Otro Mundo

Zach and Allie Leon wander through Cuba.

By Peak Design

The Crew

Zach and Allie Leon are a couple with a lot of things going for them. For one, they've got an amazing couple name, Zalleon, which may or may not be a Star Trek planet. Secondly, their URL game is on point: www.zalleon.com. So right there, you've ticked off the two most important boxes to being a modern millenial creative duo.

Thirdly, they currently live in a van and are in the midst of an 8 month road trip across North America. And fourthly, they're both really really good at taking pictures. That's how we found them. Or they found us. Relationships are always so complicated these days. Either way, we're friends now.

Fifthly (but not lastly), they went to Cuba recently. Below are their words and pictures describing the experience.

another world

This is a place stuck in time. With droves of old cars roaming each and every street, architecture crumbling before our eyes, and the paradoxically optimistic oppression that built the lines in people’s faces, we immediately felt placed in an entirely different era. Culture shock was surely one piece of the puzzle, but not like we’ve experienced before.

This was no Central America, no ancient European city; this was Cuba, and it was another world.

The people of Cuba act differently than any other people I’ve encountered. They generally have this cold as stone demeanor, a posture that almost implies defeat, but their personalities tend to exude the most wholehearted warmth and compassion. From strangers in the alleyway to the hosts of our AirBnb’s, there was no lack of willingness to laugh, hug, and even reveal entire life-stories.

At the front door of our last place to stay, our host was running a little late. The neighbors down the hall heard all the knocking we were doing, and without second thought, invited us into their home. We were able to piece together enough Spanish to share a few laughs over a few shots of rum, take some photos together, and trade big hugs goodbye when our host finally arrived. From then on, every time we left the building, the older woman who lived there would run out and wave like we’d known each other for decades.

Bag pictured: Everyday Backpack 30L by Peak Design

Cuba isn’t a place for planning, for expectations, or frankly for a tour guide. Cuba is a place that you roam.

If you go there with a willingness to walk, an inclination to talk, and a little handful of charisma, prepare to enjoy yourself. Some of the best moments of our trip were spent shaking hands with porch-dwelling cigar-puffers, kicking around soccer balls with kids in the park, and tricking the ever-so-prevalent scam artists with random accents and beating them at their own game (after we got scammed once, haha!).

There's a different kind of beauty sprinkled throughout the country. Families keep their doors open during all hours of the day, and in some cases, even the nights. The community we found here was second to none; Disconnecting from our phones, and connecting with those around us, was almost too easy.

Bag pictured: Everyday Backpack 20L by Peak Design

When there are stories to be heard, being in the moment is the only option, and that's something to be appreciated.

A piece of our hearts stayed in the country as we boarded the plane and waved goodbye to an unforgettable experience. Thank you, Cuba. Your zest for genuine interaction and complicated history makes you one of a kind, and we’re already itching to return.