Years ago, If you lived in the city, you played in the street.
In Havana, that’s exactly what children still do.
Get some wheels and find a hill.
Jump onto a pile of sand and roll down the side.
Play a card game and use old cigarette packs as currency.
Find something to climb on, run around, and hide behind.
Hopscotch
Basketball
And of course, there’s always futbol.
Playing Marbles: https://wp.me/p4fUlX-11B
When it started to rain I ducked into the restaurant La Algarabia on the corner of Neptuno and Escobar. I sat at a table on the Escobar side and had an open view of the boys in action. I photographed while enjoying a great plate of Arroz Frito.
Here they are using a manhole cover as a goal, with the concentric rings used to keep score.
One marble rolled into the outer ring earns one marble from the boy taking the action. One marble in the second ring earns two. One in the center earns three.
They take turns “taking the action”.
Of course there is always an argument about something.
Pelota Vasca is the official name, but the popular name for this racquet sport is Cancha.
It’s similar in speed to racquetball, but played only on one wall and the “racquets” are more like wooden paddles.
The facility is located in Boyeros and must have been quite a stadium years ago. Now, the roof is gone, the lights do not work, and new fencing is needed.
Of course there were a couple of boys hanging around …..
doing what boys do.
These men playing were practicing for the national team.
When it rains in Havana, like any other tropical location, it pours. Good things happen, though. The rain is channeled off roofs and washes the streets; helping to eliminate the smell of garbage, dog waste, and the stuff that oozes out of some buildings.
The rain also provides a chance for children to play and cool off.
mstevensphotography 