I’m not a big city person by-and-large. There are elements that are fascinating and intriguing about them, but I get overstimulated and overwhelmed pretty damn quickly.
But in thinking about this week’s theme, I wanted to step away from the obvious pretty images like sunsets and flowers. Because the theme got me thinking about cities and the ones I’ve experienced that ooze energy and vibrance. Those are the cities that draw me in.
Don’t confuse that with “busy”, though. Noise, motion, and chaos don’t make a city vibrant.
The foundation of urban vibrancy comes from the architecture, colors, public art, and parks. But the element that cinches the feeling of vibrancy is the people. It’s their energy and attitudes that makes or breaks the vibrant vibe.
And the city that stands out to me as vibrant—alive—is Havana.
There are the obvious physical traits of the city that ticks all the boxes. But the people—friendly, energetic, and spirited, even towards us outsiders—made it city I could embrace and explore in-depth without the overwhelm.
The true test is when you’re off the main drags and outside of the tourist-centric areas. Does the vibrancy still hold?
In Havana, it did.
The reality is that—like a lot of big cities—there is poverty in Havana. There are derelict buildings. There are areas with trash in the street. But even in those areas, the sense of place was still vibrant.
I made this image on a random side street on a quiet afternoon. And for me it’s a vignette of Havana. The colorful buildings, the historic architecture, the juxtaposition of the modern and vintage cars, the man walking, the laundry hanging from the balcony—and yes, even some trash piled in a doorway—encapsulates the complexity and reality of this place. A place filled with beautiful, vibrant people.
And the funny thing is that I went into that trip to Cuba intending to enjoy time with friends and not be “on duty” as a photographer. What the hell was I thinking that I could go to Cuba and not be a photographer? Silly me.
This year was not a particularly prolific one on the blog as I took on other projects and tried to unravel the mess I made of things here on New Year’s Day. Even with the dip in my personal productivity here, there were posts that seemed to resonat with y’all.
So in case you missed them, here’s your chance to catch up as we close out the decade. Seriously, the decade! Yikes!
#10 – Vignettes of Cuba
The first post in my Cuba series. Visiting Cuba has been my dear man’s dream for over 20 years. And we finally got a small taste as a birthday celebration for him back in February.
#9 – What Motorcyclists Want You to Know – Part 3
Another episode in my quest to help non-riders understand what we face out there on the road. We’re all in this together and understanding the unique challenges of motorcyclists helps everyone get home safely.
#8 – My Best Photographs of 2018
My annual recap of my previous year’s work. Of course this means the 2019 version is just around the corner.
#7 – Firsts and Lasts
Looking back to my New Year’s Day post has me feeling a bit misty about all the firsts and lasts I’ve had in 2019. I can’t possibly resolve all of the swirly thoughts about the year here but this post captures how I think about them.
#6 – Stop the Bleed
Thank you for taking first aid and safety seriously enough to read a post I consider to be one of my most important. It really falls into the “don’t be a victim” category. There are so many ways we as laypeople can help ourselves and others handle our own crises until trained professionals arrive. This training is a big part of that.
#5 – Doing Things That Scare Me
Apparently you enjoy my life terrors. I’m not sure if that’s commiseration or “Hey, let’s see what shit Val’s gotten herself into now!” but thanks for your support. 🙂
Who knew my tales of fumbling through life would be so interesting. I wish I could say things are resolved but I’m still deep in the process of cleaning up the mess.
#2 – Overcoming GS Block
Bike choice is a very personal and often complex decision, especially for women. But boy howdy do I love this motorcycle.
#1 – The Wisdom of Walt
It seems my chat with Walt Fulton won the year. I’m good with that. I have nothing but admiration and respect for Walt. He’s a perceptive, considerate person who is supremely knowledgeable about the industry.
Thanks for following along again in 2019. Let’s see what I can get into in 2020, shall we?
The seed was planted on New Year’s Day, 2018. We were hanging out at home with dear friends visiting from Georgia and chatting about places we’d like to go.
My dear man enthusiastically brought up Cuba. He’s wanted to go for over two decades. And he wanted to see it before American fast food stores occupy every corner.
Our pal, Leslie, being the amazing, spit-firey woman she is, said “Well, let’s go!”
And like that, we discussed tentative dates and the ball began rolling. So there I was, quite unexpectedly planning a trip to a country I never really thought about visiting before. I still marvel at my disinterest even having spent my childhood in South Florida, just 90 miles from the island nation.
