My return trip to Cuba was very shocking. Often, when I return home, I fall into the classic post-travel depression, but this time it was something different.
Somehow I felt changed from this trip, from this Country, and from its people and now I understand why Hemingway decided that this island would be his second home.
There is something that is difficult to describe through words, an island that, despite the difficulties that it has lived and still lives is still magical. Yes, I think “magic” is the most accurate and evocative word for this gem of the Caribbean Sea.
Many people told me to visit Cuba before things could change, and I’ve long wanted to satisfy this desire, to see that island that fascinated all those who are been there.
If you think about Cuba just for the sun and the sea, you will make a mistake. Cuba is an island surrounded by crystal clear waters and paradisiacal beaches, is the country of Ron (Rum), Son (Cuban sound), and Cohiba (the most famous Cuban cigar), but is primarily a place that exudes everywhere of the revolution’s history, with a high architectural heritage, a Country that puts many questions to the visitors, a Country with a decaying atmosphere, a Country that strikes the soul.
It is an island suspended over time, and it’s a paradox that the US embargo, was at the same time the key to the island’s success.
Imagine walking under the sun on the streets of a city, watching palaces, colonial houses, vintage cars, or just seeing running barefoot kids or seniors playing chess or dominoes in the streets. Then at some point, your senses will be captured by some notes, perhaps by Commander Che Guevara, by Guantanamera, by a song from the Buena Vista Social Club or simply by Salsa. Well, right then, you will wonder yourself if you’re living the reality or you’re in a dream.
If you want to visit Cuba you need at least three weeks, it’s an island to live slowly and has many places of interest. However, if you can’t stay so long you should decide which part of the island to discard. I always try to avoid moving with internal flights if not strictly necessary, because for me the trip must be “on the road”.
WHAT DON’T MISS:
Las Terrazas is a rustic community of sustainable development, has an area of 5000 hectares and a population of about 1000 inhabitants. The Community project started in 1971 with the aim of linking rural communities to their environment. The region had suffered heavy deforestation since the colonial period thanks to the nearby mines of branches, the cut of indiscriminate timber and coffee plantations, leaving the area as a real arid and poor landscape. The project from 1971 to today has repopulated and revitalized one of the greenest and most fascinating areas of Cuba.
Walk between craft shops and an ancient “cafetal” built by French colonists in the 18th century. For the cultivation of coffee.
Don’t miss the delicious Cuban coffee in the house of Maria, one of the best coffee ever tasted. If you are lucky you may also know in person Mrs. Maria, who will greet you with a big smile.
Among the pearls of the Country, there is Viñales and its valley.
Viñales is a small town that extends around the main street. It has a small center with a small square and a cultural center that as many here in Cuba give the chance to learn the Cuban sauce. There are a few grocery stores and souvenirs and in the afternoon there are handicraft stalls and, as you can easily guess, the leitmotifs of products and souvenirs bring to Revolucion, vintage cigars and typical tourist images exported all over the world.
The advice is to spend at least one night in the town, better two more, and even if you are not Latin dance lovers, do not miss the evening dances organized in a small square room, 1 cuc entrance! Do not forget that dancing Salsa is the favorite hobby of the Cubans. Here children grow up with milk and sauce and they learn to dance since they are young. Salsa is in their DNA so if you want to immerse yourself in the local culture it’s a great opportunity.
The most interesting thing to do near Viñales is to visit its valley characterized by the presence of mogotes, hills with the singular form of panettones, which appeared after the collapse of caves dug out of the water and thus created by a slow and progressive erosion. Of Calcaric origin, they are the result of a geological phenomenon that has created an exceptional landscape around Viñales. Above 140 to 400 meters, the mogotes are covered by lush vegetation.
The Valley also hosts numerous tobacco plantations whose cultivation takes place from November to May and then, from February to July, tobacco leaves are harvested and dried.
In the valley, declared UNESCO’s heritage, in order to keep the landscape intact and not alter it, the fields are worked with the help of wagons driven by oxen and after harvesting the tobacco are rescued with corn or manioc. Interesting and picturesque, the processing of tobacco leaves and, above all, try a handmade cigar.
