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How much can you make a day doing this? 300 or 400 pesos daily. You can get this whole big piece of pork here. 2 US. This would be 2 days work for Raphael sifting through the trash. She has no way to pay the rent. She hasn't sleep since 5 days ago. She's sleeping on the streets right now. don't have water, electricity, gas for Cuba. No food and no medicine is enough. It's coming in the world. Cuba, a country plagued by economic crisis. Not enough food, medicine, or fuel. No freedom of press or freedom of speech. The largest protest since Fidel Castro's revolution swept Cuba.
Hundreds have been arrested. Healthc care shortages. We're short on creams, ointments, antibiotics. Petrol and gas crisis. Petrol shortages in Cuba became so severe cues of the petrol pumps stretched for several city blocks. Collapsing infrastructure. Building in Havana's historic district collapsed at midnight Tuesday, leaving at least two people dead. The disintegrating buildings of Cuba's once magnificent capital.
A country stuck in time for decades. Sanctions choking the economy. We will not lift sanctions on the Cuban regime. Biden has authorized sanctions against communist Cuban officials since the Cuban revolution in the 1950s. Fueled by hope for a better future headed by Fidel Castro. Fidel Castro was the world's longest serving dictator. Now in 2025, things aren't looking as people hoped for. Follow me on this journey as we time travel to Cuba. Welcome back to the iconic Cuba Havana here, the capital city. Today we're going to be going deep into some of the surrounding neighborhoods of the historical center here. Avana is a very interesting city. It's reasonably
well-maintained right in the center, but you just go one street over and the streets are absolutely fascinating. Basically mazes of beautiful, beautiful architecture, but unfortunately it hasn't been maintained for many decades. So, it's just fallen into disrepair. And the stories that exist in these streets, in these hives of life are absolutely fascinating. So, let's go and see who we can meet today and what we can see. The people of this country are absolutely incredible. All so hospitable, so kind, so welcoming. Let's go see what Havana has to offer today. So these are the kind of scenes that you see just this is like a 5minute walk from the main capital building. So it's quite remarkable and there's a guy
sifting through the rubbish there picking up things and taking [clears throat] them. Apparently there's limited garbage disposal infrastructure. So they can only do like one team at a time going around the city or something. I mean we're getting different reports from different people but obviously the infrastructure is having some struggles. Raphael. Raphael. Hi Raphael. Nice to meet you. So we've met Raphael and he's looking through the rubbish at the moment. So what are you looking for Raphael?
They are recycling all these kind of products like plastic bottle glass aluminum. This is for the local market and even for the foreign market. Someone buys this and use it for create new products with this. They think that they can stabilize the economy doing this. The state is trying to do this. They are collecting all these products and taking to the government and company that recycled all of this. And how much can you make a day doing this? He's doing like 300 or 400 pesos daily. But I asked him why that less and he said that the states keep a bigger amount of the money that for the commission of it like it's like a commission I guess you do inflation and all these things
here in that's the problem with this money that they are getting at the end of the day got kids. Yeah. What needs to change in Cuba to make life easier? When Obama was president, he visits the country. He seems everything was going to change and he visited after no president visited in many years and the Cubans thought there was going to be a stronger Yeah, exactly. That's what's going on. There are not many visitors from United States right now. I remember I came in 2018 and there were a lot of people coming from US but right now I don't see anyone here. He was thinking that with a change with a more aperture
from other countries uh the economy will change here. So he's not thinking that the economy has to change here is it's a problem that he need they need more commerce from coming from other countries. One thing that will make everything better is that United States and Cuba get better relation. Yeah. It's just right there 90 miles. So, this costs like 80 cents US. That man Raphael that was looking through the garbage all day long earns less than $1. He said he's earning $30. The exchange rate I got was 330 for $1, but you can get it for 400 pesos in exchange for $1.
He said he's earning 300. I had some change in my pocket. I gave him a,000. And he was just absolutely blown away. like he can have 3 days salary just from that. You know, something so small for us just changes his day and you know the rest of his week. It's uh really hits home when you lay it out like that. Okay, so we're here with Sispan. Sispan actually came up to us and she wants to talk. So voluntarily she wanted to share some things There is a lot of prostitution here right now. Much drugs. Yeah. Really? See I she say that there is a lot of drugs. prostitution and hunger in here. She live far from here in the countryside.
