Micael Savoie

This has to be the highlight of my trip, Havana!

It was a great time but one day is too short, next time will probably be a 3 day in Havana and 4 in a resort.  How we managed to get to Havana was quite something, first we had paid Nolitour 270 pesos for both of us which in my opinion was ridiculously expensive but we wanted to go so…  I had made sure to check if a full refund was possible while I was checking for a cheaper way.  I went to the lobby of the hotel to find that it would cost me 300 pesos for a round trip in a taxi, we were about to pay that price and at least be on our own, go where we wanted and spend the time needed.   Before giving confirmation I went outside and spoke with a taxi driver, after a little chat he tells me 180 pesos for a round trip to Havana for 4 people so I booked it right away and canceled with Nolitour.

Locals on our way to Havana, Cuba

Sure, a few things happened on the way to Havana, got arrested by the police for no apparent reason but 5 pesos was enough to get away.  Our driver knew the roads quite well, driving somewhat fast in the little compact car and he seemed to knew everyone.  He had a hard time speaking/understanding english but he did point out a  few things on our way like army base, Sugar Cane factory and the name of each city we drove thru.

Initially I had made my research on Havana and I had a few places I wanted to visit, took out my little list and showed it to our driver he did brought us to each destination.  He either stayed in the car while waiting for us or was making arrangements for tours since none of us know how to speak Spanish.  How first stop in the capital was the Necropolis Cristóbal Colón (Havana’s Cemetery) but we did not stay long enough since we had other places we wanted to spend more time at.

Necropolis Cristóbal Colón entrance from inside, Havana/Cuba

Before heading to our next stop which was the Partagas Cigar factory we walked around the area, we were pretty amazed by all the old buildings, old cars and local people.  There’s old cars everywhere, some you can clearly see it can only be used for parts.  At the cigar factory it’s too bad we couldn’t bring our camera because there was lots of potential shots to be taken in that building.  They’re 600 people working at the factory making 20 000 cigars per day.

Las Partagas cigar factory, Havana/Cuba

Just across the street is the capitolio where you’ll be bombarded by locals begging for money or trying to sell random things, you might also be able to see young little kid playing baseball around the Capitolio or even riding their home made wooden skateboard.  What struck me once I got in the Capitolio was the ceiling with all its symmetry and colors.

Ceiling in the Capitolio, Havana/Cuba

One of the main reasons of our stay in Varadero was an agreement between my wife and I.  Varadero was the best location to meet our expectations, we could leave the resort without having to worry about violence, Cuba is safe.   Sure, like in every country you have to be carefull, pickpockets can be anywhere.  When we woke up on our third day in Cuba we decided to hop on the Varadero Beach Tour Bus, a two story bus that gives you an amazing view of the surroundings.  The bus goes up and down the peninsula from 9am till 9pm, you can hop in, hop out whenever you want during the day for 5pesos per person.

Beetle in Varadero, Varadero

Once in we got to Varadero the Flew Market was one of our first stop for souvenir and see local craftsmen, it’s fairly big and a lot more stuff than in Havana.  The big difference between both, the one in Havana has more tourist, more paintings and prices are a little bit higher but some artifact were in better quality.  Varadero seems to have more variety from small scale to bigger items and it’s a bit more friendly.

We then walked on the main street while taking our time to head toward small alley to see a bit more of the real Cuba, local playing baseball in their yard, a grandma bouncing a basketball and chicken in trees.

Chicken in Trees, Varadero

A few alley lead us to the beach, the following shot is one of my favorite from Varadero, the timing was perfect.  I saw the bike and crouched down, took a shot and the bike was gone.  Most shot I like has at least 3 elements that draw attention, in this case the red bike, the clear blue water and the couple sitting on the beach.

Bike near the beach in Varadero, Cuba

There’s old cars everywhere in Cuba, some are in good shape other would need a paint job although you can tell they don’t have winter has cars would be in worst shape than they are, it’s fascinating, you almost feel like living in the 60’s.  The following shot was taken while my wife was trying to let me know that I was not on the road anymore but in a some sort of private driveway, after all, it’s not like I was doing anything bad.

Old car, Varadero Cuba

After eating our pizza, well…  I hate it but not my wife, she went to the restroom before eating and it wasn’t clean at all so her imagination gave rise to how the kitchen might be like.  The pizza was OK, but I’ve had better pizza before.  We needed to find a place where restrooms could be clean so we walked down the road, got to the Varadero Mall.  While I was waiting I took this abstract shot of the exterior taken from the inside of the mall.

This was my first time getting away in a different country with my wife, I was happy to finally be able to share travel experience with her.  I’m the adventurous type of guy, I’d be OK to stay in an Hostel or 2 start hotel but I can’t say that staying one week in an all-inclusive 4 stars resort isn’t great.  For our stay we were at the Sirenis La Salina Beach Resort in Varadero, great location, big resort and lovely beach, a perfect match to relax.  The food was great, for me anyway… my wife loved the fruits and bread

Panorama of one of the pool at Sirenis La Salina, Cuba

I’ve found Varadero to be a nice spot for a photographer, you’re able to walk on the beach and even if it’s a tourism trap there’s always photo opportunity everwhere you look.  When I first opened my eyes the first morning, I was happy to see in real life a palm tree, they’re so impressive and beautiful with their bright green leaves and tall trunk.  Those trees are strong and most of them as seen many hurricanes and they’re still standing today.

Palm tree shadow on a building wall, Cuba

Second thing I did that morning was to head out to the beach to see from my own eyes the blue colored water.  Blowing wind, the sound of the waves under while sitting under an umbrella handmade from palm tree leaves seemed unreal.  Relaxing on our trip was one thing, but laying on the beach for days isn’t my cup of tea.  I wanted to visit, see local people, go to Varadero and Havana so on our first day we did a bit of planning for the days ahead.

Sirenis La Salina Beach in Varadero, Cuba

Even at the resort were everything seems to look similar to small scale botanical garden and fake, there’s always great subject to photograph.  When taking the photo you don’t always need to include every building surrounding your subject, try to isolate it removing from the frame all the unnecessary element while keeping in mind the lighting and composition.

Palm Tree Leave, Cuba

For this following shot, in order to isolate the surrounding and make it look like I was shooting strait at the cactus tree I’ve used my telephone lens using a polarizer filter at f8.  The shot could’ve been done at lower f-stop but I wanted to have depth in the shot so that the third little cactus would be blurred out.  I find that 3 is a magic number in photography, in this shot it shows a repetition of cactus with a good contrast of green on blue.

Cactus Tree, Cuba

Stay tuned for more shots from Cuba