My godmother, Fiona and her Cuban husband, Osiel are back in Australia and made me realise I hadn’t yet told my experience of visiting Cuba. That little island in the Caribbean’s that’s been closed to tourists for years.
Its an island with untold stories that few get to experience. Culture and history embedded in society. Its like the country has been frozen in time, the people keep moving yet somehow its not developing.
Wifi, laptops, fridges (although these are growing in popularity) are items we all take for granted. IPhones are a necessity, a material possession perceived to be crucial to our social and business life, yet somehow Cuban society manage fine without such items. People drop in on each other to say hey, invite them out, to celebrate a birthday or event and all without the internet.
The buildings in Havana are extraordinario. They are remnants of the past, pictures of wealth and glory, marble staircases and intricate detailing, high arched walkways and cobblestone streets. They are beautiful and breathtaking invoking questions of how, why and what. Such buildings line the streets casting your eye and forcing your tired legs to walk just that bit further in hopes to see something spectacular, and you always do.
Sometimes its not always the buildings that stand upright and tall, showing off their glory that are spectacular, sometimes it’s the buildings that once stood tall but now cower in the corners. Buildings that are literally crumbling and breaking down. Walls, roofs, doorways and windows completely gone. Rows of mid-rise apartment blocks with gaping black holes on the top floor, middle floor and even bottom floor, show where a home once existed but has now fallen away. You have to wonder how people can still live there when their neighbors home has just disintegrated and what happens to these people when their house falls away.
But Cuba isn’t all buildings. As part of the Caribbean you can be assured it has beautiful beaches and parks. White sandy beaches stretching for miles with clear blue water. Its almost like a painting. Untouched and pristine.
As well as the beach are the parks. We went for a hike in parque guanayara which was beautiful. Lush green areas, gushing waterfalls and still lakes. Giant rocks make the perfect place to sit and absorb the surroundings.
Clambering into caves, the air around you changes. Its like an invisible line you can cross where the air becomes cooler. Moss covers the rocks making a slippery green carpet you need to be wary of.
Waterfalls descend from way above you, forcing your neck to crane upwards. If you get close enough you can feel sprays of water hitting your skin. The contrast of white water, green plants and blue sky feels like another world. An untouched world that’s never know commercialism, and hopefully that’s just how it stays. A precious wonder for all to experience.
madeleinecurby 