Exploring Western Cuba
After having the opportunity to spend a couple days exploring Havana, the actual Cuban adventure began. One of the great benefits of going on a guided tour is that I did not have to deal with any transportation logistics. Admittedly, when I travel, this is one of my absolute least favorite parts because it can take up a lot of time, and there have actually been times when trying to figure out how to get to and from places like a local has often taken more time than actually being in the location.
Vinales Valley
This time, it was wonderful since transportation was in an air-conditioned bus, and all I had to do was relax and take in the beautiful scenery of the Cuban countryside. In fact, one of my favorite aspects of going on a guided tour is usually the bus rides because you have a chance to really see the country, and I always feel like I have the opportunity to get a more in-depth idea of the what the country is. In addition, it is also a great way to catch up on some sleep since for whatever reason, I usually have very restful naps on buses.
The first stop during the exploration of western Cuba was to Viñales, which is a small town in the very western tip of Cuba. In my opinion, this was by far my favorite part of the entire tour because of its beauty and incredibly scenic landscapes, especially the Viñales Valley, with the mogotes, which are the steep hills that look like small mountains. The town of Viñales is not particularly large but very quaint. The casa particulare that I stayed in was very comfortable with a very friendly host family, but there was a time when the power went out for several hours. Since I was absolutely drenched in sweat from walking around previously, there was no AC in the room because of the power outage, and no wifi, I decided to hang out on the back porch in a rocking chair and catch the breeze. While it was somewhat boring, it was relaxing, and I actually fell asleep outside for about an hour or so, and I genuinely did not want to get up since I was quite comfortable despite being hot.
While the scenery of Viñales was to die for, it is also famous for its tobacco growing in the traditional method. One of the activities during the stay in Viñales was to visit a privately-owned tobacco farm after a short hike through the countryside. The owner of the tobacco farm was very interesting, friendly, and entertaining, and he gave us the opportunity to try different types of Cuban cigars. We were also given the opportunity to buy some genuine Cuban cigars that would not have problems going into the US because it was a private farm. I have smoked cigars before, and I admittedly did not care much for them. However, I figured “Cuba is famous for its cigars, so why not?” Since I do not smoke cigars, I passed on the opportunity to purchase some. In addition, we also got to try some Cuban rum, which was a bit strong for my taste, but I was glad to have had the experience.
After our visit with the farmer, we stopped off at a small snack stand where he had drinks, and I had a daquiri (da-kir-ee - in Spanish pronunciation). I have to admit, while I have had daquiris in the past, I developed a definite fondness for them during my time in Cuba since I probably had at least one per meal. In addition to the the scenery of the Viñales Valley, we also visited the Mural of Prehistory, which is an enormous mural that shows the evolution of life.
Bay of Pigs
The timing of this Cuban adventure was fortuitous since I had the privilege of celebrating my 40th birthday in Cuba. On the day of my actual birthday, we visited the Bay of Pigs, which was the site of the failed landing site of anti-Communist forces in 1961. While there was an opportunity to swim, I opted not to since I did not bring a swimsuit, and I did not have any interest in swimming in my underwear.
The stop to the Bay of Pigs was en route to Cienfuegos, which is about 160 miles (250km) from Havana. However, before reaching Cienfuegos, we stopped at the Museo Girón, which is a museum dedicated to the Bay of Pigs Invasion and commemorates the fighters who were killed during the event. The museum was quite interesting since it gave a different perspective that is not typically told in US textbooks since it gives the Communist view of the event. This is not the first time I have seen something like this; in fact, I recall seeing this same type of approach when I was in Laos, and some of the captions referred to the US as “Imperialists” and the local Laotian soldiers who fought for the US government as “Puppet Soldiers.”
After visiting the museum, we overnighted in Cienfuegos, but I did not have much of a chance to explore the city on my own since the guest house did not seem to be in the best of areas. However, the guest house was very comfortable, and it had wifi (albeit not super fast but enough).
The next stop on the tour was to the town of Trinidad, which is in central Cuba. Next to Viñales, this was my second favorite part of Cuba because of its historic center, which is easily walkable, and many different sites. This was really the first time that I had the opportunity to truly explore on my own, so I checked out the Cathedral and Revolution Museum along with a Santeria Temple. If you’re not familiar with it, Santeria is an Afro-Caribbean religion that is a mix of traditional African religion and Roman Catholicism. I had previously never been in a Santeria temple before, and it was quite interest albeit somewhat creepy. After meeting the rest of the group for dinner, we returned back to the guest house, which was actually quite nice. It somewhat reminded me of a home that you would find in a small town in a Central American country or maybe Mexico.