I spent the first 18 years of my life spitting distance from Cuba. It wasn’t until over 30 years after leaving Florida, that I finally visited and got to experience the beauty of its landscape and people.
Rearview mirror
Traveling to Cuba is completely worth the effort. There are extra considerations for Americans that are seemingly intimidating, though. In reality, we found them to be trivial.
So in spite of never having Cuba on my travel radar before, it was a fantastic trip. My dear man was even more delighted than me and calls it our “scouting” trip for future adventures there. Now we’re much more savvy about what to expect and how to manage travel in Cuba.
We did a lot of research before going to be certain we understood how things work in Cuba. But there are many things we learned “in the field.” So in this first installment, let’s go over the biggest takeaways.
Learning how to “do” Cuba on our first trip. Or what my dear man calls our scouting trip. We’ll be much savvier next go-round.
Money
There are two currencies in Cuba. The Cuban Peso Nacional, or CUP, is used by Cuban locals. The other currency is the Cuban Convertible Peso, the CUC. That’s for tourists, like us. (Here’s a good breakdown of the very confusing system.)
For U.S. residents, credit and debit cards don’t work in Cuba so bring a lot of cash. Way more than you think you’ll need because once you’re there, you’ll have no more access to money.
Now that we have a better sense of how money works in Cuba—how to change money, exchange rates, and fees—our strategy next time will to be to exchange enough at the airport to get to our first night’s accomodation. From there we’ll visit a hotel to exchange more. Why?
Well, the lines at the airport exchange machines are daunting and require your passport. Our attempt to exchange bills at bank later on was also very challenging. Again long lines, passport required, and the bank’s unwillingness to exchange bills with even the slightest of flaws. Even though we took plenty of cash, we suddenly found ourselves with useless American dollars because we couldn’t exchange them. It was stressful.
It turns out though, that exchanging at hotels is a very different story. No passport, no line, and no fussiness about the condition of the bills. Whew! That was a close one.
If you like to eat at the local stalls rather than the touristy places, make sure you have small bills. They often can’t break the larger bills, especially early in the morning. And often, their prices are in CUP, not CUC so be sure to ask about the cost in CUC.
The bank would not exchange this “altered” American bill but the hotel didn’t blink an eye about it.
Connectivity
Cuba is slowly opening up in terms of internet availability but access is still limited. It’s certainly not ubiquitous and easily accessed like in the U.S. We arranged to have service with our cell phone carrier (Verizon) while there but it was extremely unreliable and, in the end, completely useless even for voice and text messaging.
That means you’ll need to be prepared in advance with information on places you want to go and how to get around. And make sure important people in your life are aware you may be off-grid while there.
Our travel pals, Jim and Leslie, eventually figured out how to get internet cards from local hotels. They are sold in one-hour increments and are limited in number. Just walking into a hotel to buy one doesn’t mean you’ll get one. And you’ll have to use it in places with wifi access. They can’t be utilized simply walking down the street. So you can get access but you have to work for it a little.
Recent news since our visit indicates that the Cuban government is allowing more places to have their own internet access so hopefully this will be less of an issue over time.
My awesome and beloved travel partners exploring Havana via a classic convertible.
Language
Knowing some Spanish is really helpful. I know that’s not a surprise. It’s always useful to know a little of the language of the country you’re visiting.
In Cuba, we found that our “casa particular” hosts spoke English well enough to make arrangements for us. But on the streets, having a moderate understanding of the language went a long way in getting us away from the unauthentic tourist-centered establishments. To get to know the real Cuba and her people, brush up on your Spanish and keep a translation app handy.
Also, the people we met seemed to appreciate our effort to speak the language and we had many good laughs over some of my silly Spanish goof-ups. It also allowed me to engage with the people there who didn’t know English and who we would otherwise not been able to chat with at all.
Having some of the local language in our tool kit let us talk with Cubans in a way we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. The result? Beautiful connections.
Trust your hosts
The local hosts are great and can sort logistics for you easily. I had some concerns about not having arranged much of anything in advance but our hosts easily arranged tours for us upon our arrival. Granted, tours are not generally my thing. I skew more “indy” traveler. But in the case of Cuba, it’s a great way to support the local people as well as get a feel for places before exploring on our own.
View from the rear seat of a classic car tour and Leslie having a serious conversation with our knowledgable guide.
Transport
Getting around Havana is fairly straightforward. Taxis, buses, tour cars, and your own two feet cover all the bases.
