Our Latest Cuba Trip

-
 My wife and I just returned from a wonderful one-week stay at the Paradisus Rio de Oro located near Guardalavaca in Holguin province (our fifth trip). As usual we spent much of our time on the beach and a beautiful beach it was extending to almost 1 kilometer in length. And pristine white sand helped complete the picture.

When we arrived we decided to upgrade to a Cabana which is actually a duplex unit but has the appearance of a small cottage. Ours was located in such a way that we had a panoramic view of the ocean. It made nightcaps on the back deck that much more special. I also want to add that the food at this resort is the best we have ever had in Cuba.
I have included some beach shots. My newly acquired Olympus EPL-5 performed exceptionally well and I actually ended up using the kit lens most of all though I put the 4mm f1.8 through it's paces on a one one-day trip to Santiago de Cuba, a must for anyone staying in Holguin province. My backup camera was an Olympus E330 with an 11-22mm wide angle lens.
The first three photos were taken on the beach at the Paradisus. The fourth was taken while on a half-day trip to a local farm where I found this early fifties Chevrolet wagon in reasonable condition. The farmer even started it up for me. It had some form of flat six engine under the hood but who knows if it is original to the car. As anyone knows who has traveled to Cuba the island is filled with these old crocks.
I was startled to find this house on the way to our afternoon tour of a  local farm. It looks palatial compared to most Cuban homes. Most homes in Cuba are much more modest and in many cases not as brightly coloured. No doubt it is owned by a Cuban as are all houses in Cuba. Foreign ownership is a no-no but there are workarounds from what I have been told. You can obtain a house that is legally owned by a Cuban and you can enter into an agreement to "buy"the house if you are not a Cuban citizen. How legally binding the arrangement is, is anyone's guess! According to our tour guide this particular house is "owned" by a German who apparently visits several times a year.
I took many more photos many of them were simply record shots of our vacation, I hope you enjoy these four.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seth Thomas Round Top Mantel Clock

-
Image
Seth Thomas Dome clock I wrote about this clock a few months back and at that time it was only running for a couple of days. I was pretty happy with my purchase since I had picked it up at a junk / antique store just about a 1/2 hours drive from here. It has, in fact been running wonderfully for several months now. It's a bit idiosyncratic in that despite being an 8-day clock it does not like being wound right down because the count wheel for the strike gets confused and strikes the hour on the half hour instead. Could be it needs some adjustment. Keeping it wound without it stopping has proven to work. It also ticks quite loudly but it is in our dining room and certainly not intrusive in that location. It has been oiled and seems to runs just fine. The walnut case is in excellent condition and a good rubbing with Murphy's Soap has virtually restored the cabinet. I make it a point not to redo the clock finish if it has minor nicks and scratches. I have an assortment of ...
Read more

Seth Thomas Gothic Beehive Mantle Clock

-
Image
Seth Thomas Beehive Mantle clock circa 1928 This is a Seth Thomas Gothic beehive mantle clock. The face has Henry Birks & Sons inscribed on it and obviously the company contracted the clock out to Seth Thomas at that time. The movement is an 89AL which was used in a variety of clock between 1922 and 1928 so I would put this clock at around the 1928 period. There is a little plaque inside the back access door giving the reseller location which in this case is Amherst, Nova Scotia. I has been running all day now and I am just waiting to see whether it gains or loses time. I will know in about 24 hours. The beat is good but the clock chimes the hours on the half hour which is obviously not supposed to happen. It means a minute hand pin adjustment once I know that the clock can run steadily. As is typical of these old clocks there was a lot of dirt and grime on the finish. Rather than take the dramatic step of refinishing the clock it is far easier to take a good cleaner, in my...
Read more

Photography Rant – Is It A Rant Or Just Some Observations?

-
Image
Panasonic G6 with 45-175mm zoom On my last holiday trips outside this country I was surprised to see so many people using cell phones to take photos. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, the world of technology is changing and changing very rapidly. I was also equally surprised to see so few people using cameras and most of what I saw were larger DSLRs (I am a mirrorless user myself). Some were even using their iPad which in and of itself is rather amusing to watch. Cell phones have virtually hosed the lower digital camera market and must be a blow to the bottom line of camera companies who saw much of their profit in these small entry level cameras go out the window in recent years. So, along comes the cell phone, the new Kodak Instamatic.  If you are into a phone contract as most people are you might as well take advantage of as many features of the phone as you can and that includes taking photos and immediately posting them for all the world to see. Cell phones have o...
Read more