Trinidad

#Day 8 At 9.15 am, a *coche particular* comes for the journey to Trinidad. The driver is angry/upset. When given directions to the casa, he proposes something elsewhere. When declined, he says *ok fine, you decide*. Hence, 6 CUC and no tip. There is a lot of tourists in Trinidad. The sky is patchy and it is warm outside. Trinidad is filled with tourists, but just like the other places in Cuba (except Havana), but there is nobody two streets behind the inner centre. Despite the tourists, there are not many questions as before. From 3 to 5 pm, a quick tour at the *Playa Ancón* with a Chevrolet Impala. From there, Trinidad looks like a much smaller city. Two hours of salsa course in the evening. I've enrolled in an 11-hour course in only 4 days, which is between 2 and 3h30 a day! At 10 CUC the hour, it is a bargain! The teacher's really fun, speaking a mix of Spanish, English and French. Due to the salsa courses, the schedule for the rest of the trip has been reworked, squeezing the days in Camaguëy. There is a hard limit which is the plane in Baracoa on the 13th of December. #Day 9 Going to Camaguëy is difficult. The city is not as much visited, hence not well connected. A taxi is expensive if not shared and buses do not have convenient schedules. While I'm looking for a cab as it is faster, I registered for the bus next Monday. It is a 'pre-reservation' that only has to be confirmed half an hour before departure! In the court, there was an old bus, I Viazul does not use similar ones! The weather is very cloudy today even though the forecast was predicting something a little more optimistic. A quick tour in the city centre offers more to see: pupils at school, people carrying furniture, etc. After the early afternoon salsa course, it started pouring. In 10 minutes, everyone was out of the streets. The end of the day was already compromised. Everything that was already so quiet became even quieter. People started to go out only one or two hours later. The second salsa course in the evening was much nicer due to the lower temperature. #Day 10 Early salsa course to start the day. Horseback riding in the *vale de los Ingenios*, which is North of Trinidad. There is not much view points, only one from where there is a nice view on the Vigía hill and the valley itself. The valley looks like the one in Viñales, minus the mogotes. Back in Trinidad, it's time to catch up on visiting the museums of the city. Visit of the *museum of the banditos*, which is at the location of the old San Francisco de Assisi covent. Banditos are the name given to anti revolutionaries. From the tower, the only remain of the covent, is a really nice view on the city, the coast and the Escambray massif. The mountains were used as a place to hide, hence the museum. On the plaza mayor, there is the museum of architecture. It is seated in a very nice blue house and has a patio almost as big as the house itself. It covers the different techniques being used to make traditional housing. Nowadays, most of the houses are done in bricks with little wood. Construction is expensive in Cuba. Houses used to be larger, but with marriages, the houses are being split, hence becoming narrower. A Cuban house is generally between 3 m and 6-7 m wide, only on the ground level and with a flat roof which serves as a terrace. There is a central corridor which is aligned with the entrance door. The corridor is about 70-80 cm wide and crosses all the rooms, with doors, of the house on one side. The first room behind the entrance door is the living room. A few chairs, a table, and a television. The television also serves as the music player in most of the houses. Furniture are scarce. Behind the living room, there is a kitchen followed by a bedroom, or a small open area if the house is larger. In this case, the rooms are on the side. Windows have no shutters. There is usually no glass either. Instead, a couple of pivoting blades that can rotate are used. Older houses have larger rooms and more wood involved in the construction. Another salsa course in the evening. #Day 11 Before the last course of salsa, visit of the *La Poba* neighborhood. There is a small yellow cat playing on the street. Manuel, the owner, came out of the house and started talking about the cat. The cat is named Leon and is apparently of a special race. He then talks about the history of Cuba and Trinidad. He tells about what he is doing for a living: repairing electrical appliances from recycling. He then talks about the Bible and the Jehovah witnesses program. Time to leave. He asks for one CUC. Amen. The 10th course of salsa follows. There is still pain from the horseback riding from the day before. In the end, the 11th hour will be held in the evening as the weather is finally good. The hike to the *mirador de la vigía* is not as hard as described. The path is warmed up by the sun and there is a nice breeze. There is a disco that is made in a cave along the way. No visit. The path to the cave is somehow difficult. I can't imagine how it is to walk there when you are drunk. At the Vigía, there are a few buildings and the telecommunication tower. The guard is also doing tours and explains the view. From there, the view on the *vale de los ingenios* is very nice, and even better than the view from yesterday. The vale bears its name from the many sugar refinery that are located in the valley. There is a train line that was used to carry the sugar cane from the end of the valley, which is about 50 km long, to the port. Nowadays, only a few fields are being exploited. On way down, rain is coming from the west, but doesn't go over the hill. However, it drizzles over the city. After lunch, visit of the museum of the city. It shows multiple pieces of furniture. It also has a tower, which albeit being lower than the one of the museum of the banditos, is more in the middle of the city and makes it more interesting. Very nice view on the city. It starts to drizzle while the sun is still shinning. Two museums that are closed on Sundays can't be visited. Just before the sunset, the sky is very cloudy and the setting sun lights them orange. Last course of salsa to conclude the stay in Trinidad.

