Cuba ~ the other Cuba

I call it the view from the Pink Convertible. We are very insulated when it comes to seeing how people live. Cuba has a huge financial problem. There is a need for more things: Money, oil, produce, goods, and services. From a quick observation, nothing seems to be kept up. There are still buildings in ruins from Hurricane Katrina nearly twenty years ago. There are no resources to pay for those much-needed repairs.

Inflation is out of control; tomatoes cost ten times what they were a year ago. The one constant is the indefatigable populace; they are proud people, and it seems they are doing everything they can to survive. More on that later…

I wasn’t satisfied with a drive and look-see. I wanted to meet some people to take their portraits and share them with those more fortunate; maybe I can make a difference. I hired a guide to do that, and we connected through Google Translate. I didn’t want to drive and take pictures from the car. I tried to get out and photograph people with their permission. Most said yes, some said no and with good reason, we always respected their wishes. After taking the pictures, each one was given a few dollars and a small gift as a small token of appreciation.

I hired the guide for five hours, but it only lasted three. Even though I have seen poverty firsthand in Egypt, Turkey, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, this level of poverty was different and got me. Surely we could do better.