Chiaroscuro in Cayo Coco

TEXT AND PHOTOS: Román Romero López

From the highest point of Rocarena and its surroundings, Playa Larga—considered one of the best beach resort areas in Cayo Coco and the origin of tourism development in the Jardines del Rey destination—offers a natural spectacle at dusk, as the sun seems to disintegrate on the horizon, as if it were just behind the most emblematic hotel facilities in the area.

The shallow, blue-green waters that delight national and international vacationers during the day become dark and gloomy for those who respect the marine environment once covered by the cloak of night. However, there is something magical about that transition, as the sun shines its last rays over the salty waters and the sea maintains the ebb and flow of the waves, at an ever-decreasing pace.

In the distance, the silhouette of the dunes and their vegetation is barely visible, while the mangrove branches stand out, remaining upright despite the onslaught of hurricanes, offering greater security to the coastal area and the infrastructure created for recreational activities.

Amid that scene, contrasted with the clarity and variety of colors of the day, and the invariable range of hues provided by the waters under the influence of the sun and the seagrass, I discover new charms, as I inhale and fill myself with pure air, with the most comforting smell of saltpeter.

Sometimes I turn my gaze toward other points on the horizon, where the immensity of the marine environment seems to end, but I know that this is simply the limit of my gaze, and beyond lies the continuity of a space full of mysteries, stories, and legends known since childhood, encouraging me to return to the infinite waters that, beneath the clearest and most scorching light and even in the darkness, always hold charms that never cease to surprise and enchant.

As I delve into this philosophy, atop a rock on the coast, I am surprised by the night, devoid of its diamonds and with no sign of the moon rising, which regularly prevents the sea from completely darkening as it pours a more subdued light onto the immense aquatic world from the distant horizon.

In these scenes of twilight and intense night, there are attractions that will draw me back to Cayo Coco, Rocarena, and Playa Larga, located in a true earthly paradise, where the most beautiful sunsets and the hidden charms of a landscape are also revealed.