Cienfuegos

#Day 5 Early departure from the hotel. The bus is at 7 am! It's a long ride to Cienfuegos with two stops on the way. The bus went nearly all the streets of Pinar del Rio, stopping 5 minutes in front of a bus station and then leaving again. No one was dropped/picked up, it wasn't a stop! It was being rather cold in the bus. The driver said it happens often at the back. At 2 pm, the bus finally arrives in Cienfuegos. While it was expected to do two stops in the city, it will only do one, at another hotel than the one I was expected at. It happens to be a misunderstanding on the name of the hotel. I take a bicitaxi that goes by the Malecón of Cienfuegos. The view on the bay from the Malecón is very nice. The driver gives explanations on the building and streets. Being almost broke, with only 7 CUC left, I go out looking for a Cadeca / bank. I cannot find the one that they told me about me at the casa. I go back to the centre, walking along the Malecón to find a bank… next to the hotel where I arrived with the bus earlier. From there, I visit the city centre, only a few blocks wide, before heading West to the Reina neighborhood. As the street goes downhill, the houses are getting worse and worse. Poverty is really more and more apparent. The streets get worst, the houses become smaller and have bare walls. At the end of the street, and one street away from the one of the cemetery - apparently nice to visit - I decide to go back. Going further ahead looks rather uncertain. In this area, people are nice, saying hello and asking nothing. Only the taxis passing by, wondering why a foreigner's walking, keep asking for a possible ride. I'll learn later that it is one of the top 5 poorest neighborhoods of Cienfuegos. Going up the street then going South, I end up on the *Muelle Real*. There is a lot of tourists here. Fishermen are also here. Apparently, what's being fished here is not edible due to the proximity of the harbor. Back at the hotel with a bicitaxi. The driver says he's been in the national team of cycling for 10+ years. His name is Nelson. Evening at the house. Rohly, the host, made a nice plate with fish and local vegetables. There was a starter made of a soup and prawns. The dessert is fruit and cheeses, mixed. The two mojitos will be the best of the trip. #Day 6 After breakfast, I tour the neighborhood of Cienfuegos. The day before, I asked what were the most interesting places to see the real Cuban life. I got them sorted by poverty/risk. On the list, were: 1. San Lazaro 2. Punta Cotica / Pueblo Nuevo 3. Reina I visited most of them but not San Lazaro. Unlike the historic centre, there is no one to ask questions about taxi etc. The people on the doorstep & in the street are nice and open to discussion. I talked with Jaime who's unbending pieces of metal to repair his house. The house doesn't look much and the front is made of wood. His friend José Luis is nearby. Near the Malecón, Pedro and José Luis are talking in the shade. José Luis lives part of the year in Montréal. In the afternoon, after a lunch at the casa, I go back to the city centre with Rohly. Aside his job as the casa owner, he is also helping other businesses grow. Visit of an artist studio and some offices related to tourism. From the Palais Ferrer, there is a nice view on the Palace of the Government and on the Parque Martí. The palace itself is mostly empty but the walls and ceiling are finely decorated. There is a shower coming from the land towards the sea. The museum of the province has not much to see. The theatre however is very nice to visit. On the way back to the casa, Nelson the bicitaxi says he has a friend of him who's tall *like that* and *muy lindissima*, who's coming tomorrow and that he would like to setup a meeting. That's awkward. After declining, he says that we can always talk about it tomorrow. No sunset as the sky is filled with clouds. #Day 7 Another tour of the neighborhoods of Cienfuegos, but with the camera this time. In Pueblo Nuevo, I encounter Francesco Ferria Ferrer who was a boxing champion in 1945. He's smoking on his doorstep. I visit his house. He then asks me to wait and comes back very proudly with the article in the newspaper where it is written he has won. He'll be turning 94 the next day. Crossing the paseo, I arrive in Punta Cotica. Here, there is a hill with a telecommunication tower and some schools on top. There is no view on the city though. The streets look like San Francisco, with the buildings being shorter. Continuing, I enter La Juanita. Here is the city train station. I follow the tracks and walk towards the station. It is an open field that people use to cross this giant area instead of going to the next street. The field itself is a couple of blocks long. Arriving in the station from the back, someone comes and says I shouldn't be here, that we will have to talk to the station manager. I tell her that I have pictures of tracks and trains, but not from the repair centre. I am told that there is an inspection ongoing. She quickly talks with with a person in uniform and asks me to exit the station by a side door. Next to the train station, there is the Viazul station. I queue for 15 minutes to learn that the next available ticket for Trinidad the next days is at 2 pm. That's too late for the tight schedule! Continuing in La Juanita I meet with Jesus, a baker. I visit the bakery which is being refurbished. José Luis is pushing an empty caddy. He has just finished his turn for the day and is going home. He sells groceries. Waiting for a cab at the casa, Nelson the bicitaxi comes to repeat the same as yesterday, but I decline again. Another visit of the Palais Ferrer, then a Piña Colada near the *Muelle Real*. It is said to be the best in town. Visit of the park at the end of Punta Gorda, but there is too cloudy to see anything.

