I was in Cuba and had hit a fair few of the more rural areas of Cuba from the wild untouched lands of lizards and lava to the dirt tracks atop sierra ranges. I had started in and had a bad time in Havana two weeks before and had had a stomach bug for most of the time since then. I was absolutely loving the country and its people, staying with local people in their Casas Particulares and eating local food, but I needed some TLC before returning to Havana on my way home.
Cubans are not allowed to transport foreign people in their own cars. We got around this by a Cuban hiring a ‘tourist’ car (how he did this, I do not know) and driving me anyway. He took me to Cayo Santa Maria, on an archipelago north of Santa Clara. He did this because he had never been there and was curious, as locals were not allowed on the island. We went over a hundred bridges linking the coral islands and when we reached the guarded barrier, he said he was my boyfriend and we were allowed through. I can’t imagine how strange it must have been for him to see abundance that he didn’t have access to on the other side of the barrier. He stayed for a cocktail and he left.
Dark rainclouds were on the horizon. A storm moved in and cleared just before dinner time. I ventured out over the slope that led to the beach and was astonished to find crystal clear shallow waters stretching out for a kilometre or so before the sea bed dropped off to deep blue waters. The completely still sea reflected all the colours of the sun battling the retreating storm, from orange to purple and back again, melting into the sea. It was impossible to see where sea ended and sky began, you were caught up in endless sea or sky and a moment of absolute serenity. I glimpsed an otherworld; brought back to Earth by the fish darting between my feet, brought out to play by the rain.
But no, I didn’t have my camera with me…the ultimate sin for a photographer. But I don’t think I could ever have recorded that moment anyhow. This picture was taken a couple of days later when the sun was presiding high in the Caribbean sky. Some people say that Cuba’s beaches do not shine. They have clearly have not ventured far. I went to several wonderful beaches in Cuba, this one was the best. I do hope it is never spoilt.