Okay. She comes here to work into Abana looking for a new life. She has no way to pay the rent. She hasn't sleep since 5 days ago. She has no work now. How much does rent cost? $80 monthly. How does she earn money? Gives pens to tourists to write their country on the wall in the wall. So people pay her for this. If you come from another state or province, you cannot work here in Abana. You need a permission. I think only Abanian people can work here in so people that come from outside have to find that like little street muscles and stuff like that.
Yeah. I just say the only way if you don't find a job is to get to prostitute itself. But men just want to pay 500 pesos for the service. Oh yeah. But you are not doing that. People pay 500 for prostitution. Yeah. 500 pesos. And she has three children. Those are the name of her of them. So she's sleeping on the streets right now. You sleep here on the street? She's living in the streets right now.
So, I just want to show you guys something that's quite interesting. So, here we are at these old dilapidated buildings and uh they've got like water pumps coming out of the ground pumping up water into the houses. There's trash all over the streets and everything. And have a look over here. So, this is actually human fecal matter on the ground. And I've seen it all over the sidewalk along here. And then have a look at this. And then here we are in a five-star hotel. I know these contrasts exist everywhere, but it seems more pronounced here. There doesn't seem to be any kind of separation in the city center. I mean, look at this place after where we just were after all those streets that
you've seen this morning. and then you're just here. It's quite remarkable contrast really. You're a bad businessman, man. You just I was fighting for with the thousand. So, we've just secured a ride uh to the another part of town for uh 1,500 on one of these uh sweet little bikes, right, Lenny? Yeah. It's nice. Lenny, could you just ask this gentleman, is this business enough for him to feed him and his family? Yeah, it's okay for him. I mean, he is taking his food with this business. Yeah, he's happy. He's happy here.
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I asked these guys the reason for this and they told me that to sell and raise beef, you have to have an exclusive license given by the government. And if you do not have a license to grow and sell beef, you can be hit with huge fines. It can even go further into jail time. Beef is strictly controlled by the Cuban government. only places like tourism entities like hotels and certain restaurants, stateowned and government approved stores. If you owned a cow and slaughtered it for food, you can get into serious trouble if you don't get prior clearance and permission from the government. You can see here, this is all pork and you can get this whole big piece of pork here that I'm showing for
only 800 pesos, which is like $2. So, for example, this would be 2 days work to get one of these pieces of meat for Raphael sifting through the trash after the government take their cut of his trash that he's collected. Okay, so in the last video, we met a guy called Ariel. He has one leg. He's sleeping rough on the streets. Um, he's on crutches, but his other foot is severely infected. It's really in a bad state. So, we're going to try and get him some antibiotics. It's really hard to get medicine here. So, we're going to try and get some medicine for him and maybe some food or something cuz he's in really bad shape. So, let's go and see what we can do for him and gives us also
a glimpse into the people that fall through the cracks here in Cuba. There's no Antibiotics only natural. You can't get antibiotics. There is only natural. There is no antibiotics here. And what do you think the best treatment antibiotic? Okay. So, we just went to another pharmacy, but no luck there. So, we're going to have to go to another pharmacy. Apparently, it's going to get a taxi. It's like 10 minutes drive. It should be interesting in showing how just how hard it is to get medicine when somebody has blood poisoning and severe infection in their foot and they're already missing
one foot. Let's go see if we can get him those emoxicylin antibiotics so he can at least have some lifeline cuz it's really not looking good. All right, so hopping in a car and this is definitely one of the nicest cars that we've seen in so far. Is this your car, sir? This must be really expensive, eh? $26,000. Yeah. 30 days ago he bought it. And how do you get that kind of money here? He has a before and he's he sold it and he gave the difference. But how much can a ladder sell for?