However, transportation between cities was a particularly worrisome detail we didn’t set up in advance. Our Havana host happily arranged a ride with a group taxi to Viñales. The same was true for our return to Havana from Viñales. It was no sweat at all.
There are many options for getting around Havana including taxi, bus, and by foot.
Stay up to date
Cuba is rapidly changing as are the rules for U.S. citizens to travel there. Make sure you read the latest info before you go, particularly if you’re a U.S. citizen. ViaHero has a wonderful guide to visiting Cuba that they keep up to date.
Peace and beauty in Cuba.
Coffee
Like many Americans, I drink a lot of coffee. My travel companions for this adventure share my vice as well. But Cubans drink coffee differently — espresso style.
We were happy to embrace to local style to some extent. But in the end, we had to face the fact that we’re copious coffee drinkers and needed to seek out American-style java. Our hosts were gracious about providing extra coffee on the mornings we took breakfast in our casa particulars. But on the mornings we didn’t, it was a scramble.
The hotels are good about having Americano coffee but you have to accept navigating a sea of fellow tourists for the effort. For us, wanting to patronize more of the authentic side street food stalls, we had to make do with espresso style most of the time. And even in those stalls, the coffee isn’t necessarily prominent but it’s almost always there once you know how to look for it.
The kicker of all this coffee drama, is that in all of our other travels, we carry “emergency” coffee — instant Starbucks packets. No, it’s not the best but it’s something in cases when we stay at quirky mom-and-pop motels that don’t offer coffee. Or even in modern hotels that are stingy with it.
And for some reason, we didn’t bring any on this trip. I think we were trying to keep it simple. Next time, we’ll be sure to have some on hand.
The espressos were a nice way to blend in with locals at stands but we definitely needed our American coffee!
Ice
Unlike lodging in the U.S. where ice-makers are typically available, ice isn’t readily available in Cuba. Unfortunately, ice isn’t a luxury for me. I need it to manage my injuries and stay comfortable to travel.
Our casa particulars had freezers but no ice makers or ice trays. So next time, I’ll bring a silicon ice tray to make my own to manage my personal needs. A flexible ice tray doesn’t take up much space and is easily squishable into a suitcase. And for me, it means the difference between a good trip and one overshadowed by pain. That pain did catch up with me in a big way on this trip so I’ll be sure to manage that better next time.
Plus, it means having ice for our rum. So there’s really no downside to adding an ice tray to the packing process.
Fusterlandia is a feast of color and texture.
Fusterlandia
My pal Leslie found out about Fusterlandia, a quirky art installation in a neighborhood west of Havana. It’s an amazing thing to see a neighborhood transformed by tile mosaics.
You’ll need to take a bus or taxi to get there. We chose a taxi and along the way had lunch as well as an impromptu tour by our driver. The catch is that once there, we saw a bunch of visitors struggling to find a taxi back to the city and standing in the heat looking very uncomfortable and stressed.
Leslie had the good sense to have our driver wait for us. A visit to the Fusterlandia neighborhood really doesn’t take too long if you’re being casual about it. Make sure you discuss the cost with your driver so you aren’t surprised by it. But if you aren’t planning on staying too long, it’s a better bet than being stuck without a ride back.
If you do decide to spend a good bit of time there and the expense of the taxi waiting is too much for your budget, just make sure you have an exit strategy. Know how to find the bus or arrange for a return pick up time with the driver.
Remember, in Cuba, you can’t simply request an Uber or pull up the internet on your phone to find a solution.
If not for a helper in Vinales, we wouldn’t have found this little tobacco farm we really enjoyed.
Talking to locals, you find out about places that aren’t obvious. That’s not to say you abandon situational awareness or good sense. You simply have to redefine it and not bring preconceived notions with you.
You will encounter people who try to take you to places off the beaten path. These “helpers” are hoping for a tip for their help. Some travelers would say never follow them. I say use your wits and gut instinct. Trust but don’t be foolish.
The challenge in Cuba is that there are great restaurants and tobacco farms that aren’t obvious and you would completely overlook. We followed some of the helpers and had a better experience for it. There were some that were more persistent than I cared for, however, so you have to be adamant about not needing their help. Just know it will happen and be smart about it.
The Cuban people are loving, proud, and enjoy helping visitors learn about their country. Embrace that and enjoy what travel can do to expand your mindset about the world.
