This gallery contains 6 photos.
Originally posted on FindingMySelfinPanama:
Here are more photos from our trip to Cuba. I have cropped many for emphasis, some photos were too “busy” so I gave them more focus. I photograph what catches my fancy and modify the result…
This gallery contains 6 photos.
Originally posted on FindingMySelfinPanama:
We visited Cuba February 17-23, 2017. Loved it and the people. Here I’ve assembled some of my favorite shots. Many are of street art which I found interesting and inspiring. Click on the photos to enlarge…
We relaxed over breakfast and didn’t hurry out this morning. Our hostess put on a Mel Gibson film after breakfast. I think I know better than to watch any more Mel Gibson films. Blech. We aren’t here to watch movies anyway.
Out destination today was Chinatown and a highly recommended restaurant. We set off in that direction, took a detour to a parallel street and got somewhat lost, but in time got ourselves straightened out thanks to some saved maps in my tablet that I brought just in case.
Chinatown is not really a Chinatown like we would expect. I saw one person that looked like she could be Chinese. I saw one sign and a our destination restaurant, and that was about it. The rest of the area was very Cuban, but not as prosperous or upscale as the areas we had seen before. I saw some furniture making businesses, some shops, lots of flowers for sale on the street, but otherwise mostly very small apartments and buildings in somewhat poor condition.
We walked around exploring a new park and some new areas until we were hungry enough for lunch, which took a while after our typical hearty breakfast served by our hostess.
Eventually we decided to make our way back to the Flor de Loto (Flower of the Lotus), our restaurant destination.
Entering the restaurant was like entering a different world of linen tablecloths, attentive waiters, and excellent food. For less than $20 we had two large dinners and three beers, enough for Joel to bring home a lot and to keep me full for the rest of the day. That a great thing about staying with a family. They know the area and can recommend the best places.
Our legs were feeling the effects of daily walking so after our late lunch, we slowly ambled home and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.
Out host was also home, having cut his hand at the base of the thumb at work. He said he had to go to three different clinics/hospitals to find someone who could take care of him. The first said the cut was too deep and bleeding too much. The second was afraid he had cut the tendon and sent him to a specialist. The specialist determined that the tendon wasn’t cut and stitched him up. It has been very interesting listening to him talk about work, health care, the economy, business, etc etc in this very different country though of course it’s still just people trying to live well and take care of their families.
PS his hand was doing well when I left, healing with no signs of infection and minimal pain.
We went to the Paseo de Marti one evening, the beautiful boulevard a block away from where we were staying. We walked up to the Parque Central and enjoyed the buildings all lit up, the balmy evening air, and all the people out enjoying themselves.
I only brought a cheap little Canon (my decent one is repaired and waiting for me in the US). It did OK on these photos though.
We took a tour bus today. There is a hop on, hop off bus for $10 so we got on in the Parque Central not far from where we are staying. Here’s a few photos from the boulevard on our way to the park. It was Sunday and there were a lot of vendors on the boulevard.
We drove down the Malicon and through the city to the Plaza of the Revolution. We could see plenty from the bus so we didn’t get out.
We did get out at the cemetery though. It was a huge cemetery! They wanted $7 per person so we decided not to go in. We could see quite a bit from the entrance and through the fence and we were fine with that.
The next bus that came along was full so we had to wait for another. We got in but there were no window seats, so not as good for looking out and taking pictures. It took us through some beautiful neighborhoods and an area that we were told had many embassies and offices, and then along the waterfront where there were some big hotels including the Copacabana (who would have thought we would ever see that!)
I wanted to go around again but we were getting hungry, so we got off and looked for a restaurant in Old Havana (check the videos in the previous post for some fun music and dancing). We also did some shopping for gifts, and then got back on the bus.
When we got back on the bus there was hardly anyone riding. We had our choice of seats and windows so we could see everything really well.
Back at the Plaza de la Revolucion again.
Then, driving back through the city.
We got off at the park again, and set off down the boulevard towards home. We came across some people dancing the tango and others watching, sometimes singing along with the music.
We were tired when we got back so we relaxed for a while, and then went back out later in the evening to visit the boulevard again.
