Cuba: Havana, Viñales and Trinidad, Cars and buildings
Dates: April 22 - May 1, 2017
Cuba was an amazing experience and I'm glad that I got to go before, unfortunately, the doors closed again to American Tourists for 'People to People' type visits to the island nation. Cuba is a destination that you can go to almost completely disconnect from the rest of the world. They do have internet, but you have to buy a card to access the internet for an hour and it can only be used close to hotels and other hot spots around the country. When the connection is actually successful, it's not always blazing fast like it is elsewhere in the world. For me, this wasn't a bad thing and almost completely disconnecting was exactly what I needed to start my travels after quitting my job. Cuba is definitely still struggling with the embargo as well as other factors, but I am still thankful for the experience of seeing the beauty of the island and it's people.
Havana
In Havana we stayed in Havana Vieja, the old part of Havana in an Airbnb. Our Airbnb host, Ariel, was very hospitable and staying in his apartment provided a more authentic "Cuban" experience than a hotel would have provided. There was a good mixture of city time and beach time during the stay in Havana, which was perfect, because it was extremely hot.
Viñales
Viñales is a farming area about 2.5 hours outside of Havana. We did a private day trip with a guide that we met working in one of the shops in Havana Vieja. She hired one of the old cars that Cuba is famous for for the trip. The car was an old Plymouth 4 door, with a Hyundai steering wheel and bus seats without seat belts for the front seats. During the trip out to Viñales we say pretty much every kind of mode of transportation possible on the freeways; horse and cart, walking, trucks and trailers full of laborers, bikes...
Trinidad
Trinidad is a colonial town on the south side of island almost directly below Havana. The bus ride was a bumpy 6 hour trip through mostly farmland. We once again stayed at an Airbnb within walking distance of the bustling city center/market area of the city. Our Airbnb had a nice dipping pool on the roof that was perfect for cooling off in after a hot and dusty day of exploring the city. Both of the nights we stayed in Trinidad we were lucky enough to be on the rooftop during the time around sunset and several people in the neighborhood released their pigeons which soared around the sky until they were called home.