Take to time to get off the main tourist streets and watch Cubans living their lives.
Travel is often about contrasts. We take notice of details when we step out of our too-familiar everyday scenery. They flood our senses as we absorb the sights, smells, and sounds of our destinations. The excitement of life and discovery light up our brains.
The contrasts of Cuba were gloriously stark. Not only to the place I call home but within itself. It felt impossible to absorb. And yet it all fits together seamlessly—the old and new, countryside and city, tourists and locals. It’s an extraordinary place, steeped in history.
Capturing Cuba
The urban architecture in Cuba is often detailed and intricate. It’s also known for its colorful facades that beg you to drink in the bright hues and vibrance. And the tropical forests embrace you in the deep, lush colors of nature—almost impossibly rich and surreal.
So in spite of intending to be off-duty for my recent visit to the island, I still felt compelled to take pictures. The colors can saturate you, though. So I embraced my infrared camera to dive into the details, textures, and contrasts that were sometimes lost in the vibrance. Shooting in black and white reveals structure and removes flamboyant distractions.
Havana
Havana is a bustling city, of course. But the energy is different from the urban environments I’m accustomed to in the U.S. There’s an underlying flow and rhythm to the constant movement.
Our second-floor apartment overlooked El Capitolo. From our balcony perch, we watched Cubans go about their everyday lives. Within the purposeful comings and goings, there was never too much of a rush for hugs and warm greetings amongst friends and families. Everyone seemed to know each other. It was delightful to witness.
Viñales
Tobacco country feels like another world from Havana, yet in reality less than 200 km from the big city on the small island nation. Viñales is a quiet haven, but still crawling with tourists. Once you step away from the main streets lined with tourist restaurants and busses, it’s easy to find the easier pace of the locals.
It seems almost every home in Viñales is also a casa particular. Ours was on the outskirts. And there we were treated to being a part of the daily life of Cubans. One that consists of work, school, and home while folding visitors into the mix with love and generosity.
Best of both worlds
Although these two cities are starkly different in the physical sense, there’s no difference in how the Cuban people treat each other. Hugs, robust handshakes, and genuine enthusiasm are the norm. Even as a visitor, that love is evident.
Cuba is a remarkable place. So much of what I read before I visited had me prepared to return to a different era. But it’s a country in transition. And it’s transitioning quickly. The living history experience desired by visitors is not really the main story anymore.
It exists, yes. Classic car tours and horse-drawn carts are prominent. The step-back-in-time I anticipated wasn’t as dramatic as visitors in years past must have had, though. Modern cars, cell phones, and electric scooters were the norm as we explored Havana and Viñales this year.
Cuban coffee with friends
Tourist or traveler?
You know the oft-used quote —
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.
We were fortunate that our casa particular hosts understood we weren’t typical tourists. They understood we weren’t simply interested in checking off the standard experiences. So they set us up with local guides who were willing to help us understand Cuba, not just see it. We were able to have real conversations with Cuban people. There were no canned tour scripts, just people proud of their country and curious about ours.
Genuine conversation on our classic car tour.
Best in Cuba
One of the reccuring themes we encountered is the “best in Cuba” proclamations. Mojitos, cigars, Ropa Vieja—you name it, every place claims they have the best something-or-other in Cuba. We asked one of our cigar plantation guides about that. Was it just a big joke?
He laughed. “Why wouldn’t you say yours is the best?” was his response. Touche’.
At another tiny cigar farm though, our guide said “You probably noticed that everyone says their cigars are the best.”
Yes, we replied, laughing.
“Well, mine are probably not the best,” he humbly responded. We laughed again. And bought his honestly-marketed cigars. They were, in fact, quite lovely. And certainly better than the factory examples we’d had the day before.
Our humble tobacco farmer—possibly the only one to ever say his cigars aren’t the best.
Searching for authenticity
The conversations with our guides and local hosts were delightfully genuine. Restaurants were some of the toughest places to get past the tourist scene and prices, though. We had some success in getting off the main streets to find real Cuban food in small food stalls. But it was often a challenge to find good dinner without internet access to help us sift out the real deal as well as navigate the busy, complex streets.
I’m a fan of asking locals for information. Unfortunately in Cuba, many of the locals will point you towards the “tourist” stuff because they think that’s what you want. Especially when it comes to Ernest Hemingway. Their preconceived notion about Americans is that we want to see the places he loved. All Hemingway, all the time. I suppose if I was a Hemingway-ophile I might have embraced it but I’m not. Which brings us to El Chanchullero.
