This weekend was so intense that today I can recover and share the experience with you.😜✨
My partner and I work for a French travel agency in Cuba. Most of the work is a lot of fun, at least for me. I enjoy thinking about what someone else might like: designing it, feeling it, creating it; doing things with a good dose of love. Our job is to generate an attractive and enjoyable circuit for these groups that come to discover a new world. As they visit key places throughout the country, they get to know our traditions, our culture, our music and the most typical Cuban food. In this case we were in Viñales, a Pinar del Río municipality famous for its architecture and endemic nature. Here they spend two days visiting some of the most attractive sites, while we prepare what would be their last night in the place.
Mogotes of Viñales.
In the morning before everything, I decided to go to La Ermita, a hotel located on top of a hill that allows a panoramic view of the entire valley. I wanted to get to know the place and keep it in mind for future trips. I can tell you that I loved it, the scenery from this place is extraordinarily beautiful.
View of the valley from the hotel.
When the time comes, we head to the middle of the Viñales Valley. Surrounded by mogotes, in one of the most spectacular natural landscapes in all of Cuba, we have dinner in a tobacco plantation. I spend the day finalizing details, in other words, helping out in any way I can. I love it when the work takes place in a festive atmosphere. Between laughter, music and dancing, everyone does what they have to do (and what they don't). It takes a lot of hands to condition a tobacco leaf drying area and turn it into a pop-up restaurant for 100 people, so everyone does what he or she can, no distinction is made.
In my case I always worry about decoration, it's something I like and what others don't usually think about. So I go out all over the place looking for flowers and any material I can use for it. This time I found leftover coconuts, apparently they were on the menu, and with their shells I was able to make the bases for some natural vases. It reminded me of Ikebana (living flower), Japanese flower arrangement art. The coconuts soaked for a long time absorbed the water needed to keep the flowers alive overnight.
When the details were finalized, everything was ready and I had no choice but to join the artists who accompanied the dinner with live music. With the clave in my hand and the son in my veins, I played a large repertoire of traditional songs. Time passed and an eagle flew over the sea... By the time I realized it, we were all with our bellies full and dancing on the dance floor that we had prepared with lights and audio.
We ended up exhausted at two in the morning after dancing, singing and playing every song we could think of, you had to see the happy faces of everyone. I can't share photos of the clients out of respect for their privacy, but I assure you that they had the mark of ecstasy in their expressions.
...Just like me.😉 Chauuuu!
- Sony SLT-A33
- Samsung Galaxy S9
- Adobe Photoshop 2022
-Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
