Back in 2015, I travelled from Toronto to this quiet Cuban village for the holidays, seeking something different — and Jibacoa did not disappoint. Just 60 kilometres east of Havana, it felt like a hidden jewel, untouched by time and far removed from the city’s buzz. Without cell service, the pace slowed instantly, inviting me to unplug and simply be.

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Days there drifted gently, marked not by clocks but by the natural world around me. I hiked through lush trails to a local farm where the earth’s fresh bounty reminded me of life’s simplest pleasures. I wandered along secret beaches where the turquoise waves met warm sand beneath whispering palm trees. The sound of the breeze, the distant calls of seabirds, and the gentle rustle of leaves became a kind of meditation—a quiet invitation to be fully present.

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As Cuba moves quickly toward change, Jibacoa remains a serene refuge — a place where time seems to pause and stillness settles deep within. It was there, in that gentle quiet, that I found the space to breathe, to slow down, and to soak in a rare kind of peace that lingers long after leaving.