In Baracoa, eastern Cuba 2004.
The driver was going to take me 30 kilometers out-of-town.
In Cuba the penalties for driving a non authorized taxi are severe, so the drivers basic mood was twin turbo paranoia. There was a lot of careful and elaborate planning before I could enter his four-wheel drive jeep in a back alley
Now If you look at the center of the scene just between the orange cyclist and the brownish jeep (and a cyclist with backpack) there is a policeman stepping out of his vehicle ready to impose the law without mercy.
Get down.. get down! my driver screamed when he suddenly spotted his own nightmare live in uniform. He turned pale and was desperately trying to look relaxed. He failed completely.
I hid downstairs for a while beside a live grunting pig in a sack. Trying to change direction at that point could have drawn attention so he just drew on towards the catastrophe… but like a miracle we did not get stopped.
Breaking the law in Cuba can be an exciting adventure for a tourist but a serious blow for the Cuban person who gets nicked.