Walking Cuba: El Camino del Cimarron

Potrerillo (Part 1)

We enter Potrerillo from the east. The Caunao river flows calmly just south of us. Jiandry passes me the backpack, dismounts, and walks the horse to a bright blue house right at the T-juncture where roads lead north to San Juan, south to the center of town and on to Lomita and east back to Jorobada. The blue house belongs to his aunt, he tells me.

I lean my bag against one of the posts holding up the wire fence where Jiandry tied the horse, and walk through the gate of the small, picture-perfect front yard full of small red and yellow flowers and bushy greenery.

The aunt comes out to greet us, drying her hands on a small towel. She waves us in. Jiandy is a light-skinned man. His aunt is a dark mulata full of energy and so happy to see her nephew.

“Passen, passen. Hay niño, how long has it been?”

“A week? Maybe.” he laughs. The small entrance room soothes my eyes with its light blue paint. I feel the coolness as soon as I walk in. She hustles to the back and we sit in two rockers.

Her tiny son, around two years old, walks from the…