Pictures around town

Taking good pictures in and around Baracoa was like shooting ducks in a barrel. Everywhere are beautiful people and beautiful surroundings, everything and everyone seemed naturally posed especially for us.  Maria took the best pictures of people, she would engage different people in conversation and ask to take their picture.  Not all of them agreed, but we still managed to get some stunning picture of the people of Baracoa.

The man pictured above we met in a restaurant off one of the smaller plazas downtown.  He was sitting by himself smoking a cigar and was eager to be photographed.  It seems that all old men in Cuba are required to carry a machete wherever they go; even though it was not cane-cutting season there were machetes everywhere.



 

 

This family we met in the countryside about 3 kilometers from the town center.  The old woman is said by anthropologists to appear very much like the original Taino people who inhabited the area before the Spanish arrived.  People have come from as far as the Smithsonian just to photograph her features.  We stopped by her house and were immediately invited inside to sit down and talk.  Her two children were delightful.  She was initially reluctant to be photographed.  In retrospect, I feel a little troubled that we were so insistent that she pose for us.

 

 

Here is the view of the harbor from the beach.  Baracoa is incredibly beautiful and untouched; I sincerely hope that it will retain this beauty and dignity for years to come.

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