my trip to cuba :: part 4

sign for the park • not our transportation (i wish) • park directors
After a very eventful week and a half in Cuba, our last full day was spent in the southern part of Cuba's coast at Ciénaga de Zapata, just south of Havana on the Zapata Peninsula. We went to meet with Cuba's national director of ecotourism, who was conducting an international conference at the park that week.

down the dirt road • look out tower • group shot
When we arrived, after a little over 2 hours on the road, we were greeted by the park directors and our guide for the day, who joined us in the van as we continued on our way. We were ushered through a gated area into the preserve and started down a very narrow dirt path through the lagoons and marsh areas. During this time, our guide was explaining the different species of animals and plants that are endemic to the peninsula. After a few kilometers down the road, we stopped and climbed up onto a look-out tower to view the marsh.

3 in one (including white pelicans) • egret • black coots
The park is home to over 65 species of migratory birds and we were there during the peak time of migration. It was really interesting to try and find different types of birds in the water and air. We spotted black coots, great white pelicans (of which our guide said only about 8 have been counted all year, and we saw a group of 5), cranes, herons...

flamingos • gradient of 5 • close up
...and of course, the star of the park, the caribbean flamingo, which makes its home in this area between October and March each year. We were told that you can observe the age of a flamingo by how bright pink their feathers have become...the older, the brighter.

the stars of the park

We kept stopping along side the road during the drive if we spotted a group of flamingos close. It was always great to see a large group take flight.

at the end of the road • visiting the look-out post • solar panels
At the end of the 9km dirt path, there is an area where rangers live for a couple weeks at the time for researching, guarding, and guiding. There is a small amount of fishing allowed in this area (mainly done in flat-bottomed boats in the shallow marsh), and fly fishing is also quite popular here as well.

views from the look out • flat-bottomed boats • friend hanging out on the roof
After some time milling around a bit more (and I found some sea beans growing on the marsh side which we all enjoyed snacking on), we piled back into the van and started on the trip back out of the park.

bay of pigs • sticks in the sand • evidence from the conflict
As we were leaving the peninsula, we stopped at the Bay of Pigs just to have a look...quite peaceful these days, but it was interesting to see some rusted ships and other wreckage left from the conflict.

The next morning was an early trip to the airport, and a super quick flight up, then down to Miami...we never even reached a cruising altitude. So close...but so so far away in so many aspects.

my trip to cuba :: part 3

So. Havana.

Our week there was filled with so many things, that I'm really stumped on how to go about writing about it all...so I'm just going to do a pictorial summary. Enjoy the Havana I saw...

THE PEOPLE
old lady with cigar • view across street from hotel window • street vendors
selling thread • revolutionary hats • on duty
santera • park keeper • sitting in a cemetery

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THE BUILDINGS
old fort, now the police headquarters • fork in the road • old Bacardi headquarters
sweet type on an old theatre • cigar factory • capitol building designed after the US one
pastel fronts • top of the fine arts theatre • modern building with an added facade

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THE SIGNS
art in an alley • painted wall in Vedado • Che and Fidel
artist's take on America's "freedom" • drinking sign by E. Hemmingway • Che memorial • old type
La Bodeguita del Medio (where the mojito was invented) • 50th anniversary • graffiti • "a better world is possible" (this one was outside Havana...but oh well)

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THE EXPERIENCES
sitting with the cigar lady • chinese new year dragon in chinatown • coco-taxis and Jose Marti memorial
hanging in a classic • market • visiting a memorial to John Lennon
Christopher Columbus Cemetery • International Fine Art Museum • birthplace of the mojito • graffiti on the wall of La Bodeguita del Medio

The last full day there, we traveled to the south coast of the island to visit a national park and research migratory birds...the last post to come...

my trip to cuba :: part 2

endangered polimita only found in this region • view of the bay at the park entrance • roosters on our walk
After a busy first few days in Baracoa, we still had several things to do before flying to Havana. On the first Saturday morning, we piled into a jeep and headed to the nearby Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, a UNESCO site dedicated to the unmatched diversity of ecosystems and species.

view on our drive • seaside ruins • shells of houses
Before reaching the entrance to the preserve, we stopped at a small village on the ocean, that was completely destroyed by the hurricane. At first I couldn't even tell that it used to be a village at all, as it was mainly flat ground. There were a few foundations left from old structures, and about 3 shells of what used to be simple wooden homes. Most of the villagers are being housed in the concrete school house several hundred yards away from the shore. The last container we shipped to Cuba contained new mattresses for all the families.

working with the children
At the park we met with several of the directors there who will be working with the group on the next environmental book release. Also, another member of our group (a former science teacher) brought small microscopes to donate to the park, and we worked with a group of children in the park in learning to use them. The park is so beautiful and it sits on a gorgeous bay, which we admired as we ate cucurucho (a local snack made of honey, coconut, and fruit all mashed into a cone shaped container made of palm leaves), and drank coconut milk straight from the fruit.

cucurucho • beach where we stopped for lunch • park workers relaxing
That evening, the staff at our hotel gave us a lovely farewell party and we packed for the scenic flight to Havana the next morning. Even though the flight wasn't too long, the day was almost completely gone by the time we sat at the airports, retrieved everyone's luggage, took taxis to the next hotel, and all got ready for dinner. We ate at a restaurant with a flamenco dancing show, which was pretty entertaining.

