We were sad to leave our lovely Casa in Playa Larga but it is nice to be back in Havana after two weeks on the road. Maura greets us like long lost members of the family.
We head out on the now familiar streets where the vibrancy and energy, the smells and the sounds of the city tantalise our senses. People rattle small musical instruments to draw our attention to their tiny shop, otherwise missed in the mass of other sights crowding our vision.
A beautiful old building housing a gallery is worth a look. Attendants wave us in but soon make a feeble attempt at guiding us round the art in hopes of a tip.
A young man claiming to be a Canadian Punjabi attempts to befriend us as we sip our generous limonade frappes. His English is perfect and his spiel is beguiling but I am sure it is a scam of some kind so we deter him from joining us. I had seen a man claiming to be a Mexican try the same thing with two other foreign women on our first stay in Havana.
Beautiful old pharmacy, Havana
The local young men trying to befriend and help you are much easier to spot but it does require persistent head down walking on to deter them. Do not engage, is my catch phrase for these occasions.
We meet so many wonderful people though, generous, helpful, happy in themselves.
El Morro
Our last full day is finally the excursion to El Morro, the massive fort on the other side of the channel entrance to Havana Harbour. Built in the 16th century to try to protect Havana from pirates not to mention the French and the English invaders.
Havana skyline from El Morro
We walk in the footsteps of so many in this long history of Havana. Those who tried to protect the city and where fierce battles were engaged, but also where many more friendly visitors came to visit the massive fort and to admire the Havana skyline from the other side over the centuries.
El Morro from Havana
In a bookshop in tiny Remedios, I found a book called Travelers’ Tales of Old Cuba. Fascinating letters and diary entries the first being from 1678. There are many descriptions from travelers in the 19th century most of whom include their visit to El Morro.
Cuba has a rich and often bloodthirsty history. The original trusting inhabitants were wiped out. It was the haunt of pirates and the location of a slave trade triggered mainly for the sugar plantations.
The English finally took El Morro from the land side in tne 18th century after failing to breach it from the sea. There is a very good history of that bloody battle located at El Morro itself.
There are so many memorable things about Havana and Cuba. At dawn, men call out in the street, sometimes with a whistle in the city to attract attention, selling fresh bread and other produce. The jolt to your senses as the cannon belts out its regular 9pm round, so loud from where we are staying in Havana Vieja.
Patience is the word here for so many things. I love the road courtesy, seeing no evidence whatsoever of road rage. A horse and cart or a bicycle taxi blocking the way is no problem at all, no matter how long it takes to pass safely.
Life has freed up in the last 7 years or so and in general many people have a little more than they did. However it is expensive and still hard to get many things. Absolutely anything could be repaired on the street by someone in Havana is my memory from 10 years ago. Now it is rarer to see a repair man on a pavement stall.
Street repairs
We met Antonio working one of his three jobs as a carpark attendant who was struggling to make ends meet. Another lovely man, a Doctor, waiting to collect tourists with his beautiful 1951 classic car, shared a little about his life. No matter your occupation, everyone is paid the same, so any connection you can make with the tourist dollar will help to make life easier.
Almost feels like home heading north out of Cienfuegos to Remedios. Mile after mile of sugar cane, plenty of mango trees, bananas and more sugar cane.
Just 4 of us and the driver in the 6 seater car to start with. Two Italians get out at Santa Clara to check out the Che Guevara museums for a few hours. People are thumbing all along the road and we collect a couple with 2 children, then 2 more men squeeze in the back for a while making 6 in the back bench seat. We hurtle along at what feels like break neck speed but I can’t seem to see a functioning speedo.
The drumming performance on a stretch corner reverberated right through my body. Phenomenal beat.
We arrive at our Casa and Jose rushes out to welcome us. He announces he has sick people (more Italians) staying over time, so we get back in the Dodge and go round a couple of corners to a recently opened casa run by his nephew and wife. What a lovely place and a lovely couple.