Viñales & Cayo Jutías

#Day 2 Departure at 7.30 am in order to get the bus for Viñales in time I get a bicitaxi in the street for just a couple of blocks: the bus will leave the hotel almost 1 hour late. The bus makes one stop on the highway. It gives a chance to see how all kinds of means of transport are sharing the road: auto stoppers, bicycle, horse carriages and all kinds of cars. When arriving on Viñales, the bus first stops at an hotel that has a very nice view on the valley. Then, going down to the city, the valley reveals itself. From the bus stop, I take a bicitaxi to the accommodation. The accommodation is outside the main road. Almost no traffic. From the patio, there is a nice view on the mountains. Quick lunch before going horseback riding (25 CUC). The tour goes through the national park and stops at a cigar factory, a grotto and a coffee/plant garden. The cigar factory was interesting as I had someone just for me to explain how cigars are being made. Leaves, scissors, leaves, scissors, etc. There are also some nice viewpoints on the way. The tobacco fields are all empty as they are only being planted right now. They show their red color, which is even better at sunset! The horse that wasn't doing much at first can actually move! The tour is too much organized to go anywhere else. It is nice though. There is a long discussion with Mayito, the son of the casa owner. He knows some things about the Internet, but not everything. Looks like Cuba is 15 years behind. Yet, they have the latest music, video games and movies. Mayito has a business of bike repair. Bike is the cheapest way for people in Cuba to travel short to medium distances. It is also cheaper than a horse. He says there are three people working in the same business in town but claims he's the best at it. Changing parts, with the new parts coming from China, to straightening wheels, he's busy every day of the week. #Day 3 There is absolutely no noise outside. No cars, no busses, no machines, before daylight, only animals, wind and rain. At 7, the mogotes (isolated steep-sided residual hills) start to turn orange. At 9, a taxi comes to pick me up to go to Cayo Jutías. It is a shared cab and there are already 4 tourists (plus the driver). It takes about 1h30 to go to the Cayo. Driving in Cuba is special. Each side of the road is preferred to the road itself. There can be a strip for one car and each side would be soil. Being on the left with a car going the other way around on the right looks fine. On each bump, the car shakes and makes a metallic noise. Sometimes you’ve got the feeling the car is going to break apart. Yet, you feel safe. Only tourists who rented a car stay on the road. Arriving at the beach, it looks nice but touristic. Most of the people here came with a cab. The beach itself is nice but you need to walk a little bit South to find some room. It is also where the drivers spend the day. When arriving on the Cayo, there is a lighthouse made of metal. if it is short way to go there by car, it took me about 2 hours back and forth to go there from the beach. That said, it is much better than the beach! On the way, a truck of dustmen proposed to pick me up. I refused thinking it would be much closer. The first part of the beach looks like Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida keys. The second half is more like Mauritius. One mojito and one daiquiri before going back to Viñales and a 15 CUC ride #Day 4 I'm waken up by the machine used to crush the coffee, a Manual machine. With the15 CUC for the day bike I go to the bus office in the centre to get the ticket for the transfer to Cienfuegos for the next day. Then, I exit Viñales through the main road and go up North. Crossing the Republica de Chile, an agricultural area, before arriving at the crossing going back to Viñales. The road goes up and down, the streets are sometimes almost inexistent. Very few tourists. I get to talk with a couple of Cubans living in the area. Lawn mowers are made from salvaged parts. One I saw was made from the motor of a washing machine, the blade of a knife and a telephonic line, all being supported by a plate and wheels made of wood. Rice is being cultivated here. All the field labour is done by hand. Tractors are seen on the roads but never in the fields. Bulls are everywhere! Back to Viñales after 20 km and a break at the house for lunch. In the afternoon, going West of Viñales, passing in front of the "prehistoric wall". It looks ugly as shit from far away. A bit further, there is a viewpoint (*mirador*), which gives a view on two valleys. There is the *valle del silencio* there. Very quiet and lovely. Carlos, who leaves nearby, is getting his rice covered for the night. Apparently the sunset is very nice from the mirador but I go back home. On the way, I meet Felid (?) who's bringing back a bottle of vodka to mix it with Coca-Cola. Says rum is good, but Vodka works too.