Cuba 2015, 07-08

Two days are combined into one blog here. You will see why…

Trinidad is great, and we look forward to a full day here.

We enjoy a delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel before heading out into the streets. For us, Cuba is about walking, exploring, and meeting people, finding photographs along the way. Meeting people is the best cultural exchange ever. You see them in their daily lives, get invited into their homes.

Arnie has found a good spot for the group shot, but we must hurry or the light will get harsh.

As we exit the hotel, however, we see a gorgeous Merc, 40s vintage, and chat with the owner. We are not quite sure where he got it, but it involved a ten-year restoration with his brother and father. Does his brother get to drive it, too? Oh no, his brother is a very bad driver. It turns out, this is the father of the bride, and as in so many countries, there is a very special car for the bride and groom.

We still need to do the group shot, but it is like herding cats. We manage to get the people under the shady arcade of the government building. These photographs are always a fun remembrance of the adventure and the friendships made.

Several of us have items that the school across the plaza from the hotel can use. We meet the head of the school and one of the teachers, and they are thankful for the school supplies, soaps, etc. that will make their lives easier. Supplies in Cuba, after all, are often very hard to get.

We gather in the plaza and splinter off into smaller groups. Many people are heading out to a farm and viewpoint with Edel on the bus. After that, he will give them a walking tour of Trinidad. Others want to wander on their own, and a third group comes with Arnie and me.

There is a colorful building across the plaza that catches the eye of several of us. Normally, we do not feature skies, but this one is naturally polarized and adds color to the graphics of the image.

A corner vegetable stand beckons. Painted in gay, Caribbean colors, it is enticing. Customers come and go, some on foot, some on bicycles.

Bicycles are definitely a favored mode of transportation in Trinidad. It is cheap, and there is a repair shop around the corner if a tire needs to be fixed. I loved the colors here.

After walking the more modest section of town, we head up the hill to the historic section. A man is working on a ’57 Ford. My mother had one, and I am trying to imagine where it is now. A junk yard, or is someone keeping it going?

There is an oil can and the spare tire decorating the street for now. After all, the tire has to come out of the trunk in order to get the repair tools.

We have fun photographing the whole scene, but it is time to move on and explore different cobbled streets. As we walk up the street, I see two cowboys, one with a friend on the back. I race back down the hill, as I want to put this all together — the ’57 Ford and the two cowboys. How often do we get to see these together?

It is a full day. We gather for dinner at a lovely restaurant in an outside courtyard, screened from the street by a wall. Bougainvillea cascades over the wall, and the candles set the mood. We sit at different tables, but all together. We trade seats and chat with different people, sharing stories and laughter. And the meal? Superb! Mojitos, of course, made my preferred way with the dark anejo. I love the camarones (shrimp) in Cuba. They are tender and delicious.

We are scheduled to leave at 6 in the morning to return to La Habana, but Arnie and I nix that. 8:00 is a much more civilized hour, and people can enjoy another lovely breakfast without feeling rushed. It is a good move. There is no time crunch with fewer stops on the return trip, one of them a wayside where we can order sandwiches for our trip instead of a long lunch stop. It is a good break, and we continue on our way.

Once checked back in at our hotel in La Habana, we can’t wait to head out. These are our last few hours in this city, and we don’t want to miss anything. Again, breaking up into smaller groups, Arnie heads off with one, Edel with those who are not photographing, and I with a third.

A courtyard beckons, and we head in the door. This is where we photographed the man making leather wallets the other day, but this group has not met the family. Goodies are handed out, and one girl cannot wait to blow up her new balloon, her father keeping a watchful eye from inside their apartment.

There is a wonderful, textured wall, the light making it glow. The group learns how to take advantage of this opportunity, an inch or two or a foot or two making a huge difference. A young mother and son walk by. I quickly grab the shot so as not to get in the way of our participants.

On our last night in Cuba, we rent several vintage cars for a joy ride around La Habana. Horns barking, tootling, honking, and making all sorts of different sounds. The cars often have a selection panel for the noise of choice. We all have a blast.

People and cameras rise up out of the cars and have fun photographing one another. We wave to passers-by and to each other.

The final group dinner is at a lovey restaurant where we ate last year. Set in a narrow courtyard, we enjoy the fresh air. It is in an old house owned for several generations by the same family. The current owner gives us a verbal tour.

We start with mojitos, go on to wine as platters of appetizers arrive. We place our orders. I select the camarones. We enjoy lively conversation and again, lots of laughter. After dinner and flan (guess who scarfs up the unclaimed ones), glasses are passed out for sipping rum. They are all different shapes and sizes, one more the size of a thimble than a proper glass. Arnie gets one that is more appropriate for Scotch! It is fun, and those with the tiny glasses get an extra pour! Realistically, anyone who wants gets extra pours anyway.

A box of cigars also gets circulated, and even some of the ladies select one, included in the price of the meal. Arnie and I don’t smoke and decline.

Rum and cigars … what could be more Cuban?

Our fleet of cars returns for the trip back to the hotel. What a way to end our trip!

We head out on the morrow for the airport, thanking Edel and Tomas with tips from the group. They have been amazing, and we look forward to having them again next year when I will hopefully do another blog series on Cuba.

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