It is advisable to make a horse ride in the valley and among the houses of the Campesinos; it’s enough to turn to the locals and they will propose different itineraries. If you are visiting Cuba in the summertime, keep in mind that, almost every day in the afternoon, there are tropical showers that can sometimes turn into thunderstorms. Consider this factor for organizing the excursion unless you want to find yourself in the middle of a thunderstorm and halfway to ask for hospitality to a family of Campesinos, but this option is still very fascinating.
Don’t miss the excursion in the Sant Thomas cave, possibly choosing the longest route although the most difficult because you will have the chance to walk into one of the most interesting caves in the world.
Cueva de Santo Tomás is the largest and most important Cuba cave system and has an extension of more than 46 km. In order to visit the cave, you will have to rely on a local expert guide and have a front torch.
Cienfuegos, also known as La Perla del Sud for its splendid architecture revealing the cultural splendor and influence of French domination. The historic center of Cienfuegos was incorporated in 2005 in the UNESCO World Heritage List for its historical and cultural value. It contains six buildings dating back to the first half of the 19th century, 327 to the second half and 1188 dating back to the 20th century. It’s the Caribbean place with the highest number of neoclassical buildings.
Walking in the streets of this town breathes a markedly French and bohemian air and it is not uncommon to hear jazz music in the streets.
Trinidad
Cuban city of 75000 inhabitants of the central province of Sancti Spíritus, which, together with the nearby Valle de los Ingenios, is a site designated as World Heritage by UNESCO since 1988.
Made up of cobbled streets and colorful colonial houses and the absence of carriage-supported cars, it is one of the best-preserved cities in the Caribbean, from the time that sugar was the main trade in these places. It is precisely the remains of that colonial and slave period, in which Trinidad flourished, to be the main attraction of visitors and the very reason for the prestigious recognition that UNESCO has conferred on the city and the surrounding area more directly concerned with the cultivation of Sugarcane (Valle de los Ingenios). Today, the main item of the economy of these places is tobacco processing. Although the oldest part of the city is the best preserved and therefore is the subject of sightseeing tours by many tours, do not miss a tour outside of the most touristic part that although in semi-abandonment will make your visit more authentic and less Skinned and you will thus have the means to observe and take part in the real life of the premises.
If you are strolling through Trinidad, you are tempted by the summer heat and want to have a refreshing break, you can head to the renowned “Canchánchara”, which is named after a tasty honey-based drink to sip in a bowl of coconut. The atmosphere that breathes in this place is very suggestive as you find yourself enjoying this cocktail while listening to Cuban live music and next door there is a Vaguero with its banquet to produce its scented cigars.
Arriving in the evening do not miss an evening on the staircase of Plaza Major, which, from a very quiet place during the day, becomes a place where the sauce makes it a master. You will have two options, the first is to take the place on the steps or on the chairs and watch the dances by sipping a glass of rum and smoking a cigar, or you can throw it on the track and drag you to the music and Cubans who will be glad to teach you A few steps.
After leaving the fantastic Trinidad and continuing south east, we head for Santiago, a very important historical site for the revolution. If you plan to visit the country during the summer, prepare for the worse, for days the driver of our bus, originating from this city, continued to repeat: Santiago, the ciudad caliente. “I did not imagine it was so hot, instead I will never forget it, At hour time the temperature reached 42 °!
Santiago is the second most populated city in Cuba and one of the oldest and has in the past been the capital of the country.
Among the places of interest to visit in the city are the “San Pedro de la Roca del Morro” Castle, the Santa Emigre Cementerio and Casa del Trova, where you will soon be overwhelmed by an authentic Cuban atmosphere.
It is unbelievable how in this part of the country the influence of Jamaica is felt, the Cubans have the darkest skin color, and in many, they bring the growth. The approach is also much more direct and caliente especially during dances.
The most beautiful surprise in this city was to walk down the street and at some point find yourself in a square full of Cubans and tourists dancing on the sauce, at that moment you have the image of Cuba that you expected and I’m wondering whether you’re in a movie or just the reality, unbelievable!
And finally La Habana
Havana was a great discovery, I did not have a precise idea of how the city should be, but I do not know why I had imagined it degraded and chaotic. Ah, how wrong I was. Of course, the part of Habana Central is characterized by pitched lanes and palace, but you never have the feeling of a degraded place, but rather decadent.
