Translation of esclarecer

The entrance hall had a design of the seventies which I found charming. An older man came towards me an asked me whether I needed a ride. I agreed and we drove to downtown of Havana, capital of Cuba.
Completely different education and lifestyle make us incapable of putting ourselves into their situation. Sometimes we regard certain acts or certain laws as barbaric while we ignore the surroundings.
We then went out to have a drink at a bar near the hotel. There were mostly foreigners at the bar. All in all, we had the impression that there were many Westerners living in the city which gave this mix.