kmo for instance: NO AMERICANO

Cuba - first glance.

School kids await their bus.

As the sun rises, people flood the countryside roads. It is common to see someone holding out a peso to the oncoming traffic, in search of a ride. A horse-drawn carriage, dump truck, motorcycle with a side-car, or a vintage car will suffice.

The Antonio Maceo monument, in Santiago de Cuba.
Visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Maceo_Grajales.

One of the most beautiful places we visited was Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca in Santiago de Cuba. Visit: http://whc.unesco.org/es/list/841/.

At his request, we suspiciously followed this man down some steep steps. He
showed us some cavernous holes and passages on the underside of the castle,

once used as stables, backdrops for firing squads, and jail cells. For his services,

he requested a pen.

A homestead in the country. Many farmers and rural folk make natural fences
out of cactus.

A broken, fossilized sand-dollar.

On the open-air, double-decker bus to Guardalavaca. Some people who were
standing had to watch out for overhead signs and overhanging branches.

In Holguin there are people, cars, and bicycle taxis everywhere. Upon arrival we were approached by a man who wanted to walk with us and show us around.We said no thank-you, but he walked with us anyways, pointing out various buildings, shops, and public squares. We made a few turns in the opposite direction the man was pointing us in, but we couldn't shake him. He ran off at one point, so we thought we had made our point clear. A couple minutes later he tracked us down, wiping sweat from his brow, seemingly in relief that he had found us again (he had just run to the washroom). He spoke of his children and his living conditions and lead us back to where we started. We gave him some money and met his accomplice in hustling. She was an older lady who we had unknowingly met previously, and had given me a national peso coin with Che Guevara on it, as a souvenir. Katie had given her some shampoo. On our second meeting with her, she gave me a 3 peso bill with Che Guevara on it, blew me a kiss, and showed us where to get a beer.