It is still a bit strange waking up without internet. The family gathers every night to check email and do what they need to do. It seems to be enough to get my email, write a couple short responses, and make an entry on Facebook but not much more. It doesn’t take long for the connection to break down entirely and then you are finished. We forget how we managed in the time before Internet, when we couldn’t just contact anyone instantly or look up information on any subject. Thankfully Cuban Spanish doesn’t seem that different so I’m able to talk easily with our hostess and ask her lots of questions, and she is always happy to answer.
It seems like everywhere you go there is music. Even small restaurants often have a band, and there is more music in the street.
Here are some musicians we passed as we walked around.
Here’s another three minutes of music, including a fun street event with dancers on stilts.
Here is a really fun group in the restaurant where we had lunch one day. There were also a great pair of dancers. Check it out! I love the woman outside the door who couldn’t stand still when she heard the music. The dancers get going more and more as the video goes on so watch this one to the end.
I also loved hanging out on our balcony and watching the activity below in the street. If you want to spend five minutes on the balcony with me, watch this video.
That’s it for videos. Now I have more pictures to sort from Sunday, then Monday, Tuesday…. 😀 This is fun for me. It’s like reliving our Cuba time all over again.
It just took me less time to upload 109 photos than it did to upload 3 in Cuba. The internet there…well… You don’t realize how much you use it until you don’t have it!
So, you have been warned. This post contains 109 photos (and this is after I tossed at least 2/3 of them out!) 😀
The second day we walked in the old, historic part of Havana. This place is a dream for a photographer – endless buildings, people, scenes, and interesting things. I need to research many of these places. There were churches, squares, monuments, and other buildings that were obviously old and full of history. I’m glad I took photos of some signs to help me identify things.
Buildings seemed in many states of repair, some being well cared for or restored, and others showing the passage of time. The old section is obviously a tourist attraction and there were people everywhere speaking many languages. Many tourists were in groups with guides, and there were many many buses. Our hostess said the buses meet the cruise ships to take people on tours of the city, and others told us bus tours are also arranged by hotels for their guests.
Our hostess is really spoiling us! She fed us such a big breakfast that we had to save a lot of it for later. When we returned the bed was made and the room cleaned up. Even the toilet paper was folded into a little point at the end like a hotel service, and our towels had been replaced with clean ones. Speaking of toilet paper, she doesn’t know where so many visitors get the idea that there is a shortage of things in Havana. She says they have paper, soap, everything they need available in stores and she doesn’t know why people keep bringing these things. Maybe it’s different in other areas but in Havana, people are able to get what they need.
We had a great day walking in the old, historic part of Havana and we saw so much that our heads were swimming by the time we got back.
After a day of walking, we just relaxed for the evening. We got on line for a short while to check email, etc. But it wasn’t long before the slow internet stopped working entirely, probably because there were too many people using it on a Saturday night. Internet is a luxury in Cuba. You have to have all the equipment, and then you have to pay by the minute for something that is painfully slow if it works at all. It feels strange not to have our constant internet connection, but it’s not so bad to take a break. I’ve been able to post to Facebook so family knows we are fine and everything else can wait.
So, that’s what I wrote that night about our day. Here are all the photos!
Whew!! That was a crazy lot of photos!
How do you explain what is Cuba in words and pictures? It is something that has to be experienced, but I will do what I can.
We landed in the airport, not the newest and most modern airport but a perfectly good and functional airport. It was recommended that we bring Eros to avoid the 13% exchange fees of dollars, and go upstairs to avoid the huge line at the money exchange. Upstairs they were only selling euros though, not buying them so downstairs to the long line we went.
The long money changing line at the airport
After a while I asked one of the taxi guys recruiting passengers if we could pay in euros. Sure, 30 euros to Havana Central, a fair price so off we went in a comfortable modern yellow cab through Cuban countryside and soon, through the city to our destination. When we pulled up our hostess was waiting outside as promised to welcome us and show us to our room.
Our hosts were wonderful, friendly, helpful, really good people. I felt somewhat guilty though. It’s a small two bedroom apartment and the four of them are in a small bedroom on bunk beds while we have a spacious bedroom and balcony overlooking the city. But, they made the guest room as their business. He used to work at a government job but says he doing much better working privately, and that is what gave them the money to fix up the apartment.
