'Autentica Cuba' is a wonderful ad slogan because it's especially true in Old Havana with it's beautiful old buildings, some painted in exciting and vibrant colours while others show their age and architecture which some dates back to the late 16th century. Most streets are narrow and cobble-stoned with barely enough room for one of the many great-looking American made classic cars to pass. Just like a former Coke ad says, 'It's the Real Thing'. Unfortunately for the people who live and work there though is having to view and breath in the fumes first from the oil refinery situated across the harbour that emits an ominous black cloud over the old town and city 24/7, and then having to take in the exhausts from hundreds of gas guzzling old taxis that were built long before emission controls were put in place. I suppose the State never promised anyone a 'Rose Garden' but I'm certainly glad I packed my inhaler before leaving Canada.
Cuba does not produce its own oil and when Russia stopped shipping there's in the late 1980's, Venezuela agreed to ship approximately 80,000 barrels daily to Cuban refineries in ships like the 420' tanker
CHEMTRANS WESER (below) which I snapped from across the harbour on day one of our 'Excelente Adventura' in Old Havana. Built in 2008 in Korea, the WESER is owned by Chemikalien Seetransport GmbH of Hamburg, Germany but is registered in Monrovia and flies the flag of Liberia. If you happen to be in Barbados today, you may see the
CHEMTRANS WESER entering Bridgetown harbour, or not.
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