What I did not expect was the Habana Vieja, a truly artistic, architectural and historical jewel of the Caribbean.
Walking through the streets of Habana Vieja with its restored palaces and squares is a glimpse of the eyes and the spirit.
I still remember when walking through the streets of the city, coming up in the square of the Catedral, the emotion took over. It seems to see a square in southern Spain or southern Italy, particularly in Salento with its stunning white baroque style.
It is amazing to observe a heritage similar to two steps from paradisiacal beaches. This is one of the nicest aspects of the island, colonial cities full of history and culture in every corner just off the Caribbean beaches.
Old Havana maintains a rich collection of Spanish colonial-style buildings and has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. In the historic center of the Cuban capital, they have restored the old colonial squares that have come back beautifully. As you see these squares so beautiful, thoughts start to turn on your own and so stop thinking about how to be the city first in full of its architectural splendor.
Among the most beautiful squares to see I remember: Plaza de Armas, featuring stalls of books and antiques; Plaza de San Francisco (St. Francis Square), very wide and suggestive, facing the statue of Saint Francis of Assisi and the church; But the one I know the most beautiful is the Plaza de la Catedral (Cathedral Square), this square is certainly the most beautiful thing you can see in the city.
Walking between the streets and the squares, do not miss a stop at the Bodeguita del Medio, a place historically frequented by Ernest Hemingway.
The Havana center is the natural continuation of Havana Vieja, here are interesting places of interest besides the Paseo del Prado (Central Avenue of the city), the Capitolio Nacional (the seat of the Parliament before the Revolution), the Opera Theater, ‘Inglaterra Hotel, Bacardi Building and proceeding to Habana Vieja, the Museum of Revolution. Outside the museum well visible.
At the intersection of Calle Obispo and Calle Monserrate do not miss a stop at El Floridita, the old fish restaurant and cocktail bar in old Havana, famous for being one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorites.
Because, as the famous writer said, “A mohito to the bodeguita, a daiquiri to the floridita”
Exiting the old town, going to the Malecón, the avenue that runs along the Havana coast, connects the neighborhoods of Old Havana, the Havanna Center, Vedado and Miramar. Along the sea there are always a large number of Cubans who love to stroll or run or just watch the waves shattering along the wall, but in this area of the city it is possible and advisable to visit the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, a luxury historic hotel Located on the Malecon in the middle of Vedado, Havana, Cuba. It stands on Taganana hill a few meters from the sea and offers a view of Havana Harbor, water-front, and city.
After years of abandonment due to the disappearance of tourism after the revolution, the hotel was mainly used for hosting diplomatic visits and foreign government officials. The collapse of the Soviet Union forced the Cuban communist party, anxious for foreign exchange reserves, to reopen Cuba to tourists. Despite its restoration in 1990, the hotel no longer has the status and impact it once did, but its splendor and history are the tangible past of Cuba.
During my trip on the island, I heard various opinions about the fact that the locals and the island are in arrears. True, not having access to the internet when the whole world is doing is certainly a limitation, bureaucracy, long queues are certainly not easy to deal with in everyday life, but if we think people are still meeting In the streets and squares and who is not victim of consumerism and technology, who is really defective?
It will be that I am a particular subject, but honestly for me not to be bombarded by US products and billboards, and not to look around people aligned with their smartphones, that’s for me it was like a purification of the soul.
Often, many Western/wealthy travelers when visiting poor countries talk about backwardness and development. But what is real development? And, is there really a development or growth?
I am for the quality of life, for happy living. And I believe that happiness can be even without possessing so much material goods and that it is by doing the simplest things
I do not know what future will have Cuba and hope that certain things will never change. I could not imagine a Cuba without its decadent colonial palaces, the 1960s, the particular houses run by women, the children playing in the streets with wooden toys, the old ones playing dominoes at the corners of the streets, people who sing and dance at a rhythm of sauce. A country not overwhelmed by globalization, American products, and their billboards. A country not yet alienated from technology where personal entertainment rather than the likes of a social network are more important, and where people don’t meet in a mall but in a city square.
Visiting Cuba is like taking a trip back in time. It’s as if time had stopped at a time and this is certainly the most magical thing, along with its people, friendly, solar and welcoming people.