Remedios
Love the variety of doors, especially old timber
Called La Eden, the terrace up on the roof has the appropriate decoration. Apparently we will play dominoes up here tomorrow night. A popular past time throughout Cuba, we saw people playing it this afternoon at a table set up right in the street.
There is a very generous kitchen where a beautiful dinner is prepared. Fresh guava and papaya, a very tasty tomato and cucumber salad, pork steaks cooked in garlic with yucca, rice, more salad and hot chips. Finally, some kind of poached fruit with fresh cheese and brewed coffee.
This Cuban parrot is a very popular household pet.
They have a caged bird, a pretty parrot that has quite a vocabulary. It was obviously feeling very abandoned one evening and had a most fascinating outrage at its predicament. We found it very entertaining, but that was only for one evening.
We stroll around the square on a very balmy evening. The stars are out, not many lights, and plenty of people are out in the square as well. Very tantalising music flows into the streets from many houses, but as far as we can see, none of the bars or restaurants have live music. There could be a dancing place on the other side of town, but we would get lost trying to find it in the dark. It is a tiny town but still maybe 20,000 population. A big day out tomorrow so even though it is new years eve we get an early night. It’s already well into the afternoon of new years day in Australia.
Dominoes is very popular. Street games all over and very vigorous play.
Remedios is close to Cayo Santa Maria, an area that is being developed as a resort strip in Cuba. Charter flights come in and it apears tourists never see anything of Cuba other than the isolated resort. Seems bizarre to us.
Lovely walk to Las Gaviotas
Having heard a taxi one way could be around A$100, we are pretty happy to organize a full day for round about two thirds that price. Our gorgeous hostess prepares a feast with enough food for a week and we rumble out in another old car. This one has intact window winders and they are very schmick matching the door handles in chrome and what looks like bakelite trim.
There are just a couple of small towns before we hit the causeway. Passports are required for the checkpoint. Everything in Cuba is highly regulated. As we progress a little further along, a giant toll way booth is under construction.
About 20 kms along the causeway, mangroves start to appear dotted around and gradually in increasing clumps. Bridges are interspersed along the causeway averaging out to roughly one every km. It is very beautiful with the sun glinting on the ocean on either side of us.
Flamingo in northern Cuba
Our number one target for the day is finally spotted around the 50km mark. Here are the flamingos surviving in spite of the construction of resorts which are now evident.
Their habit is surrounded by low bushes so not easily accessible, but we get some great views. Very exciting.
Must be good food wading in deep water though more likely thick mud sediment
Just a few kms further on, we reach our beach destination for the day, Playa Las Gaviotas. It is a 15 minute walk along a track through low growing scrub, pandanus and cactus until the track turns to sand and then a spectacular burst of jaw dropping ocean vista brings us to a halt.
First view of the ocean was jaw droppingly beautiful
The ocean is the legendary gorgeous range of fabulous blues, the sand is white and extends for several kms. We are early and virtually no one else is there. We choose a spot at a little low palm thatched cover and test the water. It is cool but lovely.
Think this is the first ever swim in the Atlantic.
Stunning beach in northern Cuba. Las Gaviotas
We lounge for about 5 hours, nibbling at our feast, reading, strolling, taking a dip, then watching a large party of Italians construct enormous sand creations complete with vegetation to enhance the effect.
Such a lovely walk to the beach
Remedios is is the only town in Cuba with two churches on the main square. It also has reputedly the longest running bar in the whole of Cuba, Le Louvre also on the square. We spend most of the next day here sipping limonade frappes, enjoying the music and watching the preparation for the Parrandas along with half the town it seems. This festival is usually held Christmas Eve but was cancelled this year due to the death of Fidel. It has been rescheduled to this week and there are two cranes helping to erect giant decorations that will clearly be the centerpieces of the celebrations.
Las Pallandras setting up Remedios
Plumbing is a challenge in Cuba and each place we go seems to have its own individual quirk calling for creative solutions sometimes.
