Havana night
It wasn’t the belly full of savory ropa vieja or the day spent in the sunshine glow of Cuba’s capital city. It wasn’t the colonial facades of buildings, crumbling in Caribbean splendor, nor the classic cars cruising past with heartfelt rumbles. You might think it was the mojitos, but it wasn’t that either. It was almost the notes of jazz, samba, and son that wandered the streets alongside the slapping of sandals.
It was very nearly the air, sultry as only the tropics can be, that lick of breath that knows your body better than you’ve ever dared to look, the perfect medium for the unapologetic sexiness of this island.
It was none of those apart, it was all of them together. And…more. Whatever Cuba is. That’s what it was.
I couldn’t put my finger on Cuba, but Cuba laid its hand on me. It skipped the pleasantries and went straight to caressing my awareness, groping my perceptions and sliding right up along the length of my love of travel.
The first night, the ineffable Jeff Greenwald (who has traveled more than FedEx) was telling me that Cuba reminded him of just how good travel can be. I understood the sentiment exactly.
It was a privilege to meet the people I did in Peru (blogs forthcoming), and El Salvador quickly climbed to the top of my favorite countries. Belgium still tasted like home, and Iceland was so beautiful it was almost crass.
But despite these incomprehensibly blessed winter travels, on the BART train to San Francisco International Airport I found myself…tired. Lacking the exuberancy that normally carries my backpack for me.
Exuberance is great…but it takes a lot of energy. In Havana I found something more…sustainable. It was a languorous love of living, a symptom of a culture not ruled by, addicted to, fear. It was waves and wind that will keep coming in whatever strength they please, and will be welcomed or endured as necessary. It was buildings falling down, but people standing up. It was slow meals with nowhere else to be, and songs that will last until they’re done, not a second less.
Those songs lived in my steps, carried my feet from Prado to paladar to plaza. I gave no instructions, to musicians nor muscles, and let both lead me wherever they willed, my job merely to appreciate, enjoy, love whatever they chose to show me on the streets of a Havana night.
And eventually, the verses finished their succession, and the chorus was done for the night. As the melody trailed off, my legs would carry me back home, muscles warm with satisfaction, almost smug with the steps taken and sights witnessed.
I’d pass the sleepy guard and ascend in the Soviet elevator, humming to myself a song I didn’t quite know, but had quickly learned to love.
I really love your prose and images, they match each other so perfectly, just as they are married to each other. Cuba is on my travel list, any recommondations where to stay?
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Thank you, I appreciate that, especially from a photographer as skilled as yourself! I definitely recommend Cuba! For recommended destinations, I loved Trinidad, and would like to go back to Cienfuegos (which is less than an hour away) and Havana is well worth a few days. If you’re looking for specific hotels and/or casas particulares, I can give you my few contacts on those too, if you like. (I’ll post something about the casas soon.)
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Thank you so much, you are just wonderful.
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Lovely.
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Thank you!
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Oh my.
Cuba is now on my bucket list!!
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Good call! I hate to belabor a point, but if you’re looking for a group to go with, you can’t beat Altruvistas (dot com). They run trips a few times a year, usually.
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Hmm I’m more a loner traveller, but thanks for the heads up 🙂
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Heh, me too. Five years on the road, most of it by myself, and Cuba was the first group trip of my life. But there’s a reason for that. Whether you’re American or not, the structure of the “people-to-people” programs gives you incredible access to more Cubans and aspects of life on the island than you could otherwise get traveling alone. Annnd then you can travel alone, and get that experience too. That’s what I did. And Altruvistas’ trips are probably not what you think of when you think “group travel.” (And if you are American, you have the added bonus of being there legally, so less worries about that pesky $10,000 fine.)
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Oh. But I’m Australian. And somehow I don’t think my cute accent is going to work lol
I see what you mean though, plus I’ve heard some amazing things about garden sharing/urban farming etc in Cuba. Would love to see that all first hand.
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Definitely! The (sub)urban agriculture movement in Cuba is one of the most amazing things going on there right now; I’m annoyed that I missed it! There was just too much to see.
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I imagine there would be!
Just that we have urban community farms popping up all over Sydney where there is space people are planting stuff and it’s a shared resource.
I’ve read so many things about their roof top farms, etc. I’d love to see it first hand. Would live to try to implement similar at home.
My inner greenie approves 🙂
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Very well put together. Don’t travel anymore so I’ll never see it, but seeing your image of it is a consolation prize. The magic of Habana…I missed it because that damned failed ball player took over and went Commie. Until then, Florida kids like me took the ferry to Havana to
dip our wicks in the wondrous flesh pots and come home smoking Havana cigars and swaggering. Before I could escape my grandparents’ surveillance and have my own baptism, down clanked the red sugar cane wall. And of course that idiotic amateur touch football player then banned Cuban leaf–after he sent Pierre Salinger to every cigar store around the Beltway to buy up enough to last him. That really showed them Commies by gar. Yep,every time I stepped across the border to Canada, and my first stop was a cigar store for a fistful of Havanas, I reflected on this high statesmanship. When I lived in the Bahamas, Cuban cigars were all I smoked. Now I have to make do with Cuban seed leaf grown in other countries–we still seem to be fighting the Cold War. Hello? We won.The Reds went home. Haven’t heard of any Cuban legions tearing up Africa lately. Cuban ballplayers are getting back into the big leagues. Cuba survives. One day those hackies will be selling their old Chevs and Fords at Sothebys and retiring. Cuba Libre!
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That’s gotta win for the most interesting comment I’ve ever received. Gracias for that!
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Going to Havana for seven days next November. Appreciate your night shots, as that is what I want to concentrate on. Any other locations for great & gritty & colorful architecture?
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Thanks! If you’re looking for gritty and interesting architecture in Havana, I have good news: it’s kinda everywhere. There are some Soviet behemoths, but it’s a lot of very interesting, occasionally tragic stuff (like a beautiful old art nouveau building with the bottom gutted and replaced with basically a McDonalds lower story). The malecon is lined with a series of places that are old and/or dissolving/fallen down, with a couple new ones thrown in for contrast. Good dramatic lighting too, depending on which bulbs happen to be there/on. The main Old Town (around Obispo Street) has a couple interesting spots, but for me is kinda trampled and artificial.
I look forward to seeing your results!
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Very nice writing and very beautiful pictures of Havana at night! Could I use one of these pictures?
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Thank you! And sure, go ahead and use them. Thank you for asking! What do you want to use them for?
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Thank you so much! It’s about a song called “Havana” and I would love to use one of these photos as a background!
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Sure thing. Just please give me photo credit and link to the post. Gracias! And I’d love to hear the song.
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Of course! I’ll send you when it’s ready!
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I finally got to Havana and took pictures. Check out my Havana shots: https://plus.google.com/collection/YY69q
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They look great! I miss that city, thank you for the quick photo-trip!
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