But I was making only 325 pesos a month. Life is very expensive, so I have become a merchant. His entrepreneurial efforts earn him 1,000 pesos a day. In general, Cubans now sense that the country has turned a crucial financial corner since the black days of 1993, when the worst effects of the economic collapse were being felt. Now that's over.
People realize there is a way out.
Prostitution once again flourishes in Havana. As the inequalities increase, many poor but educated Cubans view the rush to the dollar with disgust. For despite the recent flurry of economic activity, there are still few guarantees, many pitfalls and no safety net in Cuba's reformation. Castro's economic planner, Carlos Lage, told investors at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that the island's economy had ceased its free fall but warned that the recovery will be painful and slow. Cuba leaves much to be desired in basic infrastructure, such as communications and power supply.