Quite late the other night, I heard a cry “Oh my gosh”, quickly followed by an even more urgent “Oh my God!” I know it is a man who has never in his life before encountered such a plumbing phenomenon. Much bucket sloshing followed by quiet and I guess he has resolved the problem. Still makes me giggle.
Next door to our Casa is a facility for people with disabilities. We meet the jefe who shows us photos of various activities, the place being closed now for new year holidays. He lost a leg to a grenade in Angola in 1975 where apparently many Cubans went to fight and provide other services such as medical and administrative. A well travelled Cuban, he played basketball in the London Para Olympics.
Lovely man, lost his leg to a grenade in Angola
Remedios is a small town that may not suit many travellers but it is full of interesting characters just like every place, if you have time to sit and talk. We met one old man selling small cones of peanuts, pretty blind at age 84, but happy to chat. Another total character dressed in the distinctive Cuban whites, puffing a cigar and selling bananas.
Onward transport out of Vinales. This was the travel style for the next fortnight.
The journey out of Vinales feels like we are either in a National Lampoon Vacation movie or perhaps a Mafia movie. A long line of 9 seater 50’s classic cars packed with foreign travellers, roof racks loaded up (maybe not Mafia) chugs up the 5km climb trapped behind trucks and slower vehicles. We suck in the fumes and feel fairly confident in our drivers ability.
Packs off one roof rack onto a nearby bonnet till the changeover car is organised
About 2 hours in, we pull over to a scene of highly organised chaos. This is the changeover spot and there are dozens of vehicles just like ours who have arrived from Vinales and many other places. People and packs are disgorged to be reallocated to another vehicle for the final destination. We are heading to Cienfuegos so we get loaded into the last 2 seats in a big Chevy.
The klaxon, definitely not a horn, is activated by a taut string suspended from the top of the door down to the dash. A tapetty tap tap of fingers or a nifty forearm jab achieves the desired effect on passing vehicles, pedestrians or whatever takes the drivers fancy.
Definitely a meaty arm
A waggle of a meaty arm out the window acknowledges passing friends, or a thanks to a headlight warning flash from an oncoming vehicle. We are entertained by music videos. As the car absolutely flogs down the open road I realise we are dead if a tyre was to blow. Best just to relax and let the wind rip through your hair from the permanently open window.
After a couple of hours we stop at the turnoff to Australia for a snack and the bano. We will be back in this area in our last week, for a beach break in the Bay of Pigs.
For the record, the signpost to Australia in Cuba which is on the way to the Bay of Pigs
Sunlight really does sparkle like diamonds on Cienfuegos bay. The water is shimmering in the light and not a ripple breaks the spectacular effect on this hot morning. Boys throw fishing lines in off the decaying cement jetty. We can see the water is teeming with tiny fish.
Cienfuegos Bay is sparkling
A pedestrian boulevard lined with shops leads to the beautiful Jose Marti Square with its strong French influence in the town planning and design. Unlike Havana, the majority of the major buildings are in pretty good condition. We pay CUC$2 to go into a building that is in bad disrepair internally and looks a bit like a construction site. It feels like the construction will be continuing for many decades.
Beautiful Cienfuegos
Bicycle taxis ply up and down the Malecon offering their services. Many of the locals use these and others pile into carts pulled by horses to get around town. For longer distance travel, people often cram into large covered trucks and are transported standing up.
Looks amazing but pretty derelict and dangerous in some parts.
At the other end of the Malecon is La Punta. A great place to stroll and catch the fabulous sunset over the bay. The sugar barons had their homes in this neck of the woods. Some spectacular places remain. On this quite small strip of land, the grand homes have a double water frontage on their east west aspect. Many are now Casas renting out rooms.
Our Casa is nicely located close to the Malecon and about a 10 minute walk to the centre. We have our own entrance in the spacious home that is a bit of a menagerie. They have dogs, caged birds in several locations, chickens wandering freely outside and a pond arrangement in the large open dining area that houses amongst the fish and a turtle, a small crocodile.