$13,000. A ladder for $13,000. Yeah, imagine that. Huh? What year is this car? 2001. 2001 car for $28,000. Yeah. Wow. I'm just thinking if we're paying $10 for this ride and it's going to take like 45 minutes, then the maths doesn't necessarily add up. You know what I mean? Yeah, I know. Well, remember with this car, they can take some tourists for 25 an hour. So, for the average person, this is one of the best jobs that you can have. Yeah, it's one of the best jobs you can have. But the problem is the gas. I mean, you can earn money, but the problem is getting the gas. It's also expensive. It's 130 each liter. A trip like this could take like 5 liters. So, we come to this huge hotel in
another part of town. Um, this is our last chance to get the antibiotics because in town they said this they'll definitely have it. So, fingers crossed. They are changing the system there for selling dollars. So it's not working now. Pharmacy. So that's the third pharmacy that we've tried. No luck. Every time we were being like guaranteed by the person at the last pharmacy that No, that one definitely is open. We got a taxi to a different part of the city and still no luck. So unfortunately not going to be able to get the medicine and even us with you know resources to travel around and talk to people and then even buy have the money to buy them
because apparently they cost quite a lot of money. So we're going to get some food for Ariel cuz he hasn't eaten in days I don't think. So that's the best we can do you know. Hey Ariel, they didn't have any. We couldn't get the ants products. We went to threearmacies, but we got you some pizza and some drinks. We went to the pharmacy here. Nothing. Only creams. We That's why you were laughing. You were laughing because you knew it. We were here.
I tried because I tried before. We went to Sevilla Hotel. Nothing. We went to Abana Va in Bed. Nothing. Close. When was the last time that you ate? Two days ago. Two days ago you ate. What do you think your future holds? I think if I don't do it, I lose my life. Do you mind if I ask how old you are? What? How old are you, man? Quant. Yes, I got 42. now. 52. 52, right? And how has life changed over those years? Like in Cuba, has it got better or worse in 52 years?
I think it's coming. It's coming the world here. Sorry. It's coming the world because people now don't have water, electricity, gas for cooking, no food, and no medicine is enough. It's coming the world. Is there a message that you want to share with the world about the current state of the country? I said to the rest of the world coming to help Cuban people because Cuban people need help. So you need more tourism. You have to help direct you know. So come in and help people on the street. Yeah. On the street like this when you see the problem really.
Do you not think that the problem's so big that it needs something greater than that? Yeah. needed more people together because there's not that many tourists right now. Yeah, because they know to no electricity and no water. And do you have children? I'm big one and a small one. Two kids. Do you see them? Yeah. To my house. How often do you go back to your house? Every Saturday or Sunday. And then you sleep on this concrete.
Two days. Just on this hard ground. Yeah. On the ground. M and I has to be strong. If I don't do others, I lose in my leg. Ariel, you tried to get to the USA like on a boat. Yeah, illegal. The first time the police take a meet, I'm about to Kuba. What happened exactly that they showed them the police station 3 days I said you have to pay some money and then they free and the second time I coming back to myself because I see the sharks eating people in the water seriously eating people in the water. Yeah.
Really? Yes. I see that because I coming back to myself. Do you have to pay a lot of money to get on a boat to try and get into America? It's friend together. What? You go to uh Florida? Yeah. Right. 90 miles. 90 miles to Florida. And what would you have done when you got to America? I don't know. Every place is better than here. We just had some lunch, but there's an insane storm right now. We've been waiting for some time, but going to go in one of these things and uh going to be a mission, but the streets are
flooding right now. Hey, nice to see you again. Okay. made it back to the hotel. Crazy storm there. hard-hitting day. Obviously, meeting Ariel there and seeing the dire state of the circumstances for him to try and get medicine just seemed almost impossible for him. You like, let alone just finding the medicine, but then you got to pay for it. It's not cheap. $42 or something for the antibiotics. We did try to find them, but no luck. Three differentarmacies. One of the hardest things to see with Ariel was when he started eating the food. He came back to life because we'd seen him earlier that day before we went hunting for the antibiotics and he was somewhat delusional cuz we had seen him in the last video. He was much more coherent
but I don't think he'd even eaten since we last saw him and he was walking around. He wasn't really sure where he was going. He seemed out of it. His eyes were going in different directions. And soon as he started eating that food, he started being a lot more positive. He could string sentences perfectly together. Literally starving. It's just so brutal to see to state the obvious. We did leave him a bit of cash. Hopefully, it helps out a bit, but it's an uphill battle. You know, it'll run out and then what? In the next video, we're going to actually be leaving Habana and we're going to be going and
seeing what it's like in the other parts of Cuba. Obviously, the rural areas might be even more brutal. Don't get me wrong, there's really beautiful parts of Habana and again, the people are absolutely brilliant. The buildings are stunning, the old classical cars. You can come here and have a great time. I really recommend you do come if you're looking for a holiday that's a bit different. The people really need the support here, especially if you buy from the local street vendors and things. It goes a very long way for them. I'll see you in the next video, other parts of Cuba. And in case I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night from the capital here.
