La gente me fascinan.

¿Cómo se ven. ¿Cómo hablan. ¿Cómo huelen (bien, no todas las personas huelen «fascinante»). But the local people are definitely one of the major things that I observe and analyze while traveling.

Interactuar con la gente local & descubrir cómo viven la vida constituye una parte integral de la experiencia de viaje. No pasó mucho de mí demasiado tiempo para darse cuenta de que el Pueblo cubano eran sin duda lo más destacado del país.

Caminando por las calles de Cuba se puede ver nada: a las mujeres rubias con ojos marrones, un hombre negro con los ojos azules, o una mulata con los ojos de color verde claro. Años de mezcla interracial se han traducido en un arco iris de espectro Cubanos.

Pero no se trata sólo de su belleza física que «te llama la atención» (consigue su atención), es también su alegría contagiosa & actitudes optimistas elásticamente, a pesar de lo cotidiano lucha cubana. Tenga en cuenta que la mayoría de estos pueblos’ oficial salario mensual es de entre $15-25 Dólar estadounidense, lo que significa que debe encontrar alguna otra manera de ganar dinero & poner comida en la mesa.

estaba inspirado, así que decidí comenzar un proyecto llamado Rostros de Cuba. Tomé fotos de varias personas, y trató de satisfacer la mayor parte & descubrir un poco acerca de ellos. Estas personas dejan una impresión en mí, y espero que a través de estas imágenes & breves descripciones que pueden comenzar a utilizar su imaginación & reconstruir lo que realmente pueden ser como persona, o qué tipo de vida que podrían conducir.

Rostros de Cuba

Dailin was the next door neighbor of a friend who I spent a lot of time with in Santiago. One day I was really tired & quería un poco de café, so my friend told me to go over to Dailín’s house to ask for some. «No importa» (No importa) is what my friend dismissively replied when I told her that I felt a little weird asking people I don’t know for coffee.

Dailin & her mother brewed some coffee up for me right away when I reluctantly asked for them, & invited me into their home. We talked & café bebió un poco, luego me fui. Over the next few days, I couldn’t even walk past Dailín’s house without them inviting me in for more coffee. A few times they even prepared food for me, y cada vez que tenía conversaciones interesantes. By the time I left Santiago, they had redefined what it was for me to be a «buen vecino.»

Pedro. 24 years old. cocinar. Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.

Margarita was a waitress at a restaurant where I sat down to kill time waiting on the bus. She wasn’t my waitress, just another waitress on shift, but that didn’t stop us from talking for quite some time.

When I asked for her name, age, and occupation (the standard Faces of Cuba bit) she also wrote down her entire address for me, making me promise her that I would come back someday to meet her family. She had never met an American before, and wanted her family to see that just because the schools & government taught them to view Americans a certain way, didn’t necessarily mean that it was true.

Viejo hombre que fuma el cigarro en su puerta de entrada. la Habana, Cuba.

I met Norma in line at the same restaurant where I met Ruben from Faces of Cuba 1. Yo no entendía cuando Norma primero me dijo que ella era un ordeñador vaca.

«Entonces, ¿usted es una campesino?»

«Asi que, usted es un agricultor?» Yo le pregunte a ella.

She reassured me that she was only a cow milker, and then proceeded to tell me about the delicate situation regarding cattle in the country. In Cuba, only the government or authorized personnel are allowed to kill cattle, y de hecho, matanza no autorizada de una vaca puede aterrizar a alguien en la cárcel hasta 10 años. This is due to an extreme cattle shortage on the island because of the US trade embargo & sequía. Each & la leche de cada vaca, & eventual beef production must be carefully calculated & racionada entre la gente. Many Cuban children have not been consuming enough milk, que conduce a la desnutrición, physical underdevelopment, & daño cerebral. Norma, junto con miles de otros cubanos, have been tasked with maximizing milk production in order to combat this very real problem facing childhood in Cuba. Norma treats her job with the utmost seriousness & con razón.

Luis estaba saliendo con sus amigos en el porche de alguien un día, en Santiago de Cuba. They called out to me as I walked past because they could see that I was a tourist with my camera hanging around my neck like a good gringo. I surprised them when I answered with,«¿Que bola aseres?» a typical Cuban greeting which means the equivalent of «What’s up dudes?» They invited me up on the porch for a Cuba Libre (rum & coke). When I told them that I was traveling alone, they insisted that I come back later that night to go out on the town with them, and that’s exactly what I did.

We started off the night by putting a speaker in the middle of the road in front of Luis’s house and blasting Cuban reggaeton & salsa at full volume. They taught me some dance moves so I could be «more Cuban» and then we went out. Throughout the course of the night, they took me to a festival, and to a few local, Cuban-only bars where normally extranjeros (foreigners) aren’t allowed. It felt good to hang out with a group of locals after having traveled alone for a while. They instantly accepted me into their group, and I felt like I had been one of the «aseres» for years.

Gabriela. 35 years old. Vende ropa en la calle. En autobús entre Holguín & Guardalavaca, Cuba.

