Our first few days were spent in Vinales, a smaller community about 3 hours from Havana. We stayed in local Cubans’ homes and were treated to their amazing hospitality and a feast of Cuban cuisine (who knew I would love plantains so much!). This was planned perfectly to allow us to acclimate ourselves to the Cuban way, the noises, the temperature, the sensory overload of color and architecture, the people, and the traffic movement. We spent a day wandering the town and capturing the locals’ daily lives. We stopped at a local tobacco farm, which has been in the same family for 5 generations—an amazing photography opportunity of land, people, and their products. 
We had lunch at one of the best “farm-to-table” restaurants I have had the opportunity to visit. Imagine sitting on a front porch to eat lunch, a view of farmland, surrounded by beautiful fragrant flowers, the sun shining, and the perfect warm breeze. Then add some of the best food you can eat in Cuba, all from within 100 km of the farm. A chance to connect with the owner, watch him make our sugar cane drinks from scratch, and photograph their property and farm hands. Quite exceptional.
Then on to Havana for 4 days. I am not sure I can capture Havana in words. It really impacts your senses and your heart. The sounds are unique. They have a system of horn blowing between cars that only locals understand; they yell to each other from 2nd story windows across the street or up and down the streets, and music is playing everywhere. In some neighborhoods, the sidewalks are right up against the windows into their homes, so you can go from smelling something delicious being cooked or prepared to the normal smells of large city streets. For touch, I truly expected more dust. It was amazing to see that at least one person was sweeping the dust and/or garbage on most blocks. For your sight, there are layers of bright colors, architecture, wonderful old cars, bicycles, carts, small trucks, and a feeling of an organized dance of people with traffic on the streets. Since most Cubans are paid the same, no matter what job, artists have no reason to seek higher-paying jobs. Therefore, artists are abundant and selling their art everywhere – it is beautiful and colorful.
As for your heart, I would say you have to experience this yourself. I don’t believe anyone can visit this city and not be impacted. How it leaves its mark depends on your view of the world and life.
The photography opportunities were limitless and in a perfect balance every day. The architecture is breathtaking; there are some streets where, if you slow down, be quiet, and concentrate, you can feel the opulence of the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s. We visited Old Havana, Historic Havana, a boxing studio (with their Olympic Boxing Coach), a dance studio (mix of Spanish and African dance and music), a rooftop terrace for cocktails and dinner, sunrise at Morro Castle, sunrise with models and a few old cars, Hotel Nacional (think Mafia stories), an artist’s home and 4 top Cuban Jazz musicians on a rooftop.
Cuba is experiencing a shortage of almost all goods. There are lineups everywhere. Line ups for gas and line ups for food stores (with ration cards), and the store may not have anything on the shelves. It was explained to us line ups are just a way of life here. They have a system where you can pay people to stand in line for you.
What we also experienced was the true Cuban Pride. As much as they lack “things,” there is little begging. Folks seem to get on with figuring out their situation and do not bother or ask tourists for help. I do appreciate the situation is much more complicated than a few points; however, I wanted to share a few things we learned…there is a very low crime rate (almost zero) in Cuba, there is no drug use (serious criminal punishment), there are very few guns (hunters only). They have a literacy rate of 100%, and all of their education is free.
The hotel was in a perfect location and was very impressive. My room had a 20-foot ceiling, impeccable stonework for the shower, and a perfect mattress for comfort and sound sleep. To add to the wonderful experience was the rooftop terrace, where we had breakfast every morning surrounded by local plants, flowers, and amazing food.
After Havana, we headed off to Trinidad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, my favorite stop on this trip. The streets are lined with homes painted in pastel colors, cobblestone streets, street-level windows that open up into their homes, and more beautiful old cars, and you can hear children playing and laughing on the streets. There is some modernization of stores, privately owned restaurants, and small town squares. We could get out, walk, and capture a few stunning sunsets.
One of the most charming aspects of Trinidad is how they sell bread. Starting at 4:30 a.m., folks walk the streets with bread, blowing a whistle and yelling “pan en venta” (bread for sale). They do this three times per day, and if you are lucky with timing, you can catch a transaction taking place on a doorstep.
A photography trip would not be complete without a waterfall shoot, and this one did not disappoint—an opportunity to hike the Sierra Escambray rainforest for a waterfall and cave. After several days in cities and all that comes with city visits, the walk through this forest was just what we needed. The lush forest, quiet, the soft ground to walk on, waterfalls, and the sounds and silence of nature were a welcomed few hours. We had the privilege of a local guide who shared his knowledge about flora and fauna. We were also lucky enough to spot (and shoot) the National Bird of Cuba – The Cuban Trogon!
Muench’s famous image reviews were interspersed throughout the trip. We had three opportunities to submit photos for Andy and Ceci to review and provide feedback on all aspects. This is a great advantage of traveling with this company and a remarkable opportunity to develop our skills.
