On the road into Trinidad a car wash guy takes a rest in in the shade after washing down a precious vintage car .In Sancti Spiritus I saw this old man in his rocking chair keeping cool in the deep shade of the typical Spanish Colonial arcade, I’m not sure what his job was, a door-keeper perhaps. He sits behind an old bell cast with the words Trinidad de Cuba.The hat maker and the singer from the band in the pizza restaurant where I was sitting, watch as two policemen examine a man’s papers, whilst a nurse walks past. Inevitably there is a Che Guevara T shirt in view too.There are three men working on the restoration of the tower, all without scaffolding or even ropes.White Wellington boots seem to be the latest craze in Cuba, I saw at least three men wearing them or looking at some but I’ve never seen them in Europe.Cuba is full of colour, this painter tries to keep paint free by wrapping his head in a cloth whilst he rollers the bright blue paint.The old joke about how many people it takes to perform a task is true in Cuba too. How many men did it take to fill this hole, one to actually fill the hole, three to guard him or aide him as he does so and an obligatory passer-by to oversee the whole thing, oh and a photographer to record the occasion. 5 men, one woman.If only I spoke Spanish, these guys were arguing but who knows about what!A young man stands on a corner wearing his long skeins of garlic like a shawl, he is waiting for his companion who has stopped to sell a string to a customer.A horse waits patiently in the shade for his owner to do some business.I met this crew of pavement workers and asked if I might take their photo, they were very pleased, happily posed for me and made the peace sign.This trader has come into town bringing his wares to sell to Trinidadians. Everything is freshly sourced from his and his neighbours plots.
The shoe-shine man – a bicyclist stops by for a quick buff-up and a rest in the shade.
The cat watches out for any new customers at this little stall on a side street. On sale are just the few vegetables that the owner has grown in his yard. The sign reads “If you don’t pay now, we are no longer friends”.Tuk-Tuks and motorised CoCos are readily available for hire if you need to get somewhere quickly. They are waiting on every corner and unlike cars and coaches, they can access all parts of the town.
The shoe-shine man – a bicyclist stops by for a quick buff-up and a rest in the shade.
Sally Wakelin - Studies in Creativity 