Jovial converstation at El Chanchullero
El Chanchullero
On our last night, thanks to a trickle of internet service, we scored our biggest food success. It was at El Chanchullero, a small authentic restaurant with orgasmic Cuban food.
We wandered into the busy two-story restaurant hesitantly. We were expecting a long line knowing this was a popular restaurant but the lack of one left us uncertain. The place was indeed packed but without wait there were two empty stools at the bar overlooking the kitchen. We wiggled our way back through the tightly spaced tables and asked if we could sit there.
The menu was simple but rich. On it, a mini-manifesto I could only partially translate with my middling Spanish. I got the sense, though. They are unconventional. El Chanchullero celebrates people and conversation with those who are different from yourself. They reject Hemingway as the tourist draw to Cuba. Their motto is “Hemingway was never here.”
Sitting at the bar is our vibe in most places anyway but this was an extraordinary treat. We watched the chefs cook furiously in the small space. Our server suggested dishes and cocktails. We ate and drank and talked with the staff, all charmed by my dear man. Through broken Spanish and English, laughter abounded. When the manager and server ended up buying us shots, we knew we’d made a true connection.
Hemingway was never here.
Authenticity and success
But here’s the catch about El Chanchullero. This little independent-spirited restaurant prides itself on being the antithesis of the Hemingway-in-Cuba experience. Yet after being featured on a major travel site, it’s now so popular that you’ll wait in line if you don’t arrive early as we did.
They remain true to themselves so far it seems. Can they maintain their mission for authenticity while still being successful and popular? I hope so.
Cuba is a tough nut to crack if you only have a short time to visit. I know the next time I go, I’ll be able to dive deeper into a non-tourist experience. We found authenticity in unexpected places. I feel like we paid our “tourist” dues to get to that point, though. Next time, dear Cuba, we won’t play that game. We know how to seek out the places Hemingway never saw.
The line outside El ChanchulleroConnecting over laughs, drinks, and food.
The cab driver waved up at us from the busy Havana sidewalk and called out “¿Viñales?”
From our perch on the balcony of our casa particular overlooking La Fuente de India and El Capitolio, we called back “¡Si!”
He urged us to hurry down so we grabbed our bags and hastily descended the narrow, convoluted staircase to the ground floor. We jogged behind him, struggling to keep up with his brisk pace as we toted our luggage to the car.
He grabbed our bags and began strapping them on the car roof as we gave quick goodbye hugs to our travel companions; they wouldn’t be joining us for this leg of the trip.
The view of La Fuente de India from the balcony of our casa particular in Havana.
To Viñales
He motioned us towards the front seat of our taxi, a 1954 Ford Country Sedan station wagon. I slid into the center and my dear man took the passenger side. We said a quick hello to the two Finnish passengers in the back seat. Then the driver was off, navigating the cluttered, narrow streets of Havana in the huge station wagon. He deftly skirted the bicyclists, pedestrians, motorcycles, potholes, trucks, and everything else imaginable that are typical in the city.
We made two more stops to pick up passengers before exiting the urban bustle. Eventually nine of us, including the driver, were pressed bum-to-bum for the 2-1/2 hour drive into the Cuban countryside. It didn’t take long to accept we’d be nestled together for the duration, our legs sweating against complete strangers.
Setting aside our American sensibilities about personal space and auto safety, we embraced the journey. No seatbelts in this old car. And slaloming at high speeds along the highway around everything from tour busses and farm tractors to oxcarts and bicycles is perfectly normal.
Before we left that morning we knew we’d be in a group taxi. We just didn’t know exactly what that meant. Our Cuban host had arranged it for us. All we knew is that we’d get to Viñales.
So we bombed along in the vintage car, our heads waggling like bobble-head dolls as we bounced our way towards tobacco country.
Our 1954 Ford Country Sedan station wagon group taxi.
Back in the saddle
We wanted to visit a tobacco plantation while in Viñales. And we thought maybe we’d like to take a horseback ride through the nearby national park at some point as well. Through my middling Spanish, we put together that our gracious host would arrange it for us. We would leave at nine o’clock the next morning.
The horse-drawn cab arrived promptly and we climbed aboard. We took our spots on the wooden bench and quickly learned that keeping our bodies loose and relaxed to absorb the jolts and bumps was the way to go.