I asked Santiago, the Grandfather what would happen when the crocodile grew. He made a cutting motion across his neck which seemed a bit of a violent end for an occupant of the premises. Still, I suppose it happens to the chooks.
The grandmother of the house prepared a lovely breakfast every morning. She reminded me of Dorothy from the Golden Girls with her stature and voice.
Tropi Sur is tempting for a night of Cienfuegos entertainment. Only CUC$3 (less than A$5) for a show but the doors don’t open till 9.30 with showtime at 10.30. We are pretty tired after walking 27kms today, according to the smartphone pedometer, so retire for the night. We saw a little bit of rehearsal and while nothing like Tropicana in Havana for about about 25 times the price, would have been fun.
We enjoy the feel of Cienfuegos, getting a little more laid back and quite beautiful in parts. After a long hike towards the bus terminal, we meet Carlos who turns out to be the go between to organise our next taxi collectivo ride on to Remedios.
Pretty cute light switch in our Casa
No need to panic about getting from A to B in Cuba, there is always a solution. There is a system, not always visible, but it’s friendly, reliable and trustworthy.
When your horse is called Coco Loco, this cannot be an auspicious start to a three hour horse riding trek.
Many people, few horses – an exclamation from the owner, gives the game away. It goes some way to explaining why I am lumbered with a horse called Coco Loco! Also the name of a local cocktail.
Vinales is packed to the eyeballs with foreigners all wanting an experience of some kind and horse riding is one of the very popular experiences.
View from the roof Vinales
The clip clop of horses hooves down the street is in fact a bit of a signature note for Vinales. That along with people sitting in their metal or slatted wooden rocking chairs either out on the porch or up on the flat roof enjoying the cool of the evening.
About a 3 hour bus ride out of Havana, the trip was comfortable, but the day has been hot and we are a little travel weary. That can’t last too long though as the horseback excursion on Coco Loco and Mojito awaits us in the morning.
Limestone outcrops are impressive.
As a non horse rider, a horse riding trek, no matter how short, is unexpected even for me. Maybe not quite up there with snorkelling with sharks, but it can certainly go on the list.
After about half an hour, my pommel clutching grip starts to loosen and I worry less about having bruised hands from hanging on so tightly.
Red dirt tracks meander around the surrounding farmland where tobacco farms operate, I suspect in this area at least, deriving their income mainly from catering to the tourist experience. The limestone outcrops make for a spectacular backdrop. Birds of prey are prolific in this area and they hover and swoop wherever we are.
The campesino we talked to, a short but striking man, explained that farming is highly regulated and that 90% of his crop had to be sold to the Government.
The campesino explains how tobacco farming works in Cuba
Part of the horse riding experience is to stop at a little bar on a hill to enjoy a cold drink or a snack and enjoy the live music.
It appears that the vast majority of Vinales residents have long ago forsaken farming to be part of the tourism boom. Street after street is lined with houses offering rooms to rent. There are hundreds of Casas operating here. Even so, last night Vinales was full and people slept in the park.
Cocktails and live music are even available right out here
In spite of the hordes of visitors, it doesn’t feel as bad as it sounds. Reminds me just a little, of experiences in Australia where people might travel for a couple of hours on a Sunday to throng the streets of a popular and picturesque village. Quite different of course, and here it is a daily event. But all of us are here with a common purpose, to participate, eat, drink, enjoy and in general spend a bit of money. Most importantly of all to enjoy Cuba.
Patience is the word in Cuba when it comes to the internet. Bars, restaurants, Casas have all moved a reasonable distance into the 21st century catering for travellers. Etecsa is still grinding along in another bygone century somewhere far away.
We queued for a good hour in the sun waiting to buy a login and password. In Havana, we paid top $ but got a card in seconds. Here in Vinales, you have to explain what you want even though odds are pretty high that every foreigner is after the same thing. The process then involves tediously taking passport details before handing over the goods in exchange for money. It explained why it took a good 5 minutes or more before someone emerged from the door and one more person was allowed to just get inside the building.
