Viñales Sunrise
Before dawn we went to a closed hotel outside Viñales on the top of a hill to shoot the sunrise. The hotel had been damaged in a hurricane six months before and was not yet open. Just as the sun rose and the light started to get really good a fog started to roll in from the east and we thought our sunrise shoot was over. Fortunately, it thinned out and added to the scene as it formed wisps around the hills.
Benito's Tobacco Farm
Benito took us into his tobacco barn and showed us how he rolls a cigar but he did it so fast we asked him to do it again a little slower. After he made a few cigars he offered one to us to smoke and then we were served Cuban coffee and rum. What a great way to start the day!
Our Havana Taxis
The old cars in Cuba are famous and we were taken around Havana in these four cars, all American models. All of them had diesel engines from Nissan, Mercedes, or Hyundai and one had a digital dashboard. The Cuban mechanics are magicians.
Tito and His Chevy
One morning we rode in classic convertibles to shoot the sunrise and Tito was Mr. Personality with his Chevy. He was larger than life and had four horn buttons below the dashboard on which he could play tunes, which he did often. It was a lot of fun.
Meat Counter, Public Food Market
We shot at public food market that had no windows. Most of Cuba has unreliable electrical service so very few private homes have refrigerators which means the farm-to-market economy is very strong. Here you see slabs of meat laid out on a counter on a warm morning with flies, a couple of cats, and a dog all trying to get a taste. The vendor gave the animals a small taste.
Colon Cemetery, Havana
The Colon Cemetery is the Cuban National Cemetery and it is full of beautiful statuary, like this angel. Some statues were angels carrying a child. The cemetery had a massive entrance gate and a small funeral chapel that was overseen by a very protective priest.
Handing Out Candy
The Cuban people are amazingly resourceful and friendly. Our group had candies to hand out to the children and here our co-leader, Jaclyn, is making a little boy's day as he sits with two older women. After meeting many, many people in Cuba we had no bad experiences and almost everyone welcomed us warmly.
Ermita Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria de la Popa
That is a long name for church that is just a ruin but it is being re-built, although progress is glacial. The church is on top of a hill in Trinidad on the south coast of the island and we walked up there for sunrise.
Local Market
We saw markets in residential areas amongst the houses, just like this one. Here, a man speaks to the cashier another waves to her as he rides by and another man is buying pineapples to supply the store. Great neighborhood interactions.
Father and Daughter
Sometimes this is what a school bus looks like. Dad was peddling along the street while his daughter filled him in on her day. Much of the population doesn't have cars so bicycles, pedicabs, horses, and walking are common modes of travel, even outside the cities.
Sister and Brother
We found this pair walking along a street in Trinidad. The older sister was taking good care of her brother and watching the foreigners who were walking through their neighborhood.
Cast Netting
On our last morning in Trinidad we went to the village of La Boca and visited the fishing port by special permission. There were several boats cast netting, men rinsing their catch, and then the fish were laid in the trunk of a car and driven to market. We saw a bicycle with fresh fish hanging on the handlebar, presumably headed to market.
Local Band With An Extra Member
We saw bands like this several times, all having a great time playing music together. We also saw bands in restaurants and all of the bands sounded great. The arts are alive and well in Cuba! In this case, the three Cubans were joined by Michael from our group and they all played a song together and had great fun.