Casa particulares are the designated houses of particular Cuban families who have been granted a permit by the government to host foreigners overnight. It’s considered a valuable money-earning privilege to have this permit, so these Cuban families are on their best behavior to ensure tourists enjoy their stay. Señora Inés Maria went above and beyond with her hospitality, and was probably my favorite señora de la casa (woman of the house) in all of Cuba. She wasn’t just a joy to laugh & converse with, but she also always went above and beyond with her desayunos (desayunos).

Having big breakfasts in casa particulares throughout Cuba is nothing rare, but usually breakfast quality & tamaño son lo primero que debe sufrir cuando los viajeros logran negociar habitaciones para muy barato. We managed to haggle Inés down to $16/night for a room we split between 4 viajeros. Yo estaba esperando el desayuno a ser un plátano & a “that’s-what-you-get” look from Inés every morning. Instead, we always arose to more fruit, extra coffee, and chunkier tortillas (Cuban for egg omelets) than the day before, all dished out on the table in front of us with a beaming smile on her face.

Christopher nos dio horas y horas de entretenimiento, being the baby king of the house. Watching Inés spoil her first grandson at any time of the day was heart-warming, and it was impossible not to take part. For me, there was no better way to digest one of Inés’ hearty breakfasts than by getting down on the floor and rumbling with the big guy himself!

Highly recommended to stay here if you travel to Baracoa, Cuba. Other Casa Particulares in Baracoa may have the big breakfasts, but no one else has Christopher!

Casa Inés María Hernandez Hernan. Direción (address): Flor Crombe 110 entre Frank País y Marabi. Baracoa, Cuba. Teléfono: (+53) 21645698. Correo (email): yurimafabre@correodecuba.cu

La observación de la vida callejera de su puerta de entrada. Plaza Martí, Cienfuegos, Cuba.

Seamos honestos, from the first time I saw Adrian beebopping through the streets of Santiago, I knew he had to be a part of Faces of Cuba. ¿Cómo no notar este tipo? But it wasn’t just the largest dread of all time, folded back in forth on top of his head like a giant pile of spaghetti noodles on a fork, but also his infectious smile that effortlessly reflects his worry-free lifestyle.

Normalmente la gente que me detengo al azar en la calle, ya sea de acuerdo o no dejarme tomar su foto, cortésmente responder a mis preguntas, y luego ir en su camino - pero no Adriano.

«¡Claro hermano! ¿Pues, porque no te muestro todas mis cosas en mi cuarto tambien?»

«Por supuesto hermano! Bien, ¿por qué no os muestro todas mis cosas en mi habitación, así?»

Al principio estaba un poco reacio a aceptar una invitación a la habitación de alguien que acababa cumplido, pero después de buscar el rostro de Adriano por algún rastro de sketchiness, No pude encontrar nada más que "un amor" mirándome. After introducing me to his family who were all huddled around a 20″ TV in the living room, él me llevó a su habitación en la parte trasera, and swept aside the doorway curtain with a look of pride.

«¡Bienvenidos!»

He proceeded to show me a bedroom that looked more like a shrine to Bob Marley than a place to sleep.

 

Se abrió camino a través de la habitación, explicando el significado de las letras de canciones pintadas en sus paredes, his artwork, los conceptos básicos de su visión del mundo, etc.

You see, Santiago de Cuba is actually closer to Jamaica than to Havana, meaning that rastafarian culture is deeply entrenched in various Cubans’ lives there. Adriano told me that there is an extensive brotherhood of rastafaris throughout Cuba. Even though Jamaica is just right off the southeastern shores of Cuba, he had never been, but fiercely longed to visit his «homeland.»

Adriano gave me one of his painted gourds to remember him by, let me take as many photos as I pleased, and gave me the biggest hug when I bid farewell. I didn’t leave a converted rastafari, but I can’t deny there was something powerful in his beliefs & convictions.

And for all those wondering, the answer is yes, Adriano did let his hair down for me:

After catching the one bus out of town to El Castillo de Morro & spending hours climbing all over the UNESCO fortress, tuve 45 minutes to kill before the return leg looped back around. I really craved a cold beer, and popped into the only real restaurant around.

Namibia was immediately recognizable by her exotic look and forward presence, no doubt assisted by her being the only person in the portside bar not wearing an establishment uniform (ver: bikini). My motives were never compromised, pero no puedo negar que era una conversación interesante. I sat down with my Bucanero beer, comida ordenados, y luego desviando cortésmente sus avances para la próxima media hora. Plus it made for great Spanish practice. She wanted to take me swimming at first, luego se sentó en la mesa conmigo & el 2 otras camareras para ganar su propina.

«Y tu novia, ¿que? ¿Dónde está ahorita? Como sabras con quien está y que está haciendo? Hay que vivir en el momento, papi.»

«Y ¿qué pasa con su novia? Where is she now? How do you know who she’s with & lo que está haciendo? Hay que vivir el momento, papi» she kept whispering in my ear.

«Es que tu me encantas, tu me encantas. Solo quiero probar tus labios, solo un beso, un recuerdo de Cuba para tí.»

«I really like you, I really like you. I just wanna try your lips, sólo 1 Beso, a memory of Cuba for you.»

