Cuba. A moment in time.

Cuba. A place that I’ve always wanted to visit.  It started as a thought this summer and turned into a realty for me in February 2016.  I traveled with Peter Turnley, world renowned Photojournalist and twelve other photographers to engage in street photography on the streets of Havana, Cuba and surrounding towns.  Our group met in Miami and traveled together on a Charter flight to Havana on February 13, 2016.

Each day we ventured out on our “People to People” exchange–walking the streets of Havana and surrounding towns, engaging with the locals.  Peter took us to some of the most amazing places off the beaten path.  For those that know me well, I prefer non touristy places, which is exactly what I experienced.  Most every night, we gathered as a group and went over our top photos of the day.  Peter offered up his many years of photojournalism experience to help improve our shots as the week went on.  Our last night, he picked his top 15 for each of us which will be featured on his website.  This trip and style of photography pushed me out of my comfort zone, but in a very good way.  I am so appreciative that I had this opportunity.

To learn more about Peter Turnley, click here.

When we arrived, we were met with a three hour wait to get our luggage.  It appears that Cuba isn’t set up quite yet to handle the influx of new tourism.  I didn’t mind…..I was in CUBA and infact, it was kind of interesting to watch the chaos.   Once we grabbed our bags we headed to Havana where Peter took us to lunch at Cafe Taberna.  We were treated to a live band and great dancers.

We then headed to our home for the week in central Havana, Hotel Parque Central.  An old beautiful hotel.  We dropped our bags, exchanged some currency, and then headed to an Afro Rumba Dance in Vedado.  Rumba is a genre involving dance, percussion, and song.  So much fun!

After the dance, we walked the Malecon back to the Hotel.  The Malecon is a broad esplanade, roadway and seawall that stretches 4 miles along the coast from the Havana Harbor to the Vedado neighborhood.

Later that evening, we ate a delicious meal at the stylish Paladar Rio Mar at La Puntilla, Miramar.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2016

We traveled to a little town called Regla where we observed a mass service at the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Regla.  No photos were allowed so you will just have to take my word for it!  🙂 I then went walking around town and near the waterfront.  The sweet man in the bow tie, asked me to send him his photograph when I got back to the States.  I told him I’d be happy to! 🙂  Lots of the townspeople asked if their photos were going to wind up on the “American Channels aka CNN”.  LOL

Off to the world famous dance hall, La Tropical.  This club has been a part of Cuban culture since opening its doors in the segregated 1950’s.  It was a happening place for the working class folks to go dance and have a beer.  I’m told it can get a little rowdy after dark, so Peter was sure to get us out of there before anything happened.  I encountered lovely, friendly, and warm people there, desperate to teach this Polish girl how to Salsa. 🙂  Peter’s twin brother, David, did a documentary on this dance club.  He spent 6 months documenting the club and the lives of four of the locals.  His independent film can be found on Amazon, but I included a link to the trailer here.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2016

We were off to the Egido Marketplace.  The Cuban government controls nearly every element of commerce in the country.  However, these vendors are part of a new generation of private entrepreneurs.  Cubans rely on these marketplaces to supplement the monthly food rations they receive from the government.

 

Peter then arranged for us to stop into an Elementary School.  We had brought pencils and supplies with us from the States to give to the children.  This was one of my favorite stops of the trip–the kids were so cute and funny.  Everytime we walked into a classroom, they would stand up and sing a song to welcome us.

Next, we went to Old Havana where we watched a Santeria presentation in the alley way. It was fun to watch the locals dance and cut loose.  We then walked back to our hotel and took in some of the sights along the way.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2016

Off we went to the Rafael Boxing Gym.  This boxing gym had young and not so young boxers training with aspirations to compete on a national level.  Their trainer was proud to show me he was recently just featured in a magazine for boxing.

I then left the boxing gym and took a stroll around the neighborhood….

