The other day trip that I decided to do while in Trinidad, Cuba was the steam train out to the Valle de Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills), apparently alternatively known as “The Tourist Train”. Cuba was the world’s biggest producer of sugar in the late 18th and 19th century and this valley housed nearly…
Caught the 2:40am ViAzul bus (that didn’t leave until 4am) from Camagüey to Trinidad and experienced a huge internal-to-Cuba culture shock! Up until this point in my trip, I’d been in the eastern part of Cuba, which is far less touristy than the parts closer to La Habana. I saw more souvenir shops and…
Arrived in Camagüey, undecided on how long to stay. A quick walk around the town and look on the internet (I really wish I’d bought a guidebook for Cuba!) didn’t reveal too much to do and my decision to stay only 1 day (2 nights) was decided by the Casa Particular I was in –…
Poked my nose into the municipal library in Camagüey and it was like going back in time. No computers. No flexible furniture. Blackboard. Really not that many books. And card catalogues! Love it that Fidel has a whole drawer for himself 🙂
Unfortunately Wendy and I had to part ways in Baracoa – she was headed to the beach and I was headed back the way I came and through to Bayamo, the jumping off point to visit La Commandancia de la Plata where Fidel Castro, Che Guevara Pico Turquino from La Commandancia de la Plata – Cuba…
There are two ways to eat in Cuba – the cheap way (where you pay in CUP) and the expensive way (where you pay in CUC). Most visitors to Cuba stick with whatever Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor recommends, and I admit this is how I found some of my favourite meals in Cuba: Santiago de…
We get frustrated and start to complain in Australia if we have to queue for more an a minute or two to achieve whatever it is we are trying to do. But really we have nothing to complain about. If you are not on a package tour to Cuba – you must get used…
After 4 days, Wendy (Belgian lady I travelled with for several days) and I escaped the hassle of Santiago de Cuba and caught the ViAzul bus to Baracoa. This trip (which in theory takes 5 hours, but in practice takes more like 6 due to all the unscheduled bus stops) passes through the infamous Guantanamo…
One of the reputations Cuba has is that it is the land of music. And while music is certainly much more prevalent and a much bigger part of the culture in Cuba than in Australia, it wasn’t quite on every street corner as you may be imagining. The no brainer way to enjoy some Cuban…
A quick one to say that Cubans really have the prettiest umbrellas! Loved the designs I saw here.