Off on a New Adventure

I’m finally back on the road after a pretty long hiatus. Today I’m with a very small group of photographers— only three of us — plus our leader, and we’re in Miami awaiting our flight to Havana. I’ll post as I can, but don’t know how the power situation will be. They have outages nearly daily. Our leader assures us we’ll be fine, as the casa where we’re staying has a generator and good WIFI. If you don’t hear from me during the next week you’ll get the full story when I get back.

So many people on the flight had multiple large bags — many of them just giant plastic bags secured with duct tape — that ours didn’t make it onto the flight. So we had to wait for the next flight. The reason for all the bags is people bringing stuff home to Cuba, things they can’t get at home.

Eventually we were able to leave the airport and meet up with our lovely guide, Sady. A circuitous trip through Old Havana, down streets in desperate need of repair, delivered us to our casa, a beautiful home on a relatively quiet street, owned by the gracious Madeleine, who supplies ample quantities of filtered water, strong WIFI and a generator. Here’s the living/dining room.

After settling into our rooms we walked a few blocks to Frente, a lively restaurant with a quiet rooftop where we dined. I had three delicious tacos mixtos, along with a ginger mojito — yum! Here are a few images from my phone today, some from the neighborhood.

The contrast between the homes, offices and businesses and some of the newer marble-clad buildings is remarkable. They use all manner of transportation here, including tuk-tuk taxis.

More walking tomorrow with my real camera. But for now, sleep!