Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living

Inspiring words by Ms. Miriam Beard and true from my experience traveling to different countries. Here are the rest of my pictures from Cuba, this time from Trinidad and Santa Clara.

Trinidad - beautiful city and the most Caribbean-like in Cuba

History is a gallery of pictures in which there are few originals and many copies

It took me a while to process my trip to Cuba, mainly because its a place where you either visit for its affordable resort destination or to experience a country that has yet to find its place and stuck between a bygone cold war era with its decaying iconography and austere socialism amidst profitable tourism industry. Outside of the boring resort gate, also known as tourist prison (I'm calling you out Veradora) by Cubans, there are so many amazing local spots and artisans to explore. The jarring paradoxes and contradictory beauty in this small Island that has been a political thorn for some and an admiring force for many revolutions around the world can be overwhelming.

Our first stop was Havana and what an experience it was to be surrounded by erudite museums, alluring street festivals/theater and the everyday hustle and passion of Habaneros (the people of Havana). My favorite part was walking around UNESCO World Heritage site of old Havana, with its fascinating cluster of buildings and churches, mostly restored from near ruins in the past decade.

We met this interesting lady at the Historic Square - Plaza de la Catedral 

We will be known forever by the tracks we leave

Since we are going through an unexpected snow storm in good ol' Canada (aka stuck at home, can't go anywhere at the moment), I thought to share some of the amazing pictures we captured in Guamá, Cuba. I spend about 10 days in Cuba during my Christmas break including few days in January 2013. Just looking at the images of a warm climate, wild animals and beautiful architectural buildings makes me less gloomy about the freezing weather outside of my window.

For inquiring mind, Guamá is a municipality in the Santiago de Cuba Province of Cuba. It is located in the south-west of the province, and contains most of the Caribbean Sea coast west of Santiago de Cuba. After it was invaded by the Spanish empire, most of the Indian tribes (Ciboneys and Taíno Arawaks) that inhabit the island were treated brutally by the Spaniard, where the slightest infraction of Spanish rule, or refusal to accept Catholicism, resulted in mass torture and executions. Tainos who never experienced any hard labor were forced to work in gold mines or sugar cane plantations until they died of exhaustion. They were initially replaced by Native American slaves from the Southeast, but eventually, most slaves were either Africans or persons of mixed African-Native American heritage.

 holding baby crocodile, their skin is so amazingly soft.