly dying without hope. I don’t know how to get out of here… 🥺
This situation I’m going through right now, with less than two hours of electricity a day, is as terrible as you can’t even imagine… I can’t even trade anymore because of the electricity issues, and on top of that, Coinex has closed its services to Cubans. I almost lost the little money I had there. I’m making deliveries on my bike to get a bit of cash so I can eat. Because the money I have on my debit card is a nightmare to pay with – nobody accepts it. Because of the daily power cuts, I have to buy enough food for one or two days… No more than that, as I’ve already had to throw away food that was spoiled. And food here is incredibly expensive. And all this stress has even made me ill… I don’t have the words to describe how I feel. Even so, I try to get up every day… and put on a brave face.
Cycling helps me feel better...
I'm so sorry for poking a finger into your wound. Yes, you are right, even though I assume I am aware of things, it is really hard to imagine the full-scale reality, with all the secondary effects. Please accept my apologies. And I promise, I won't upset you with naive questions of that kind. Instead I look forward to your beautiful photography and witty descriptions, and honestly hope that things will get better: both for your health, and for the general situation as well.
Hello, no, you don’t need to apologise. What has happened in this country over the years has been dreadful; yet these are things I cannot change on my own. Nor am I interested in getting involved in politics. Many years ago, I could have changed my own reality, but I didn’t know how, or I didn’t set my mind on the goal of leaving here when I was younger and had more energy. I would have had to do it entirely alone. I failed to see with foresight, as they say. So now I am also responsible for what remains of my life. Don’t worry. ;) Thank you… many Cubans share the reality of this country on social media. The mass emigration we’ve seen for years has its explanation: here, there is no hope.