We settled in a bit and then went walking to see some of the city. There isn’t a lot of traffic for a big city, but a lot of the cars on the road are the antique cars, most looking shiny and beautiful. If you want to take pictures of cars you could totally fill your camera in a short time because there are so many of them everywhere!
The buildings are in all states of repair or disrepair. Some are gorgeous, elegant, and just beautiful. Others are also beautiful but showing many years of neglect, and some are literally falling apart. Many buildings are also in various stages of renovation. Space is expensive and many apartments are tiny. Many people leave their doors open so as we passed we could see into their apartments. Even where we are staying the space is small for a family (by our standards), and now even smaller since it has been remodeled to accommodate guests.
There is so much life in the street! There are people walking, vendors selling things, kids playing, men hanging out and socializing, and neighbors talking together. In the morning and especially in the evenings vendors come around, often with whistles shouting out what they have to sell. Our hostess said if you are on an upper floor you can lower down a basket or pail to complete your purchase.
We arrived in the afternoon so we had a little time to walk around before we turned in for the day. These are some pictures in the area of the Parque Central (Central Park). There is a bit of information on this park Here.
Of course Cuba is known for its classic cars. There are enough of them that it is hard to take a photo of a street scene without catching one, if not many of them.
And now the rest of the photos, just some random shots of things we saw in the area.
These were just a few photos and thoughts put together while having conversations with our host and hostess on our first evening. There is a lot more to come!
much news is coming! But, there is minimal Internet and it goes by the minute, so communication is minimal at the moment. I will be back at the end of the week with a thousand pictures! We are having a fantastic time.
Last Friday on a really windy day, part of a huge tree fell into our yard. It just happened that our landlord was on vacation in Chiriqui (he and his family live in Panama City). We had only met briefly some time ago so I didn’t recognize him when he showed up on Saturday morning to see the damage and plan for cleanup.
After a few messages to confirm plans and time, he arrived on Monday morning with his brother, and a workman with chainsaw and machete in hand. This began a very fun day. Teo, our landlord sent me many photos and most of these are his (thank you Teo!). I was glad because I missed part of the day. I went off for a planned meeting with folks from International Living who showed up 40 minutes late (no apologies), and proceeded to ask me all the same questions I’d been asked in previous interviews *sigh*.
Anyway, you would be amazed at what a strong and capable Panamanian man can do in a short time!
We tend to be lazy in our retirement and not get up early, and Joel was just starting breakfast when the work begun. He wasn’t about to let some hard working guys smell bacon and not share, so there was a breakfast break mid morning.
Teo, our landlord, standing and his brother Alvin talking, while the workman looks at his phone
When I got back home from my meeting, I was amazed at how much had been done! There were only leaves and twigs left.
We were very thankful that our landlord was in the area. He and his brother arranged all the cleanup and consulted with Lucho our friend and neighbor. Later Lucho will rebuild the wall and fence. The tree is on land owned by the government, and it still has some very large limbs that could come down. The concern is that the tree is diseased and weakened which is why it broke, and the other limbs should also be cut before they fall. No one wants to repair the fence until this is done and as owners of the land, it is the government’s responsibility to cut the tree, and also pay for the damage on this property.
This is one big reason why it’s nice to rent. It would have been quite a task for us to figure all this out and make all the necessary arrangements!
Anyway, you can’t expect hard working guys to get things done with no fuel. When I came back Joel had put together some lunch for everyone.
From the left, the workman, Alvin, Teo, Joel, and Lucho
I had SO much fun! We all talked and laughed at meal times, and I spent most of the rest of the time talking with Alvin and some with Teo. Teo also speaks English so he and Joel were able to communicate easily. Alvin lives just up the road in Dolega so who knows. We might see more of each other in the future.
What a great silver lining in the cloud of the tree incident. Up to now communication was always through our realtor which is fine, but I’m happy to have these great new friends. Hopefully in the future Teo and his family won’t hesitate to visit when they are in the area. They never wanted to bother us, but it certainly wouldn’t be a bother for us to see them again.
Tomorrow we are heading to Panama City and then to Cuba on Friday. We are supposed to have internet but who knows. Or more likely, we will be too busy seeing the sights and experiencing the country to spend time on line. I will return eventually though! Meanwhile you all continue with the sentiments of yesterday and send loving greetings. We never need to wait for a holiday on the calendar to do that.
The Panama Adventure 