Well, the year of travel is over. And it was absolutely awesome! So much so, that I’m avoiding “real life” for another year and heading off again! So more to come… Here is where I ended up going over the past year: View Full Size Travel Map at Travellerspoint The Places Many people …
I spent a total of almost 6 days in La Habana but didn’t really get up to very much. These were my highlights. Doing nothing: I spent a lot of time sitting on the balcony of the Casa Particular where I was staying, watching the view and listening to Maroon 5 and The Cat …
There is a lot of propaganda about Fidel, Che and the revolution in Cuba – some of it really quite artistic. Because Fidel and Raul are still alive, the propaganda featuring them tends to be on billboard along the highways (the only type of advertising along the highways in Cuba). It is Che and …
Not often you see traffic signs like these … But they are everywhere in Cuba – reflecting the more traditional modes of transport that many Cubans use.
I’ve mentioned before that I have no idea where Cubans get their food from – which is not strictly correct. At least some of the fresh food is often peddled around the streets by vendors with carts. Where the rest comes from, I still have no idea…
The Viñales valley (you guessed it – yet another UNESCO location) is about 2 hours away from La Habana, really chilled out and really beautiful. It is one of the biggest tobacco growing areas in Cuba where traditional cultivation techniques still dominate, and is renowned for its mogotes – dome-like limestone outcrops that rise abruptly …
One would think that taking a collectivo taxi (ie a taxi that follows a fixed route but takes more than one passenger) from Trinidad – Viñales would be faster than taking the bus. One could also be very, very wrong! I was the last person to be collected from my Casa Particular in Trinidad and …
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 – …
