After a fairly restful night, we awoke to the reality
that is Cuba. We were scheduled to start
our bus trip this morning. One slight
problem – no bus. Our Cuban tour guide,
Tony, had spent most of the evening and this morning trying to get our bus to
Santa Clara to pick us up. Plans were
made, then changed until we finally were told to be ready to leave around
noon. This is Cuban time.
Our little hiccup meant we had some time to wonder around
Santa Clara. Our hotel was located right
on the square which gave us a host of photo opportunities. All forms of transportation, horse drawn
carts, motorcycles, bicycle taxis, classic cars and somewhat modern cars
circled around and around delivering people and looking for new fares. There also appeared to be a lot of sitting on
park benches, perhaps for those that are unemployed, underemployed or
retired. Clothing choices mirrored other
Caribbean islands – short skirts, shorts, t-shirts, etc. The Cubans love ‘booty’ and it was definitely
on full display.
After getting the shots we wanted, we decided to wonder
more or less as a group to a church down a side street. The brightly colored buildings in need of
repairs and paint made for nice backgrounds as people roamed the streets. A doorway beckoned us inside where we found a
big open courtyard that serves as a bar and concert space at night. Four dancers were practicing for some kind of
performance maybe later at the bar. I
was mesmerized by their rhythmic moves to Latin beats and sat for several
minutes photographing their athletic performance.
Back on the street, we saw several businesses selling
different kinds of goods, from the appliance store to shoe and clothing stores
to a used book stand. According to our
guide, economic reforms were ushered in under Raul Castro’s Presidency. Cubans
are now able to own stores, farmland and houses and also able to travel outside
their country.
We made a couple of quick stops on our way out of town,
first to the site where Che Guavara blew up the railroad tracks as part of the
revolution. They also have the bulldozer
he used in the rebels’ efforts. Next was
the mausoleum where Che and his follow fighters are buried from the Bolivian
uprising. Che is revered in Cuba and you
see his image everywhere.
We grabbed a quick pizza lunch (we found pizza
everywhere) we finally were ready to start our journey through Cienfuego to our
evening destination of Trinidad. Our
journey took us over the hills where the rebels led their revolution against
the Batista government in 1958. This
area grows crops of all kinds including sugar cane, tobacco, bananas, coffee
and various fruits. The land was lush and green with livestock grazing in
fields.
We arrived in Trinidad around dusk, wondering through the
cobblestone streets they are known for, looking for our evening accommodations.
The narrow streets are lined with hostels – rooms for rent in peoples’
homes. Ours was really quite nice
although the mattress and pillows left a lot to be desired. A rooftop bar beckoned us for our free drink
and I imbibed my first Cuban mojito. The
owner appears to be quite the entrepreneur with WiFi available for purchase
along with the well-stocked bar.
For dinner, we bused to the main square which is lined
with restaurants, shops and bars. This
is a very old city dating back to Columbus’ time. Colonial era mansions surrounded the square
repurposed as museums during the modern era. Live music attracted a large crowd
that spilled into the streets, bars and restaurants.
The elections were held today in the US and I received
updates all evening. It looked like it
was going to be a late night for the vote counters before a winner would be
declared. I’m glad I’m out of the country
for this one!
Tomorrow: Our Journey Resumes
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