Our Latest Cuba Trip

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 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.

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