Trinidad de Cuba

Trinidad de Cuba, Cuba, 6 September 2016

Due to the fiascos of our tour organisation, instead of spending time in forests and waterfalls, we spent the day in the town of Trinidad de Cuba, This turned out to be a good thing.

This is a 1957 Plymouth. It says so on the windscreen.

This is a town of many tractors.

Cathedral clock tower in the background.

Band in the Plaza Major.

People on the streets.

It is Cuba’s best preserved old colonial town and the centre area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Musicians for sale rather than for hire.

Local gallery and hostal or B&B.

Market near the Plaza Major.

It’s an Anole, perhaps Allison’s Anole ( / Blue-Headed Anole).

1952 Ford. loading up to leave a B&B,.

The beauty and the beast, maybe.

1954 Chevrolet.

Not everyone drives cars …

… or rides horses….

Trinidad de Cuba was founded in 1514 and Cortes recruited here and left from here on his conquest of the Aztec Empire.

We also stopped by at a beach a few kilometres from Trinidad de Cuba – Playa Ancon.

Havana to Topes de Collantes

Apr20

Havana to Topes de Collantes, Cuba, 5 September 2016

This is on the street near our hotel. Note the interesting variety of objects hung out to dry on the balcony.

Before leaving Havana, we visited the Gran Teatro de Habana, or the Opera House.

On the street, outside.

1954 Chevrolet.

I still had time to photograph a few more old cars before we left.

1952 Ford.

So we headed off to Topes de Collantes. On the way we were passed by a 1959 Chevrolet Impala.

This is our driver.

Sign along the way.

We were closer to Australia than we had thought.

It can be difficult taking photographs from a moving vehicle. There can be a high failure rate from failure to point the camera to the correct place and achieve focus as we whiz along.

Topes de Collantes is a National Park south of Havana. This is a view from a lookout.

This was the point that the wheels started to fall off the tour. Cuba was fantastic and our local guides were wonderful but the organisation was at times woeful. The organiser had failed to research the most basic fact that US credit cards aren’t accepted in Cuba as a reaction to the embargo. Consequently by this point he had run out of money. Our schedule said that the next day we were to go to walk in rainforest and see some waterfalls but it didn’t happen because he could not afford to hire a bus. Jools and I made our own travel arrangements to get to Cuba but the others didn’t and he borrowed thousands of dollars from them for their flights, promising to pay them back after the tour. Some of them sued him and got their money back; others didn’t sue and didn’t get any money back. At the end of the tour he was facing being barred from leaving Cuba until he eventually found a way to pay the guides.

Still, as I say, all that wasn’t the fault of Cuba and Cuba was wonderful.

More Havana Cars

Apr17

Havana, Cuba, 5 September 2016

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This morning we spent some timr in Parque Central, viewing the massed display of cars awaiting customers.

The purple car is a 1953 Pontiac.

These cars look as though they’re parked against the kerb.

But they’re not. this is the same line of cars from the other side.

1957 Dodge.

1953 Chevrolet.

Model A Ford, 1932 or earlier, and 1953 Chevrolet.

Model A Ford.

Don’t know.

1951 Pontiac Continental.

1954 Chevrolet.

1953 Chevrolet.

Gran Teatro de Habana in the background.

1958 Pontiac (though the letters seem to say Lontiac).

1955 Chevrolet.

1952 Chevrolet.

Big Band in Havana

Apr6

Havana, Cuba, 2 September 2016

We came here at the end of our first full day in Cuba, for dinner and to see the band.

I can’t tell you the name of the restaurant or the band but it was on a corner just before a large square, possibly the Plaza de la Catedral.

It was a traditional big band, perhaps in a similar style to Buena Vista Social Club.

And before long they had many people up on the floor dancing.

We also received two complimentary cocktails, which were excellent: a mojito and a white Russian.

So a good time was had by all…

And as we were walking back to our hotel on largely deserted streets, we were serenaded by a young woman on her guitar. She was very accomplished.

Havana Cars

Mar30

Havana, Cuba, 2 September 2016

Still on the same day as the last post, we are walking in Central Havana and there are lots of old cars around. The blue car is probably a 1946 Oldsmobile.

1956 Ford.

I’m not sure what the others were doing at the time but I found myself able to stand on a street corner. We are on the corner of Infanta and Neptuno, out of the central city. You have no doubt seen images of the immaculate old vehicles that tourists are offered rides in in the old city. These are the cars that the ordinary people drive.

Blue car maybe a 1947 Chevrolet. Red car behind it is probably a Lada and the yellow car beside that is a Moskvich.

The yellow and black taxi is a Lada, behind that an early 50s Ford, behind that probably a 1952 Chrysler.

The green car going away is a Chev. Don’t know what the blue car in the middle is.

The red car is a 53 or 54 Chevrolet.

1949 (Chrysler) Plymouth taxi.

Oldsmobile, probably 1954. Another taxi.

1955 Chevrolet.

1953 or 54 Chevrolet.

1947 Plymoutn. Limpimg along, it seems.

Ford Fairlane 500 V8, about 1955, carrying tourists.

Chevrolet, around 1950.

1956 Pontiac (Taxi).

We then dropped into Hotel Nacional de Cuba for a while.

1957 Ford Fairlane 500 convertible.

… waiting for tourists to take a ride back to town…

1954 Ford convertible.

On the road towards town.

This one’s a mystery. It must be a European car, but what I don’t know. It bears the name Pininfarina on the dashboard and, very small, on the rear of the car. But Fininfarina didn’t build cars, they were a coachbuilder. They had a close partnerrship with Ferrari and provided services for many other marques including Alpha Romeo, Peugeot, Fiat, Lancia and Maserati. The radio says Jensen, but I think that’s just the brand of radio. I can’t find any plausible candidates. Maybe a small manufacturer or a custom order. I’d be intrigued if anyone knows.

Thredbo Blues Festival 2019

Feb24

Thredbo Blues Festival 2019 took place over three days and nights on a weekend at the end of January. Here is a selection of images, and links at the bottom to more….

Colour

Anna Scionti.

Kane Denelly.

19-Twenty.

John Creech.

Cyril B Bunter Band + Mal Eastick.

Leesa Gentz (and Julz Parker) of Hussy Hicks.

Harry Brus.

Calvin Welch, playing with Harry Brus.
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Davo Fester, playing with Shane Pacey.

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Monochrome

Cameron Fallaw.

Fiona Boyes.

Dancing in the Shadows.

Mal Eastick, here playing with Hey Gringo.

Jeff Lang and Danny McKenna.

Mitch Cairns, playing with Russell Morris.

Russell Morris.

Rob Hirst, playing with the Backsliders.

Rosscoe Clark, playing with Cyril B Bunter Band.

Gail Page and Harry Brus.

Claude Hay.

Michael David, Franchesca Appolis and Evelyn Dupra, of Dancing with Shadows.

Mark Grunden leading a second line, playing with Fiona Boyes

Sammy Owens Band

…

There are many more images. On the Thredbo Blues Festival Page you will find links to images from the 2019 Festival, as well twelve previous festivals . Links for 2019 include top 100 images, selected monochromes and one for each of the 21 bands. These include other bands or performers not mentioned above including Gwyn Aston, Ivor SK, New South, Richard Perso and Nick Charles & Pete Fidler .

Alternatively, there is also a direct overall link to all Thredbo 2019 images . in JAlbum (with overview images and images by band organised by folder). There are 493 images in all.

For other images of a particular band I may have taken since 2006, see the Musicians and Bands Page ..