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Like nowhere else.La máquina...As I went to take a photograph of the Christmas Tree in the Lonja de Comercio —the building where I work and supposedly the proprietor of Cuba’s tallest Christmas tree— I heard a loud “pst-pst!” It was a building security guard who was built like a Judo instructor and hissed at me in the way Cubans sometimes do to get each other’s attention. “Compañero,” he said gravely. “No photos of the tree.” In my time in Cuba, I have been told not to take photos of military installations, airports, hospitals and government ministries. This was the first time though that I had been told that I couldn’t take a photo of a Christmas Tree. Was it because up until only two decades ago, Cubans weren’t allowed to openly celebrate Christmas? Was it to keep out the hordes of tourists although Old Havana feels pretty empty these days? Why would one erect a large fake tree with brightly colored lights and then not let anyone take photos of it? “It’s the policy of the building,” the security guard helpfully explained. That reason was good enough for him, it apparently should have been good enough for me. Since I am a person who asks questions for a living, I checked with the building management, who clarified that, yes, while the general public was prohibited from the photographing the tree, I, as a tenant, was exempt. “Whenever you like,” they wrote me, “You are free to do so.” Thus it is truly my special privilege to both be able to take and share this photo with you all. Happy holidays everyone.Polski power.Havana is a good place to have eyes in the back of your head.Looking out.A good day for the playita del 16. Pic: @cubajournalMy daughter drinking honey directly from a bee hive today. The bees are a special breed that don’t have stingers and seemed pretty cool about sharing. Thanks to @fincatungasuk for a lovely visit. My kids had a blast.Happy birthday @cubajournal!!! Felicidades en tu día....Happy 500th birthday Havana!“You are always on my mind...”Got my Cuban identity card renewed today, which is always a bit of a process. The good news is I get to stay for another year apparently and more things happen to you in Cuba in one year than five years spent anywhere else.Going to visit the neighbors.Lights shining on Calle Galiano tonight to celebrate Havana’s 500th anniversary. This is one of my favorite streets in Havana and it’s the first time I have seen it closed off to cars. The lights are a gift from Turin, Italy.Had the pleasure of seeing one of my favorite paintings again in person today. “El gran apagón” or “the Great Blackout” by Pedro Pablo Oliva, one of Cuba’s greatest living artists, has been described as the Cuban Guernica. It shows the madness and chaos 25 years ago as Cuba tried to survive the collapse of the Soviet Union. Themes that are relevant today as Cuba deals with a new economic crisis. See more of Oliva’s works at @estudio_pedro_pablo_olivaSeems like just yesterday I was covering with my Cuban crew the first US airline flight to Cuba in over 50 years. Today the Trump administration announced they are canceling US flights to nine destinations in Cuba; everywhere but Havana. The administration says this action will keep money from going to the Cuban government. That may be true but it will also hurt Cuban families, US travelers and the airlines that spent a great deal of time and money opening these routes. Nearly every Cuban I have ever met wants more contact —not less— with their neighbors in the US. So many other administrations have tried isolation and it didn’t work.Sad to see this giant sea turtle dead on the beach in Havana. I couldn’t tell how it died. A boat? A plastic bag? Old age? It had been around for a while....Looking out.Fantastic to catch two amazing Cuba related events in NYC last night. The @hectorfrankheredia show at @tothbry’s gallery was wonderful. He is one of the greatest Cuban artists painting today. Then the launch of my friend @lisettepoole’s new book of photography “la paloma y la ley” was very moving. Lisette documented two Cuban women on their epic journey from Ecuador to the US. An incredible feat of journalism. ¡Felicidades a todos!A very different view this am... on a quick work trip to New York. My first time here in four years.
My pictures, travels and journalism
