17/11/18 We explored Trinidad on foot and bought some souvenirs. The Playa Mayor was beautiful with a view on the water. We had lunch in the historical centre, in a building that used to be where the slaves lived at the time they worked in plantations. Charlotte fell in love with a beautiful painting but did not buy it after all as she thinks it is not going to fit in her house. A woman asked if we had Tshirts to give away and another asked Cha to take a picture of her nice ear rings.
On the road we saw many messages painted on the walls to remind people of the revolution, Fidel or the Che. Words like ‘Patria or Muerte’, ‘Libertad’, ‘socialismo por siempre’, ‘por siempre Commandante’ are found everywhere.
We stopped by a local travel agency to book our hotel in Varadero, and we were not happy that our guide was standing there while we discussed the trip with the hostess. We already had the feeling that we were treated like rich tourists everywhere and he knows now how much we will spend on the hotel in Varadero, a lot more than what we pay in the casas that he booked for us.
18/11/18 We both woke up with suspicious bites, I believe they were bedbugs marks. We slept with the light on and I used my silk sheet trying to minimise the bites as there were suspicious blood marks on the bed sheets too so we notified the owner when we left. This time we agreed on the price when we got there to avoid the situation in the previous casa. I am glad we did as the owner asked us more and we reminded him that we agreed on the price with his wife 2 days before.
We stopped by the botanical garden created in 1901 by the Americans where a private guide gave us a tour. The park is 80 hectares big but our tour was rushed as there were many other tourists waiting. A lot of mosquitos surrounded us as we crossed the park with our sandals and shorts. The guide pointed all the trees and plants on our way. Bearded palm trees, American litchi tree, Clitoria, cacao, cactides, Brazil roses, coca,… 2000 plant species can be found here.
Later we arrived in Cienfuegos where we visited the city centre. A lot more modern than the previous cities, the streets felt cleaner and well maintained. There is a lot of water around and we could see that the living conditions are better for the locals. We enjoyed our walk through the city, the vibe was more holiday-like than Havana. A lot of beautiful colonial houses along the water create perfect pictures at sunset.
We stopped by Rancho Luna to enjoy the sun and have lunch.
In the evening we stopped at the last house of the peninsula where you can see water on a 300 degree view from the rooftop. It is an oriental style hotel beautifully decorated. We had piña colada and mojito cocktails while watching the sun going down. There are worse places to be ?.
The casa for the night was the best so far, modern and clean, and the owners were a sweet young couple with a cute 1 year old.
19/11/18 We entered the Bay of the Pigs, named after the shape of the area and because it is where the porcine importations were organised. We stopped first by the Giron museum for a bit of history as there was a battle won against an American invasion in 1961. In 72h, Cuban people fought the American soldiers who came by air and sea dressed with Cuban uniforms and fake Cuban flags.
Approaching Playa Larga we stopped next to a scuba diving centre where I could swim in transparent waters surrounded by colourful fishes. We explored a few other beaches. From the road we could see turquoise waters.
Farmers dry rice on the street (where dust, horse poo and petrol are found everywhere) for kilometers and cars are used to it so they slalom between lanes to avoid driving on it.
We dropped our bags at out casa in Playa Larga and Silvia the owner cooked us a delicious meal. We stayed on the rooftop for a bit then went for a walk along the beach.
