An Islander’s Journey to the Sea 🌊

I live on an island, and when you say those four words to people who live on the vast expanse of a continent, they imagine your house next to a palm tree, with the sea right in front, but nothing could be further from the truth. I was born on this island in the middle of the Caribbean, yet I only make it to the sea during the summer months, on special, carefully planned occasions.

This journey, which I want to make you accomplices to, was to the nearest beach and believe me, it’s over 100 km away. On the northern coast of Camagüey province lies Playa Santa Lucía, one of the most beautiful beaches in the country, whose greatest attribute is the preservation of its marine ecosystem and the presence of one of the largest, most stunning coral reefs.

We set out early and made a brief stop along the way at the ruins of a sugar mill, Santa Isabel (if my historical memory serves me right). Cuba has a long tradition of sugar production dating back to the colonial era two centuries ago, and it’s not unusual to come across these marvelous ruins where you can still smell the molasses and sugarcane.

There’s nothing more thrilling than the imminent approach of the sea and the salty tang of the ocean air filling your lungs. The blue is mesmerizing and, at least for me, has a hypnotic effect. Near this area are vast salt flats, a perfect hideaway for flamingos that migrate here during certain times of the year.

Later, I found some flamingos in an artificial lake and was delighted when they let me stroke their uniquely colored feathers. Seeing these animals up close is a deeply rewarding sensory experience.

At the hotel where we stayed, sculptures coexisted with us, small artistic touches at every step, a reminder that art and leisure go hand in hand. It’s like walking through a gallery by the sea, where you, too, become part of the exhibition.

There’s nothing better than feeling the sea overwhelm you, realizing how insignificant we are beside it.

I don’t know how to swim, and I know you’ll laugh at me because the stereotype of an island woman is someone who swims like a fish, but that’s not the case. Still, I’m bold enough to hop on a water bike and ride along the shore. The views are breathtaking: the blue expanse, catamarans hoisting their sails to visit the reefs, our friends swimming, while the sun soaks into our skin. Of course, I wore a life jacket, don’t think I’m that brave.

A beach sunset is something unparalleled.

The beach wasn’t our only companion; every now and then, we’d visit a beautiful pool that helped ease the intensity of the Cuban summer heat. One morning, after coffee, we spotted a little black cat drinking from the pool, a snapshot we’ll keep forever.

At dawn, we’d return to the beach as workers cleared away the seaweed that had washed in with the tide overnight, and we’d go back to seek out the sea once more.

This time, we found some treasures: corals, sea urchins, all of which we later returned to their habitat.

Merging with the sea, being clothed in the waters of the Caribbean, is the dream of every islander, the reality we yearn for, the one that runs through our veins.

Every time we finish a trip like this, we return with a little less in our hearts, having left a piece of ourselves in those blue horizons where happiness also rests.

Perhaps that’s the magic of islands: we carry the sea within us even when we’re far from its shores. Back home, I still wake up some mornings half-expecting to hear waves crashing outside my window, only to find the quiet hum of city life instead but the salt lingers in my memories, and the horizon keeps calling. One day, I’ll return to those turquoise waters, not as a visitor but as someone coming home. Until then, I collect these moments like seashells, each one a fragile, perfect reminder of where I truly belong.

_{✨ 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈! ✨
𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒕, 𝑰’𝒎 𝒂 𝑪𝒖𝒃𝒂𝒏 𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐’𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝑯𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒂𝒓.
𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 100% 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏-𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 (𝒏𝒐 𝑨𝑰).
𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑳𝒖𝒎𝒊𝒊.
𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕? 𝑼𝒑𝒗𝒐𝒕𝒆, 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚! 💛}