A thorn in Cuba side !

Guantanamo Bay : Fishermen still go about their traditional business !!

                     

                 

               

Guantanamo Bay is tranquil and picturesque on the Cuban side of the watchtowers.

Fishermen land crates of blue-clawed crabs from wooden boats and a woman browses a

newspaper beneath a palm tree as children splash in the sea, escaping the baking sun  8)

BUT clearly visible behind them is the perimeter of the US naval base :

that has occupied a substantial chunk of eastern Cuba for well over a century.

For the rest of the world, the controversy over Guantanamo Bay:

lies in its notorious US detention facility used for terror suspects.

                       

Rodi Rodriguez regularly goes to the base to pick up his pension payments

                     

Mr Rodriguez worked on the US naval base for more than 30 years :

                       

In the 1930s, Guantanamo base was expanded, providing a boom for local businesses:

- including prostitution for the Americans  ::LOL::

There is only a shell left of what used to be the "whore house" .. in Guantanamo :

                       

Any direct danger has long since subsided :

but the continued US presence remains an irritant to many Cubans.

The naval base is a commanding presence in the bay :