Cuba 8

So here we are back in Canada with many thoughts Long after the sun tan has faded and the sand flea scabs have healed over. We will sit and dream about our adventure and remember the country and it’s unique people who I am sure are born singing and dancing. We met many wonderful people on our travels, each of them added very positively to our time here. We are thankful that the travel gods kept us safe.

Cuba 7

Sadly our journey is nearly at an end. But not before we catch the bus to Santa Clara and are taken by taxi to another case which was recommended by our last hostess. The place we were supposed to go to was apparently full so we ended up else where. But it’s quite alright. We spend our last day walking to the memorial of Che Guevara and where he and other revolutionaries are buried. It’s probably the most important place in the whole of Cuba for those that fought and died here. We also visited he train museum which was overtaken by 19 guerillas in 90 minutes. Inside the train were at least 400 unsuspecting troops when it was blown off the tracks. We later find out that our host was a part of this piece of history, although he doesn’t like to talk about it. He was a 15 year old boy at the time. He has since written 3 books on the subject.

Cuba 6

We head back into Trinidad for our last couple of nights, we have figured out where to get the best coffee by now and the best Cuba libras. We found an amazing colonial style house to stay in. Again we are treated with special hospitality and incredible foods. It is from here that we take our horse trekking adventure. Neither of us can ride and I think 5 hours was a little too much. It took nearly a month for the saddle sores to heal. Regardless of that we had a wonderful day. We were taken to a sugar cane farm and got to sample the juice which is made by putting the can through a mangle to extract the juice which is incredibly sweet. Adding lemon juice to it makes it more palatable. (I would imagine that a couple of shots of rum would make it good too).

The canes are then given to the pigs to eat, nothing is wasted here. And it explains why the pork tastes so good. We head off again into the wild blue yonder and eventually get to another natural spring fed water fall. It’s a great place to cool off. We stop for lunch on the way back at another shanty style hut in the middle of nowhere before heading back to town. Hot, dusty and walking like John Wayne for several hours afterwards.

Cuba 5

La Boca is our next stop which is where the river meets the ocean. Our hostel is literally across the road from the beach and our hosts are really friendly and we make a special effort to have conversations with them. We find out a little what it is like to run as casa particular with all it’s trials and tribulations. The competition is apparently fierce. We spend two wonderful days on the beach relaxing and sipping beer. Our host cooks us some superb lobster and snapper which I think I will go into more in my food blog. I made the mistake of telling him I am a chef. He got very nervous and pulled out all the stops to conjure up incredible feasts. http://artpoetryandgoodfood.blogspot.com

Cuba 4

Next we head up to the mountains at Topes de Collantes. The road is very narrow and I wonder about the skills of our taxi driver and the reliability of the car as it hurls us around yet another hair pin bend narrowly missing the precipices on each side. It is cooler here and I was impressed to see a whole village of people working up in the mountains either working in the tourist industry or growing coffee, clearing land and tending their animals. The most amazing part here are the hikes of which we do two. They are both uphill in both directions. But well worth the effort to get to the water falls and the caves. Swimming in both of the natural pools was a welcome respite. We pretty much have the hotel to ourselves on the second night and enjoy the quiet and by now we have managed to finish our first package of Cohiba clubs. We have got used to speaking Spanish everyday and are glad we took the trouble to have lessons. I think we have caused a few smirks with our efforts but we always seem to get what we need.

Cuba 3

Our next stop is Havana, the bus ride is seemingly endless and it puts us off traveling to the west end of the Island as we had planned in the beginning. It’s the 1st December and barely a sign that it is Christmas. It’s a refreshing reprieve from the madness back home. We do a lot of wandering around enjoying the sights of the city and the taste of the coffee and excellent rum.

Making our way to Ernest Hemingway’s house was a memorable highlight. Getting on the public bus and standing shoulder to shoulder with the locals was an experience. The ride was very cheap and it got us to where we needed to be. The Hemingway museum has been left the way it was upon Ernest’s demise. We were impressed with the high ceilings and marble floors throughout. If you closed your eyes you could almost hear his typewriter clacking away in the background as he pounds out his latest novel. On our return to the city we pass the Capitolio building, Patagas cigar factory, steam train museum. And as we walk in the heat we make several pit stops at local bars and cafes to quench our thirst and watch the world go by.

Cuba 2

Arriving in Santa Clara without event was a good start, watching airport security mincing about in their face masks was a little disturbing. Wary of the gringos bringing in the H1N1 virus. Clearing security quickly we caught a taxi to make a bus connection to Trinidad. We were safely ensconced mid afternoon and sipping our first Buccanero beers and eating street pizzas oozing with grease and goodness. We visited some of our favorite places from a previous trip and spent days lounging on the beach under the shade of a tree which housed a vast amount of sand fleas below it.

Cuba 1

Writing about our Cuban adventure is a happy task, full of joyful memories, experiences and fun. Although getting to the airport at 2am was beyond a joke. I should also mention that it was soon behind us and we were on our way to 2 weeks of sunshine, dancing and rum. What could be better than getting away from the cold dark days of a Canadian November.