I wanted something big and chunky for this weeks PhotoFriday, “Rugged,” and the best thing that I could think of was the truck that we took from the countryside in Cuba back to some semblance of civilisation.

I’ve not entered the last few weeks of PhotoFriday challenges, so there’s no need for you to vote for last weeks photo.

I know I’m bucking a trend here by posting this on a Friday, but here is my entry for this weeks PhotoFriday, “Wheels.” Okay, this car has never been my set of wheels, but this is a really neat car that’s in amazing condition considering its age. Before I went to Cuba I assumed that cars like this were only visible on postcards. I quickly found that they’re all over the place. They’re also far less glamorous and practical when you get inside. Great fun though.

If I’d gone with my first instinct, this weeks PhotoFriday theme, “Fear,” would have been incredibly easy. Many people fear snakes, but one person in particular has had a bad week and I didn’t want to make it any worse. Also, I’ve use that picture before (“Dangerous“).

Instead find the above picture of a woman in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba. She looks trapped, fearful. She may be very happy for all I know, but for the purposes of this challenge she is in fear.

This weeks PhotoFriday is “Old Fashioned.” Here is my entry. You really can’t beat Cuba for that retro, old fashioned look, and here is a great example of a 1950’s American car, still apparently in use and in great condition.

In my mind I have it that I’m great at spotting tiny little details and photographing them. I assumed that would make this PhotoFriday challenge, “Found Objects,” to be easy. Turns out that I was wrong — there’s very little appropriate in my iPhoto library! But I found this image from my Cuba collection and quite liked the fanned… thing.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “What is that?” Here is my entry.

The caption when you hover your mouse over the picture might be a bit of a give-away, but it’s not entirely obvious what it’s a picture of, so I think it fits the theme. It was taken in Cuba.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Misty.” I’m entry 196 (–> Stephen <–).

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “The Machine.” Here is my entry.

Clearly this is a bulldozer, a machine. What makes this the machine is that it was used in the battle of Santa Clara by Che Guevara’s victorious soldiers. Obviously this picture was taken in Cuba.


This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Blessing.” Here is my entry.

This was taken in Havana, Cuba. These slates can be found in a cemetery and are blessings for a woman thought to bring good luck and fertility. (If I remember correctly!)

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks “Growth” challenge.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Addiction.” The above image was taken after a cigar making demonstration in Trinidad, Cuba.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks contest. I’m entry number 333.

I’ve been reading the magazine Wanderlust for a few years now. It’s a great magazine with interesting stories about places that are often well off the beaten path — my kind of travelling! A couple of months ago I took the unusual step of writing a letter. It came in two parts, a comment about my time in Cuba (in response to someone who said he couldn’t find any night-life) and a second, longer piece about my time in Gdansk, Poland (as a counter-point to their piece on long-weekends for less than ?100).