As it turned out, the first login I tried did not work, the second barely lasted 30 minutes out of the supposed hour. Woe betide if you only purchased one ticket.
Vinales is super full of tourists and numbers swell even more with day trippers, certainly over this Christmas season at least. While travelling onward as the mood strikes is the way to go in an ideal world, in the busy season booking your Casa well ahead could save some heartache and tears. In spite of that, Vinales offers yet another window onto the diversity that is Cuba and is worth a look if you have time.
The breeze off the Atlantic Ocean is brisk but pleasant in the warm night air as we take our first evening stroll along the Malecon. We are in Havana.
A warm introduction to our home for 6 nights. Si, we would like a Cuba Libre. How pleasant sittting out on the 2nd floor balcony with our Casa host, Maura, sipping drinks and enjoying a lively conversation in broken Spanish and not bad English from her. We talk about everything from sharks to life in Cuba.
After barely any food all day, the Cuba Libre starts to make my head swim so we head out for a meal about 9pm.
Wow! Cuba has changed in the 10 years since I was last here. The restaurant Maura has suggested is totally trendy. Habana 61 sits on a little cobbled street a few minutes walk away in our neighbourhood of Old Havana or Habana Vieja. The decor, the staff, the food – none of it would look out of place in the latest Sydney venue. The only difference – it is at a fraction of the price.
Habana 61 feels a bit special seeing as we live right by Habana in Mackay.
In the main tourist area, home to the larger hotels, prices could be twice the price and more of the restaurants close to our lovely Casa. Local food would be vastly less expensive again but we are enjoying this really top quality food for a few days.
Walking the streets of old Havana is an architectural pleasure. No work has been done on many buildings since the revolution. However a surprising amount has been done. Change is under way in Havana. Buildings have been cleaned and restored, others demolished to make way for new hotels, occasionally with what was once a fabulous facade retained. Clearly it will look magnificent if restored to its original glory. Some of the newly cleaned buildings have not had their decorative features restored. The colours and other features that can still be vaguely observed in the old, crumbling untouched buildings are missing, rendering a more stark structure that has lost that fabulous grandeur of once what was.
This place would have looked mind blowingly amazing in the 1950’s and prior decades.
5 Corners, site of a popular restaurant
Los Nardos opposite the Capitolio provides a memorable lunch experience. We share an enormous plate of meats grilled Cuban style with rice, black beans and a plate of salad vegetables in a very atmospheric restaurant. Two fabulous operatic tenor voices resonate throughout the high ceilinged room adding to the cultural experience and thoroughly enchanting the entire restaurant.
A bride is led across the cobbled Plaza to the Cathedral. Men who drive fabulous old American cars offer us a taxi service. At the other end of the scale, we could opt for a horse and cart, or a ride in a small buggy pulled along by a bicycle, a bicitaxi. Women dressed in traditional style brandishing giant cigars tempt the tourist cameras, musicians play lively Latin music – all in search of the tourist dollar on the promise of an exotic photo to take home.
We prefer to walk and observe. The Hemingway bar is teeny, tiny, and packed with maybe only a dozen people trying to drink a presumably outrageously expensive cocktail, musicians crammed into one corner. We squeeze in and then move back out again into the narrow cobbled street.
Casa Victor Hugo is a beautiful old building housing a photographic exhibition of the Paris Dance company.
Our little corner of old Havana seems to have many restaurants and bars. An evening stroll to choose where to eat on a balmy evening is a people watching opportunity. A brief sprinkle of tropical rain is not enough to drive the diners away from their tables set out on the cobble stones.
We meet a Welsh guy who like us, has spent quite a bit of his day at the bank. Our experience, unlike his, was quite straight forward, just time consuming. His card was cancelled and with minimal cash, he was very lucky to be able to talk to his bank, at a cost of over £100, and get it restored.
