I don’t know about you, but one thing in particular about President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night got me very excited: the easing of diplomatic relations with Cuba. Although, I do confess that “Proud Joe Biden” was a close second.
Cuba has been on my list of places to travel for years – I’ve dreamt of the spicy food, live Son Cubano music, the Cuban National Ballet, those colorful classic Chevys from the 50s, and as much local Cuban art as I can possibly see! It won't be a fancy vacation, under a beach umbrella, sipping cerveza (though I do hope to sip cerveza!), but rather an exploration of the time capsule that Cuba currently is.
It's still not going to be easy to get there, as some travel conditions will remain in place. But, a January 15th New York Times article on the new policy stated that “under the new rules… Americans who qualify to travel under one of 12 categories will no longer have to apply for a license before they travel”.
Travel restrictions will ease, the floodgates will open, and things will likely change dramatically. I want to visit Cuba before it’s too easy to get there and impossible to find a hotel or B&B! In the meantime, while I figure out how to make this dream a reality, I will have to rely on these photographs of Cuba by PurePhoto artists Erich Mcvey and Paul Cooklin, who were fortunate enough to visit and forever capture the gritty, colorful, raw beauty of this formerly forbidden island.
