Cuba Diary November 2010
Saturday November 13
Landed in Havana 6:30 p.m. It was after sunset, and the temperature was about 20 degrees centigrade. Our hotel is Palacio O'Farril, and I went early to bed.
Sunday November 14
Round trip to the old city. In sequence: Plaza de Catedral with Catedral San Cristobal de la Habana.
Plaza de Armas with a statue of Céspedes, the first president of free Cuba. Here, lies also the Govenors Palace. Castillo de la Real Fuerza is a fortress lying close to the water. Today it is a naval Museum. Plaza San Francisco has a great terminal for the big crusaders.
We had lunch på hotel Ambos Mundos, where Hemingway stayed when he was in Cuba.
Plaza Vieja was otally renovated last year. It is a tourist attraction now. The last visit was at the Revolution Museum. (Fidel Castros revolution) Part of the exhibition is the motorboat Granma which he used when returning to Cuba and starting the revolution.
I was tired and returned to my hotel for a short sleep before we had dinner on a restaurant at Plaza Vieja.
Monday November 15
This morning we had a round trip in the northern part of Havana in old American cars (convertibles)
The first stop was Hotel Nacional lying close to the water. It is an old luxury hotel where many celebrities have stayed. Further out along the coast lies the Office of American Interests.
We made a stop in a park with many Banyan trees. Later we had a walk in “La Bosque” a nature area along the river Almentaras. We ended at Plaza de la Revolution where there is a memorial for José Marti with a big tower. From the top, there is a great view over Havana.
We had lunch in a restaurant across from Capitol. This building is temporary closed for tourists. Instead, we saw the neighbour Gran Teatro where the Cuban Ballet reside. We saw flamenco training, and we saw the Painter's room, where they made decorations for the performance.
During the evening, we went to a Cabaret at Hotel Nacional de Cuba.
Tuesday November 15
We left Havana and drove west. The first and only stop was the ecological project Las Terazas. This is a small village where the inhabitants are occupied with treatment of the surrounding forest. There is also tourist facilities like restaurants and hotel. It is a big area, and it attracts many tourists. The first visit was to an old coffee farm called Buena Vista. This farm was buildt by a French family who was fugitives from Haïti. Later on we visited Hotel Moka, which are built around the trees on the ground. We left the place after having lunch.
We drove directly to our hotel situated at a hill overlooking the valley of Viñales. Here, we have a swimmingpool, and my room is overlooking some limestone formations in the valley called mogotes.
Wednesday November 17
In the morning, we drove to Piñar del Rio where we first visited a Rhum factory and later a Cigar factory. The raw alcohol is imported and blended to constant alcohol percentage. Two berries of Gujabita aroma and caramel are added. The product is a Rhum liqueur and this factory are the only place where they make this brand. On the Cigar factory, they make cigars in all sizes. Both men and women work here and all are made by hand. The workers are sitting at a table with a plate on which the cigars are rolled. It is a fairy tale that cigars are rolled on the thigh of a black woman. Cuban cigars are expensive because they are hand made. We were not allowed to take pictures on the cigar factory.
The next stop was a cave called Cueva de los indios. The indian cave. Part of this visit was a boat sailing on a subterranean river.
We had lunch at a place where there is painted a huge mural on the raw surface of the cliff. The artist is Leonvigildo Gonzales Morillo, and he is a student of Diego Rivera. The painting shows in a symbolic form the evolution of man, and it is called Mural del Prehistoria.
The last visit was at a tobacco farmer living just outside Viñales city. We were told about the tobacco farming and production.
Thursday November 18
We had a long way to go today in the bus. First stop was lunch in a roadside restaurant. The next stop was a Crocodile farm. Here, they breed the endemic Cuba crocodile. This crocodile has a bony ridge behind the eyes. The name of the park is Parque Nacional Ciénaga de Zapata.