Cuando yo buscaría a las camareras que se sientan en la mesa de ayuda, que acababan de rodar sus ojos y se encogen de hombros, con ganas de reiniciar nuestro chat. When she finally got the picture that I was only paying for fried fish, plátanos & Bucanero she gravitated over towards a new table of young guys, y llegué a conocer Margarita & Uberlinda mejor.

Yo siempre espero hasta el final de mi viaje a cargar en recuerdos & regalos para los demás, así que aproveché mis últimos días en La Habana & fue-a-Hagglin.

Wandering in & fuera de las tiendas en la Habana Vieja, you can usually tell how much selection a store will have based on the size of the Che Guevara painting out front. This store didn’t have any Che paintings, or much of a selection at all for that matter. Whether business was bad, or they were just awaiting a new shipment of products, I’m not sure. But the shopping experience there involved the entire, friendly family helping me, and for $10 I walked away with 4 llaveros, a traditional Cuban fedora, y 2 bracelets.

 

Dayanis. 21 years old. Ama de casa. Mientras tanto Isabella. 1 edad. Manténgase al bebé a casa. Baracoa, Cuba.

Uberlinda era la única persona en el restaurante donde yo maté el tiempo de espera en un autobús (the same place I met Namibia the prostitute & Margarita) que en realidad debería haber estado hablando con sobre una base consistente. She played an odd, dual role of waiting on me & Hablándome, while somehow taking Namibia under her wing in a motherly type of way. I’m not sure if this was because Namibia was a “regular” who helped «entertain» restaurant clients, or if it was just some sort of social dynamic of the accepted & widespread prostitution in Cuban society that I didn’t understand. Ella hizo un buen trabajo de esperar de mí, but a fantastic job of keeping me entertained with jokes & stories.

Lianne has the most decorated Couchsurfing profile I’ve ever seen (based on number of positive reviews). This is especially impressive because the basic idea upon which Couchsurfing is built, providing free accommodation for travelers at your house, is illegal in Cuba. Not to mention Cuba is one of the few countries left without widespread internet access.

Lianne, or «Mama Chicken» as she’s affectionately known on Couchsurfing, has found 101 other ways to help travelers: connecting backpackers with cheap & trustworthy casas particulares, picking up travelers from the central bus terminal, helping partially or completely plan itineraries for others, taking people out to the best salsa clubs, etc.

She does it all out of the goodness of her heart, a desire to meet people from all over the world, and a desire for people all over the world to fall in love with Cuba. Considering I fell hard for Cuba, and the city of Santiago de Cuba in general, I’d say she’s done a pretty good job. I hope that in the future, the Cuban government will relax their restrictions on letting citizens leave the country. Then she can maybe have the freedom to travel to the US one day where I will return the favor. If you ever travel to Santiago de Cuba, don’t hesitate in contacting Mama Chicken.

 

Cualquier viaje a Cuba no está completa sin una visita al bar favorito finales Earnest Hemingway & creador del mojito, La Bodeguita del Medio. But when you finally round the corner out of Plaza de la Catedral and see the sign, the first thing you’ll be greeted by is a beautiful tenor voice floating through the air, la voz de Rodovaldo.

Rodovaldo is a blind musician who makes his living playing acoustic guitar right outside La Bodeguita. Considering there’s usually a mob of people spilling out onto the street in front of the bar with everyone waiting their turn to go in and try a mojito, Rodovaldo escogió un lugar bastante decente. los 2 veces que visité La Bodeguita, I saw numerous people put tips in Rodovaldo’s hat in appreciation for making their wait more enjoyable.

La Bodeguita will always hold a special place in my memory – for the Hemingway signature behind the bar, la banda de salsa en vivo, the picture of Hemingway and Castro shaking hands hanging on the back wall, los mojitos caro pero delicioso, but also for Rodovaldo’s captivating talent on display right outside on the sidewalk.

El pueblo cubano – Hermoso interior & Fuera

Hace un tiempo, National Geographic publicó un artículo acerca de Lo que los estadounidenses se verá como en 2050. Bien, eso es lo que los cubanos se parecen, right ahora.

Pero los cubanos no son sólo físicamente impresionante. Cubans are, despite all the adversities of life in Cuba, algunas de las personas más felices que he conocido. Sadly, many foreigners never get to know Cubans because they are intimidated by the directness of jineteros (chaperos) en la calle. If they’d only dug a little deeper…

«No es facil» (No es fácil) es un dicho popular que usted oirá cubanos dicen todos los días, and it describes life in Cuba perfectly. With limited products due to a trade embargo, libertades limitadas debido a su gobierno, & prácticamente no hay lujos ni renta disponible, it could be easy to think that Cubans would be bitter & resentful people. Instead, I met one joyful & content person after the other.

Traveling through Cuba reminds you to be happy with what you do have & to appreciate the simple things in life. It’s a stark contrast with the dangerous cycle of consumerism which characterizes many other countries.

You don’t need a lot of things to be happy – just look at the Rostros de Cuba.

 

Click here to visit Rostros de Cuba (Parte 1)