Photo Essay: Cuba – Todo Bien

It’s easy to think of the country as a tourist destination with all inclusive resorts, endless alcohol and state-run tourist excursions. For a lot of people that’s exactly what it is. It's all they will see, do and experience. I don't mean to take away from that, as a lot of people in the West need to take time away from our 60-hour work weeks, endless barrage of shit on TV, consumerism and commuting from the suburbs.

I went for a little holiday, and to meet with a friend whom I had met 10 years earlier while on exactly the same style of holiday. This time around, things were a lot different. Karel was my friend, and he invited me with open arms in to his life.

From what I gather, Cubans are easily some of the most friendly, proud, and hospitable people I've ever met in over a decade of travel. Not once did talk of work come up. The focus seemed to be on life, and the general attitude of Cubans was that we were all in this together so we might as well love doing whatever it is we do. A lot of media seem to portray Cuba as some socialist nightmare where everyone is stuck in 1959 in a world that is in 2012. Sure, the cars are old, and its not easy to make it, but in the world of capitalism, it seems we have the same problems.

The bills need to be paid, love is hard, and often, we just have to make do with what we’ve got.

Colter

Note from Hejorama: You can buy prints of these beautiful pictures directly from Colter. Simply get in touch with him at hello@coltersmyth.ca for that. Also make sure to check the rest of his photos and great design work on his websiteand Flickr account.