Since returning from my 10 day trip to Cuba, I have been asked what was the country like. Cuba is hard to describe because it is such a mix of old and new. Where street baseball is played by the young in the middle of streets. Where roosters crow at dawn in Havana neighborhoods. Where antique America 1960 era cars are taxis and where people queue up for rations of food and water. It is also a place with luxury resort towns for tourists only and high rise hotels in Havana. Where restaurants offer international cuisines, French wine and German beer; note not all may be available. Where the people are friendly and welcoming.
I have not done much street photography and I thought Cuba would be a great place to start. In the Places Portfolio, I have posted images taken in Havana, Trinidad and Cardenas. These images capture life in the streets of Cuba.
A step back in time is seeing all the old American cars driving tourist around Havana. I give credit to the ingenuity of the Cuban people to assemble car and tractor parts to keep these beauties running. They are lovingly maintain. On one of my rides the driver pointed out original window cranks that still worked. I am not sure the paint jobs are original but the electric blue, Pepto Bismol pink and lemon yellow were real eye catchers.
Baseball, or a version of it, was played on every city I visited. From very young boys to young men had games going on the back streets. It did not take much to start a game. Bats or no bats. Any kind of ball would do. Bases could be tee shirts, a flip flop or a building.
Cuba is not an easy place to get from America. I was glad I went and recognized how much fun street photography can be.
Hope you enjoy the photos.
