left the country for Miami. Many died in over crowded boats trying to reach Florida. The U.S.A welcomed the refugees giving them apartments and jobs. Now they are not welcome back in Cuba as they are seen to have abandoned their country.
Transport
Petrol is expensive so there are not many cars on the roads. Government and church personnel or foreigners own the best cars, all the rest with their yellow number plates are privately owned. 1950s Chevrolets, Fords and other recycled vintage cars are still in use. The tenacity and longevity of those ancient vehicles are a tribute to both U.S engineers and Cuban ingenuity, but these surreal mechanical marvels lose their charm if you are a sardine wedged passenger. I saw six grown men climb aboard one of these make shift cars. The cars are constantly broken down, men sprawled underneath them or have raised their bonnets trying to fix them. Buses too are over crowded people packed rump-to- rump, chest-to-chest, packed tight. To exit people have to climb out the windows. Every type of makeshift cart drawn by horses or ponies is used to transport people and travellers. We saw people waiting for hours in the searing heat waving wads of money in the air, waiting for a seat on any type of vehicle that may come the way.