The next stop was the Peter Turnley Exhibit at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.  Peter is the first North American photographer to receive a solo exhibition at Cuba’s most important museum since the Revolution.  It was an honor to be there with Peter, admiring his life’s work.

After the exhibit, we traveled to the village of Bacuranao in Alamar.  I walked the streets and then met up with some of my group to enjoy a cold mojito before returning back to Havana.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016

We took a journey to the beautiful fishing village of Cojimar.  Ernest Hemingway loved this seaside town.  This village was the setting for his story, The Old Man and the Sea, which won him a Nobel prize in 1954.  BUT, before we did that, Denise, Sally, Michael and I took a joyride in a pink convertible around Havana with Alejandro!  We stopped to see the John Lennon park along the ride.

The village of Cojimar….I met a beautiful woman named Lillian…who asked me to please come back and visit her on the next trip.  She raced around the town to try and find a pen to write down her name and address for me.  A young boy showed me his spinning rock…a way he entertained himself.  Along my walk I strolled into a house being renovated…the contractors were so nice!  They let me come in and have a peek!  The last man I met, was out painting his new blue building, which was going to be a cafe next to his house.  He was so nice and I got him laughing about his mermaid out front.  LOL

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2016

We visited the Habana Compas Dance in Marianao.  This company fuses contemporary dance with a variety of percussion instruments.  The dancers travel all over, including to the US to perform.

Next, we stopped in at the Centro ProDanza to photograph ballet classes.  The school is run by Laura Alonso, daughter of the famous ballerina and choreographer Alicia Alonso.  The school is government funded so they struggle to make ends meet.

Sally, Denise and I took a walk through Havana in the afternoon and took in several sights such as a brewery with beautiful copper tanks!  We also were invited into a home and visited with the family and their children.  This was also the day I took my first Rik Shaw ride!

My last afternoon in Havana….met a woman named “Lady” who kindly asked me to come Salsa dancing that night.  🙂  I also visited with a nice older man who was an old school photographer.  He took my photo and processed the print right on the spot with a portable dark room.  Pretty amazing!

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

The day we departed.  I dreaded this day coming.  I tend to always get sad on the last day of any trip, but this one affected my core a little bit more than usual.  I had never been to a country like Cuba, and interacted with the people like I did this particular week.  The Cuban people are so sweet and lovely and very proud.  I know why Peter loves Cuba now.  The thing I noticed the most was how happy the Cubans are with very little.  Sometimes in America, we can never get enough and it was a good reminder that less really is more.

The week went by so fast.  In a blink, really.  I took a quick stroll out on the streets before heading to the airport.

The cars!  Love love love the old cars!

Night shots around Havana…..

The architecture…..it is beautiful.  The colors are vibrant.  You can see that Havana was in its glory days before the Revolution.  I could still see the beauty, even in the half torn down buildings.  I went to the rooftop of my hotel to take some city shots—I personally loved seeing the American Flag flying proudly next to the Cuban and British flags.  It was such an interesting time to be in Cuba with it being on the brink of significant change with its relationship to the US.

The Street Dogs of Cuba…..they were everywhere.  And beautiful.  And much to my happiness, they were well fed and loved by those around them.  I was told that even though they don’t belong to “one human”, most people will feed them and take care of them to an extent.  I even found a roof dog too. 🙂

A few miscellaneous shots from my week….

And last but not least, some candids taken from my iphone and some shots taken by my fellow photographers during the trip.  From the landing into Cuba and the beautiful elderly Cuban woman I sat next to on the flight, to the baggage claim scene….my favorite doorman, Ubaldo….our guide Armando….a shot with Peter in his exhibit and with our driver, Alejandro from our joyride.  Somehow one snuck in here of me getting a Salsa lesson.  🙂

I strongly encourage everyone to go check out this beautiful and charming country before it really changes.  There are lots of opinions on when and if it will.  The Cuban people will welcome you just as they did me, and leave you with a warm heart and lots of memories to come home with. Thank you for letting me show you Cuba through my eyes. xoxoxo