i stayed on an island called cayo santa maria which is part of villa clara province off the northwest coast of cuba. santa maria is one of a chain of islands - an archipelago is probably the more proper term for them. each is not entirely distinct because in some places, the space between them is bridged by mangrove swamp.
the cuban poet nicolás guillén described the body of cuba
as like "a long green lizard with eyes of stone and water".
our journey took us off the main island of cuba (we landed in santa clara)
and left the main island via a causeway that spans some forty eight kilometres. it took ten years to build and passes through some simply stunning scenery which at times made me think that perhaps i had returned to southern ontario without my realizing it.
and then just as suddenly, with the appearance of the mountains of mainland cuba through the setting sun
i was brought back to this extraordinary place.
16 comments:
I know so little of the geography of Cuba, Steven, so thank you for sharing your journey with us, from the built up to the natural, and simply stunning.
Good morning steven. It's so good start the morning reading about Cuba. Thank's for sharing your's experience with us.
Have a good day with poetry, light and dreams.
oa.s
...it seems Cuba has adorable places to be aside from its rich history and ancient civilizations... thanks for sharing this..(:
Good day.
~kelvin
It is good to get away, to be oneself in a different landscape, to be free to wander up streets and alley ways, and be expectant for new scenes to meet the eye, not surprised by them, but rather be surprised when they remind you of home. And then feel the commonalities. Such inspiration.
Such beautiful colors - your posts about Cuba have been informative as well as lovely to look at.
elsiabeth - there's a little bit more i wish to share. thankyou to you elisabeth and to all my readers for your patience as i unpack that, for me, wonderful journey. steven
hey kelvin, enough to make me feel the call to return to see some other parts of cuba as well as some other aspects. i'm thinking ahead even as i write! steven
oa.s thankyou for your kind comment and your generous wishes. steven
ruth - it surprises me when the commonplace is common to such different places. steven
pauline - i'm glad that you are enjoying them. i wanted to accompany the images with poetry or prose but it wasn't there. steven
These are luscious! Makes me want to eat fruit salad or maybe drink something with a little paper umbrella adornment. Yum!
Aqua is the dominant color in the Caribbean, yes?
It doesn't matter where you are, Steven, you manage to find the most exquisite beauty and share it with us.
I feel as if I were walking along with you, just waiting to stumble upon a nice hammock from which to survey it all.
Thank you.
btw, the code varification word, which is usually some strange word jumble, is "hydra" for this post...perfect!
I love the notion of Cuba being like a long green lizard. Gorgeous pics.
reya i'm trying to remember if i've ever had anything to drink with an umbrella in it. i don't think so. more fool me. the soft wealth of colour and natural food was overwhelming and i ate fruit with such gratitude because it was so fresh and entirely there. blue and white in so many shades - especially faded shades - are the colour currency yes reya!!! steven
jo my life has not been straightforward and simple thank goodness and so i can write and see from the very fortunate perspective of a person who has been afforded the possibility of being very available to the goodness that grounds all things and all people. i would very much appreciate the opportunity to walk these places with you and to hear and see your own sense of it all - being a wise and expressively sensitive person yourself. this little blogspace is what i can offer and so i am pleased that we can meet and enter into its common ground. steven
tess isn't that just a superb manner of expression!!!! thankyou. steven
Post a Comment