The cart stopped in front of a house and a sturdy, older cowboy walked out leading three horses. My dear man and I looked at each other in surprise. We didn’t realize we’d be riding horses today. I was suddenly very glad I wore pants and boots that day instead of shorts and sandals!
My camera gear required adjustment, though. I haven’t been on a horse in more than 20 years but I knew my dual-camera system wasn’t going to hack it in the saddle. I quickly rearranged my camera body and lens setup for this unexpected adventure.
Riding in a horse-drawn cab in Viñales.
Riding into the Parque de Viñales.
Horse cab ride in Viñales.
All-in-one adventure
Our guide introduced us to our mounts—Tornado and Inferno. We laughed at the joke. Trail horses aren’t prone to such dynamic tendencies but we could tell our guide’s sense of humor would make for a fun day.
And we set off, having no idea where we were going or how long the trip would be. All we knew is that we’ll be exploring the Parque de Viñales.
“¡Cabaaaalloooooo!” our guide called out melodically throughout the ride. I can still hear his voice urging the horses on when they slowed their pace.
It turns out our hosts set us up for a full experience that day. The horseback ride included stops at various coffee and tobacco plantations as well as little open-air cafes with spectacular views. We strolled through farmland and quiet riverbeds.
Our charming guide was patient with my broken Spanish as he explained some of what we were seeing. We talked about life, families, and the differences between Cuba and our home in Nevada. He wanted to know as much about our world as we wanted to know about his.
Our last stop of the day was at an organic tobacco farm in the park. With our cigars unfinished when it was time to leave the plantation, we mounted our horses and continued on our way—smoking cigars on horseback in the Valle de Viñales of Cuba, talking with our new friend as we rode back towards town.
Riding in the Parque de Viñales.
The view over the valley.
Farmer tending tobacco plants.
Vulture soaring over the valley below.
Our guide and his buddies.
Riders in the Valle de Silencio.
Lush forests of Parque de Viñales.
Farm bull hanging out.
Bundle of cigars at tobacco farm.
Breaking Routine
At a tiny little cafe on a side street in Viñales, we sat with our Cuban coffees, watching people go by. The tourists had yet to fill the streets so we watched as the locals began their days. Just Cuban people living their lives — walking to school and work, pushing wheelbarrows, hauling loads in ox-drawn carts. We sat peacefully, enjoying the sounds and sights of a place entirely new to us.
Quite poetically, our cafe was named “Rompiendo Rutina,” Breaking Routine.
Breaking routine in Viñales with Cuban coffee and a morning cigar.
Cuba proved to be a very different style of travel for us. Even as open as we are to new experiences and adventures, we are typically far more in control of when, where, and how we go about our travel. We make our own arrangements, choices, and schedules.
Sometimes making that leap means accepting some discomfort, inconvenience, or unknown outcomes. But rich travel isn’t about everything being luxurious, perfect, and predictable. I suppose that’s the difference between a vacation and an adventure.
And travel in Cuba is as rich as it gets if you’re willing to surrender to adventure.
Adventure on, friends!
As always, prints and products of Cuba (and more!) are available in my Zenfolio and Society6 online stores.
How does a travel blogger take a vacation? Apparently we don’t!
Earlier this month I took a weeklong trip to Cuba for the first time. I went into that adventure looking to be largely off-duty. I wanted to celebrate my dear man’s birthday and his long-desired wish to visit Cuba without the pressure of needing to produce content. But as you can imagine, the concept of relaxing and taking a true vacation with family and friends is a tall order for a travel blogger.
So I deliberately went to Cuba with no agenda of coming back with tons of images, thoughts, and stories. My goal was to take shots when it felt right yet have enough images to enjoy looking back down the road. As a result, I took pictures here and there but I wasn’t behind the lens the entire time. I took a step back to absorb the details of everything around me. It was really quite lovely.
The quintessential Havana scene
Regrets?
With that approach though, I certainly missed a lot of things I wish I had shots of. But the hard truth is that I always feel that way, even when I work hard at trying to capture the images that fill out the story. So really I’m not any more disappointed in my collection of images than usual!
The glaring exception being that I wish I had more people shots. Again, that’s not a new struggle for me but given the great people I was traveling with and those I met along the way, it stings a little more than normal. Because so much of what is amazing about Cuba is the people.
So stay tuned for a handful of vignettes about Cuba. In the meantime, here are links to the images on my Facebook page and my Cuba travel collections in my online stores at Zenfolio and Society6.