During the tour, we also had the opportunity to do a day trip from Trinidad to Topas de Callante, which is a nature reserve park. The trip involved taking a modified open-air jeep up a mountain road that provided beautiful vistas and then a hike to two lovely waterfalls; El Rocio and El Venao in another park called Guanayara Park. During this trip, it was not only the tour group that I was part of, but several other travelers whom I believe were from Europe. During the hike through the area, we were very lucky with weather; however, just as we finished the hike, the skies opened up and a torrential downpour appeared. Thankfully, by that time, we had reached the end and were able to get shelter, but it was an interesting experience.
The last aspect of the tour of western Cuba was to visit Iznaga Tower in the Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills), which was part of a large sugar cane plantation in the 19th century. The tower originally had a bell that sounded the beginning and end of the workday, prayer times, and served as an alarm if a slave escaped as well as to watch over the workers in the fields, but now it is possible to climb to the top. I was the only one from the group who opted to go to the top. We did not have much time, but as I soon as the paid the entrance fee, I immediately hightailed it up the steps in order to get to the top before I needed to return. The view from the top was amazing, especially since the weather was perfect, so it was possible to see a great distance. However, I could not stay up there too long, so I quickly headed down. After I returned down to where the other members were, we headed to the last stop of the tour.
Che Guevara Mausoleum
The final stop of the tour was to the Mausoleum to Che Guevara in Santa Clara. En route there, we all watched a video about Che Guevara from a Cuban perspective. Even though I did not watch the entire thing, it was another example of how Cubans view him, and how the US views him. When we reached the Mausoleum, we were told that we could take photos outside but not inside. The Mausoleum houses the remains of Che Guevara and several other guerillas who were killed in 1967.
After visiting the Mausoleum, we headed back to Havana in a different area that is near to the Hotel Nacional de Cuba and the US Embassy. In fact, the last guest house I stayed at was only a couple blocks from the US Embassy and within easy walking distance. The guest house was very large and owned by a nice old lady who spoke a very small amount of English and her daughter who was very pretty and around my age but did not know English. In the times I spoke Spanish to either of them, the old woman was very friendly, but the daughter always answered with either “si” or “no.” Since I had a couple more days to explore, I spent the time exploring the area and seeing things that I had not had an opportunity to do prior to the tour.
One thing that I did several times was walk from the guest house in Vedado to the Malecon, which is the corniche that goes along the coast, to the old city of Havana. This is probably a good two to three miles each way, but I am not sure. I could have taken a taxi, but I always enjoy walking, and I enjoyed taking in the scenery despite the heat and humidity. Each time that I walked it, my shirt was absolutely drenched. It was like I had fallen into the water.
Of course, no trip is complete without scammers. There were two scam attempts on me in my last couple days in Havana. The first time was when I was in a public park not far from the guest house. Two guys approached me and asked where I was from. I gave them a generic answer, and sure enough, they become very friendly. These guys were asking the typical fishing types of questions to feel me out.
I’m by no means a travel virgin, and I’ve been around, so this was not my first rodeo. I knew within the first minute that they were going to try something. As they’re asking questions, I’m giving generic answers and waiting for them to ask for money. Sure enough, one of them first presented me a banknote with Che Guevara and said he wanted to give it to me as a “gift.” I asked “How much?” and he said “50 US dollars.” I laughed and said that was not even worth the equivalent of $1 dollar let alone even 25 cents, and plus it was in terrible condition. Then the other guy said it was his 40th birthday, and that I should give him money as a gift. I laughed and told them that was never going to happen and to try someone who is staying at the Hotel Nacional since the people who stay there are usually well-off. When it became clear nothing was going to happen, they left.
The next time someone tried to scam me was when I was returning from seeing El Capitolio, the National Capitol Building. I was heading back to the guest house, and I still had quite a way to walk. I walk by this group, and one guy starts following me asking the usual questions. He claims it is his birthday, and that I should give him money. I told him that someone else already tried that, and I was not going to give him anything. He then claimed that he needed money for his mother, but I once again refused. Unlike the other two guys, this guy did concern me since he seemed to get more forceful with his requests and kept following me. By this time, I was approaching a high-end hotel that was halfway to my guest house. To get rid of him, I ducked in there and waited for about an hour to make sure he was gone then I left outside a different entrance. Of all the scammers that I have met over the years, this was the first time they have tried a “It’s my birthday, give me money.” While I have heard scammers give a variety of reasons why I should give them money during my travels, I found this one to be quite lame but definitely not the worst…that honor goes to Morocco with Egypt coming in at a close second.
Trinidad, Cuba at Sunset
Overall, the Cuba adventure was amazing. I found getting to and from Cuba from the US to be pretty easy and straightforward and not as confusing as some websites tend to make it sound. While in Cuba, there were some definite challenges since there is a lack of wifi connectivity, and sometimes it was not always easy to figure out how things got done, it was definitely worth it, and I really enjoyed my time there. I am extremely glad that I got to spend my 40th birthday there. Of course, this trip only focused on the western portion of the island. There is still a lot of more of the island to cover, so hopefully that will happen on a later trip.
