HAVANA - A little girl sits patiently on the streets of Havana while her mother makes a call from a pay-phone. Havana is a city where children are free to gather and play in the streets throughout the day and evening.
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HAVANA - Boys dive off of el Malecón on Havana's coast to escape the summer heat.
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HAVANA - Two boys hang out at the barbershop after a fresh cut. In Havana, where resources are limited, style is less about clothing and expressed more through hair, making the barbershop is an integral part of life in Cuba.
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El Malecón
Every evening, people gather along el Malecón on Havana’s coast to cool off in hot summer months and to socialize. When I first walked up to el Malecón after a hot day I was relieved to feel the steady breeze cool me off. However, after 10 minutes of sitting there and realizing my butt was stuck to the wall, I was reminded there’s no escaping Cuba’s humid heat of the summer...
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El Capitolio
While walking around the National Capitol building of Cuba, what struck me is its location and surroundings. The federal capitol is not surrounded by barricades and fencing. Nor is the capitol lined by government buildings on each adjacent block. Instead, directly across the street are homes; not wealthy homes but apartments where average Cubans live. Out of the windows of the capitol is a view of street vendors selling goods and clothes being hung from balcony banisters to dry. The center of the government is located right by the people that are governed by it.
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Eyes
It could just be me, but it seems like there are more barbershops in downtown Havana than in most cities. I often wonder if to Cubans, fashion is more about hairstyle than all else. The odd thing about these barbershops is that they seem to appear and disappear. I would pass by a barbershop and make a mental note to return but when I’d later go back to get some shots, there would be no memory of it -no signage, no red and blue pole swirling around. So when I peeked into this barbershop from the street and saw this man sitting in the chair with deep green eyes and such an intriguing face, I knew not to miss my opportunity.
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The owner of this car had a flat tire but instead of pulling off to the side of the street, he just jacked it up in the middle of the road! Cars just sped right past and traffic went on as this was a normal thing.
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Street Playgrounds
In el centro Habana, the streets are the playgrounds for children. There are a limited number of parks so children take to the streets to play chase, soccer, baseball dominoes and perhaps most popular, marbles. I had never seen so many kids playing marbles as when I walked through the streets of downtown Havana. For hours they would crouch at the edge of the curb, some just watching others play. If you watched long enough, you would often see one child emerge as the dominant marbles player. In this particular game, it was Jordan. With his pink flip flops, Jordan would balance on one foot and lean far forward until it seemed he would topple over. It worked for him. Jordan won every game I watched.
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Street Soccer
In Havana, the streets are the playgrounds for children
Fidel y Raul
I met these identical twins who told me their names were Fidel and Raul. They also told me that today was their birthday. I didn’t care if they were telling me the truth or not. They invited me into their home. It was nice to sit with them and listen to their stories. Scroll through to see more.
Fidel y Raul
I met these identical twins who told me their names were Fidel and Raul. They also told me that today was their birthday. I didn’t care if they were telling me the truth or not. They invited me into their home. It was nice to sit with them and listen to their stories. Scroll through to see more.
Fidel y Raul
I met these identical twins who told me their names were Fidel and Raul. They also told me that today was their birthday. I didn’t care if they were telling me the truth or not. They invited me into their home. It was nice to sit with them and listen to their stories. Scroll through to see more.
All You Can Eat Seafood
Cubans fish every evening on “el Malecón” while cruise ships depart from the port serving all you can eat buffets.
Valle de Viñales
Sunset in the valley of Viñales, Cuba.
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Cimarrón & Aventador
“Cimmarrón. Aventador.” As we climb down into the valley of Viñales National Park we hear “Cimmarrón. Aventador,” echoing below. We reach a clearing at the bottom of the mountain and in a field we see a farmer plowing his land using a single blade driven by two oxen ─their names are Cimmarrón and Aventador. The farmer continually calls out to them, directing each one right and left as they work their way up and down the field. It is a long and arduous process to clear this field that the farmer hopes to plant beans on. According to the local farmers we spoke to, they are required to sell 90 percent of their crop back to the government at a price determined by the state. They say the price is often well below the market value of what the end product sells for. Farmers can sell their remaining share directly to consumers, at their own price. Cimmarrón refers to one who is “wild” or “untamed.” Aventador means “fan” though this farmer likened his ox to a propeller on a plane.
The Farmer
A farmer takes a break from the hard work of plowing a field to smoke a cigar that is made of tobacco he had grown on his own land. In Cuba, “farm to table” is not just a trend but a way of life. Farmers in Cuba are required to sell 90 percent of their crop back to the government at a price determined by the state. That price is often well below the market value of what the end product sells for. Farmers can sell their remaining 10 percent share at their own price directly to consumers.
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Tobacco Farmer
Farmers in Cuba are required to sell 90 percent of their crop back to the government at a price determined by the state. That price is often well below the market value of what the end product sells for. Farmers can sell their remaining 10 percent share at their own price directly to consumers.
Farmers in Cuba are required to sell 90 percent of their crop back to the government at a price determined by the state. That price is often well below the market value of what the end product sells for. Farmers can sell their remaining 10 percent share at their own price directly to consumers.
Farmers in Cuba are required to sell 90 percent of their crop back to the government at a price determined by the state. That price is often well below the market value of what the end product sells for. Farmers can sell their remaining 10 percent share at their own price directly to consumers.
In Valle de Viñales, farming is one of the primary industries though unlike farming in the U.S., modern machinery like tractors, is scarce making it common to see horses and carts or oxen in the roadways.
HAVANA - Two boys hang out at the barbershop after a fresh cut. In Havana, where resources are limited, style is less about clothing and expressed more through hair, making the barbershop is an integral part of life in Cuba.
HAVANA - Boys dive off of El Malecón on Havana's coast to escape the summer heat.
The Safest City in the World
A little girl sits patiently on the streets of Havana while her mother makes a call from a pay-phone. Havana is one of safest cities in the world where children are free to gather and play in the streets throughout the day and evening.
HAVANA - Children dive off of El Malecón on Havana's coast to escape the heat of the summer. In downtown Havana there are few parks, making the streets the preferred playgrounds for kids.
The Farmer
A farmer takes a break from the hard work of plowing a field to smoke a cigar that is made of tobacco he had grown on his own land. In Cuba, “farm to table” is not just a trend but a way of life. Farmers in Cuba are required to sell 90 percent of their crop back to the government at a price determined by the state. That price is often well below the market value of what the end product sells for. Farmers can sell their remaining 10 percent share at their own price directly to consumers.
