Cuba is indescribable, but I’ll have to do my best to write about our experience there. We started our journey at an Airbnb in the Santa Fe neighborhood of west Havana, near Playa Baracoa.
Santa Fe was a mixture of luxury homes dotting the waterfront with humble houses and rubble in between. The atmosphere was laid back with almost entirely locals, but limited access to grocery and restaurants. We stayed in a beautiful house with marbled floors, fine furniture, and a small cottage attached to the garage. We could pull down a wooden ladder and walk the rocky dock path to the salty blue water, clear and cool and private compared to the Baracoa.
The sharp shoreline was quiet, save for the Latin-American music playing from a nearby radio or the clamor of school children and barking dogs. We could walk out to a main drag and pile in to a willing local’s old American car to get around for 5 CUC$ (a big price contrast to the heart of Havana). The people were friendly and accommodating despite the minor language barriers we had to navigate. Overall, Santa Fe was a tranquil and culturally immersive way to start our journey in Havana.
Below is the first round of my photos from Cuba, taken mostly in the areas closer to downtown Havana. Stay tuned for more images from the trip in a future post.
Red vintage American car parked at the museum square in Old Havana
Instruments at the ready for an afternoon performance in Havana
Cuban Police officer lighting a cigarette from a clever taxi in Old Havana
Young girls making art on the street in Havana
Pineapple delivery cart in Havana
A red vintage car moving a bathtub through Havana
Boys playing soccer in Old Havana
Stray cats
Yellow round cab in Havana, Cuba
A man processing cane sugar in Havana
Public Phone
My Gear Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens - Very flattering, affordable prime lens for portraits JOBY GorillaPod - Great for stabilizing on the go Wireless Remote - I've used this for self portraits! Canon EOS Rebel T3i Digital SLR Camera Body (discontinued) - My camera is discontinued, but they've continued the Ti series. I love the articulating screen.