Museum of the Revolution • communist card on display • interior
The first morning in Havana, I decided to get a bit edu-ma-cated about Cuba's history at the Museum of the Revolution, which is housed in the old Presidential Palace. It ended up to be a very good first-stop, as I did learn quite a lot and easily could have spent a few more hours looking through everything...towards the end, though, I started to wander a bit, and ended up all alone in Fidel's former ballroom. Kinda weird.

in the old ballroom • view from a window • artist I met
On the way back to the hotel, I stopped in front of an open window to peek in at some super colorful paintings, when the artist saw me being nosey and invited me in. The interior was filled with his pieces, and it was interesting talking to him (in a mixture of my bad Spanish, his bad English, and a little Italian to fill in the gaps) about his work. I continued on my way, past the clash of crumbling homes next to beautifully restored palaces.

buildings in Havana
Cuba in general, but Havana in particular for me was so visually interesting. As soon as we exited the airport on the first day, it was like a time warp...tons of 50s classic cars mixed with horse buggies, and ox-pulled carts. The colors everywhere were amazing, from the colorful Buicks, Cadillacs, and Chevys, to the pastel buildings, lush tropical landscape, and crazy murals. I met a handful of professional photographers milling about Havana's streets snapping away at the convergence of visual contradictions.

cars in cuba
And this was only the first day in this beautiful city...a full week was still to come...

my trip to cuba :: part 1

scenes of Baracoa, Cuba
HOLA! I got back from Cuba this past weekend, with a memory card full of photos, a new painting, a (smuggled) cigar, and a journal full of stories. I traveled with the St. Augustine - Baracoa Friendship Association, a non-profit, humanitarian group that "strives to foster better awareness and understanding between the citizens (of Cuba & the US) through a relationship of mutual concern and respect, and to provide self-help projects...that relieve suffering, bring relief, ease tensions, aid learning, brighten lives and bring happiness to individuals and groups in a situation of stress, isolation, illness, poverty, deprivation, scarcity and meager resources."

faces in the town
For the past several years I've helped on the States-side of the operation, loading shipping containers of donations, doing graphic work for the environmental campaign posters and books, but this was my first time being able to actually go to meet the people for whom the work was being done. After one night in Miami, we flew into Santiago and visited one of Cuba's renowned artists, Lawrence Zúñiga Batista, as one of the projects this trip was to finish up a cultural book on Cuban artists originally from Baracoa.

some of the artists we met
After a quick stop to view his pieces, we continued on to Guantanamo for dinner with Irania Garcia, who was one of CNN Heroes for environmental efforts as she turned a trash dump into a garden after her daughter died of cancer related to environmental poisons stemming from the dump. It was amazing to meet her and hear about the work she's been doing, but we still had a 4+hour drive ahead of us, so we had to get going. Before the night was over, we finally arrived in Baracoa, and rested for the week ahead.

street in Baracoa • overlooking the bay • church on main st.
The next morning, I woke to a beautiful view over the town, mountains, and the ocean. We quickly went to work and over our 4 days in Baracoa had a busy time meeting several more artists, visiting galleries, putting on a business seminar, distributing books, doing inventory of the last donation shipping container to make sure supplies got to where they were meant to, meeting with a handicap center, and viewing some of the recent hurricane damage and restoration efforts.

cultural presentation • workshop • visiting a rec center
The people of Baracoa treated us like special guests, always greeted us in the streets, and even put on a cultural event for us complete with an art exhibit, local music, poetry readings, and a local traditional dance show.

more views of Baracoa
We still had more things to complete in Baracoa before flying to Havana, including visiting a seaside village completely destroyed by Hurricane Ike, doing some work in a UNESCO national park, and saying goodbye to the wonderful people in the town...part 2 coming soon.

the new year, travel, and a song

Happy New Year! I know I plan to have one. Still working on more specific resolutions and/or goals, but I do have some words that I think best sum up the ideas of those for me. I plan to live this year honestly, passionately, and with a whole heart.

This year is already starting out with some exciting beginnings. We just got back from Atlanta yesterday after spending a fun time with friends, and tomorrow I'm leaving for Cuba with a non-profit group from St. Augustine on a humanitarian travel license. We'll be gone for 10 days and there is a lot of projects packed in to our time there. Santiago, Guantanamo, Baracoa, and finally Havana are on the list. I'm sure I'll have lots to tell when I get back.

Also, I'll have to fill you in on some new job news...having to do with two of my passions: travel and humanitarian work! Stay tuned.

For now, enjoy a song (sung by the wonderful Sufjan Stevens) that I listened to a lot during the holiday break. The first line and title of this old hymn has stuck with me as this new year began...
"Come thou fount of every blessing..."



back in a couple weeks!