Step one in our bank saga, wait for the ticket issuing operative to return from a break to her desk just inside the door. Tell me what you want, she asks in Spanish to ensure we get the correct ticket.
Ticket in hand, we join the waiting crowd.
Two people are not allowed to attend the counter at the same time. Kerri’s turn to change money so it becomes a Spanish language test as I am forced to wait 3 paces back. The teller has to relent at one point and allows me to briefly approach, then return to my spot.
One of the most fascinating parts of Havana street life is watching the giant American cars that ply the streets. Many are beautifully chromed up and lovingly cared for. Others look dull and dinged, still waiting on their owners to presumably be able to afford to render a lot more attention. Packard, Chrysler, Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge … and many more, all looking like they have rolled off a Hollywood film set.
Havana Malecon is a must.
Waves crash against the retaining wall of the Malecon, splashing on to passers by. It’s a fishing spot, a place for lovers and anyone who wants to stroll.
Enormous cruise ships slip almost noiselessly along the picturesque channel to the harbour, literally tying up right on the street. Looks like you could just jump into the facing building.
The channel into Havana Harbour is so beautiful
Equally beautiful by night, the sound of live music draws us to an outdoor restaurant on the Malecon where members of the band are happy to salsa with willing patrons.
The Cuban Art Museum stood out like a glistening jewel in its surrounds 10 years ago. Now it looks a little more jaded and blends in with the surrounds. The art work inside is still just as interesting though.
Mojitos, just one of the popular Cuban rum cocktails
We meet some Australians who tell us about restaurant Van Van. Tapas and a A$2.70 Mojito that could put you on your ear in a venue obviously dedicated to music. We are holding out for a Christmas Eve feast at our Casa but will return one night for the full experience.
Christmas breakfast buffet. Happy restaurant owner as people crowd in.
Dinner with the family on Christmas Eve is a delight. Food is abundant and delicious. Alcohol is even more abundant. Mojitos, red wine, beer, pineapple liqueur, coconut liqueur, several types of Cuban rum or Ron as it is here. After all that, a little salsa is inevitable.
The young man from Baracoa cuts a mean dance step as he waits for his his Italian girlfriend to fly in Christmas Eve
Sunday is when the rhumba drums come out in the African art street. The tiny street is worth a visit any day of the week just to absorb the amazing art. The Sunday action starts around noon, so it’s good to get there a little earlier to get a look around as the crowds build phenomenally. Drinks are not outrageously priced which makes it easy to sit and people watch.
We detour on the walk back to take in Chinatown. Precious few Chinese around, but there are some restaurants and evidence of what was before socialism scared the enterprising Chinese out of the country.
WiFi Hotspot Havana. Not free, not great.
After WiFi on tap in South America, the system here is largely unchanged over the past 10 years except you can use your own phone instead of a terminal. It’s a bitter shock for tourists who arrive expecting just to be able to do their research and book ahead as they go along. The internet system involves firstly buying a card, available only in a very limited number of places. The card has a login and a password valid for a set period of time. Slow is the key word and don’t count on being able to do anything complex, especially out of Havana where things seemed to me to be a little more difficult.
One of our last excursions is to the Museo de la Revolution. It is a little chaotic and being able to read some Spanish is a big help. My knowledge of the Bay of Pigs incident is not comprehensive, but interesting to read from the Cuban perspective.
Absolutely classic images as you exit to the tanks, other militaria including remains of a US spy plane, is the life size cutout cartoon figures of Battista and three Republican presidents, Reagan plus Bush senior and junior. The adjacent sign is slightly different for each man, but about as blatantly uncomplimentary as you can get. I wonder if mostly Democrats would ever want to visit Cuba anyway. Can someone please let me know what they do for the next US president in due course?
Six days in Havana is definitely a relaxing amount of time and we have 2 more at the end. We feel lucky, many people only have a week or maybe two for their entire trip.
Lorna On The Loose 