Later we passed the Bay of Pigs. There were not much to see, but it gave the local guide an opportunity to retell the story of the invasion.
In Cienfuegos, we visited Teatro Thomas Terry situated in the center square of the town. Later we arrived at our hotel in the outskirts of the town.
Our hotel is a high building overlooking the harbour. Across from the hotel lies Palacio del Valle build by a very wealthy sugar merchant in 1917. The architecture is a mixture of styles, Moorish and Venetian. There is a luxury restaurant on the first floor, but we only enjoyed a drink at the top roof bar.
Friday November 19
First stop was the botanical garden lying in short distance from the city. A local guide showed us around. This garden specializes in tropical trees many of them originating outside Cuba. We saw Balsa tree, Iron tree, Black Ebony tree and Banyan tree.
Next stop was Trinidad. This city reminds me of Antigua in Guatemala or Suchitoto in El Salvador.
Small one story buildings painted in light pastel colours. At the center of the town, there was two story buildings.
We visited a Yemalla temple for a local religion, a mixture of African tribe religion and Catholisism.
After lunch, we visited a local school.
We live at a hotel outside the town, and we have a splendid view over the city and the sea.
Saturday November 20
Today we went for a hike in the jungle. First we left town and went up in the mountains nearby. Here, we were reloaded from our bus to an old Russian army truck with seats. On this truck, we drove into the wilderness, and we ended in a National Park called El Cubano. We had a welcome drink before we started on the walk up to a waterfall. The trail was called Sendero huellas de la Historia, and we were following the river. The trail was 3600m long. On our way, we were received in a small cottage belonging to a peasant, and he served tea for us. Behind the waterfall was a cave with stalactites. It was also the home of a large group of bats.
Back at the restaurant we ate lunch before we returned to town.
In the afternoon, we visited a ceramics shop. In this shop, they had an old Ford T model. Later on we visited Museo Romantico also called Palacio Brunet after the family who owned it in an earlier time. This museum shows the furniture and artifacts from earlier life.
Sunday November 21
We left Trinidad and went to the Valley of Sugar Mills situated north of the town. Here, we visited a Hacienda. Twohundred years ago this Hacienda belonged to the Iznaga family. There is a big tower on the estate with a splendid view from the top. We saw a sugar mill still functioning. It was driven by oxen. Today the tourists are running the mill.
The next stop was the city Camaguëy where we first ate lunch and later had a tour around the old town in bicycle taxis. We stayed at Hotel Colon in the center of town.
Monday November 22
We left Camagüey and drove to Bayamo. Here, we went on a tour in the town before we had lunch.
After Bayamo, we went from the plaines into the mountains of Sierra Maestra. Before we reached Santiago, we had visited the church of El Cobre, which is neigbour to a copper mine. This is a place of pilgrimage where catolics flock around La Virgen de Caridad a statue of the Saint Virgin.
We are staying in hotel Casa Grande at Plaza Céspedes in Santiago.
Tuesday November 23
We started on a guided tour around in Santiago to some of the squares in town. Later we were driven to the Montcada Barracs where the unsucsesful rebellion of Fidel Castro took place in 1953. Next stop was the churchyard Santa Ifigenia where Jose Marti is buried. There is a guard of honour at the grave, and it is changed every half hour.
After this, we drove along the fiord to Castillo de San Pedro Morro which is guarding the very narrow inlet to the fiord. The rest of the day was free to see the town.
Wednesday November 24
In the morning, we flew from Santiago back to Havana. We flew a cuban airline using a Russian aircraft. The remainder of the day was free in Havana. I went to buy gifts and souvenirs. I visited a huge tourist market near the harbour.
Thursday November 25
We had time to see the town. Our plane home left in the evening. Some of us went to see Asger Jorns murals. Later in the day I took the ferryboat across the bay and went up to the huge statue of Christ placed on a viewpoint overlooking the town.
We went to the airport at 5 o'clock, and we were home in the afternoon of the next day.