Blogs from Santa Clara, Centro, Cuba, Central America Caribbean

History came a bit closer today. Our walking tour of Santa Clara first led us to the state government building where Che Guevara strode strongly towards the street. Che was confidently carrying a young toddler in his arms, promising a supportive future. The larger-than-life bronze statue was embellished with small symbolic additions and insertions commemorating his legendary actions. The belt buckle was shaped as marchers in a triumphal parade. On his back was a low-relief figure showing an admiring woman leaning out of a window. Above her was a slot as in a piggy bank, expressing the trust the people had when he was the Minster of Finance after the revolution. One epaulette was a boy riding a goat, representing Che’s youth. Santa Clara is known as Che’s town, in part because he met his second ... read more

Cuba Day 7. Sunday 27 Jan 19 Feeling much better today, thankfully, ready for the long coach journey to Santa Clara in the centre of Cuba. Old American cars, pre 1965 and most 1950’s make up towards 50% of cars on the road here and at our pickup point there was an iconic 57 Chevrolet which had been fitted with a Mercedes Diesel engine. We met other Chevvies during the day, one of which was an immaculate blue 52 model and we also saw an good looking 1950’s Austin A40 of British origin. We climbed up out of damp Vinales into the clouds where every window was steaming up with the humidity until we dropped into the valley onto the three lane dual carriageway of the A4 where the sun shone. This was Sunday and there ... read more

Today was another long travel day. We bade farewell to Trinidad early in the morning. I felt sad to leave this vibrant, colorful town as I would have liked to explore it in more depth. Today was the final day of our tour, and we were to drive back to Havana, with two stops en route - The Valley of the Sugar Mills and Che Guevara's memorial in Santa Clara. The Valley of the Sugar Mills is located just outside Trinidad. There, we visited Manaca Iznaga plantation. The former plantation owner's house was relatively intact, as was a tower on the premises, and some former slave quarters (now used as residences). This tower was used to view the operations of the plantation, which was staffed by slaves. I thought of the tower as an evil panopticon ... read more

En ce début de l'année 2016, j'ai pris la résolution, si pour moi c'en est une, de voyager le plus souvent possible. Évidemment, le neige tardive de cet hiver aurait pu me faire changer d'idée, mais après 5 bonnes années d'absence à marcher sur le sable blanc des Antilles et à entendre le bruit inlassable des vagues bleues, je me suis laissée tenter par un petit séjour sur l'île de Cuba, plus précisément dans l'archipel de Los Jardines Del Rey. Par contre, je ne vous parlerai pas ici du séjour en hôtel de luxe tout inclus, de ses bons et ses mauvais côtés (pour moi 5 jours fut amplement suffisant!) mais plutôt du court voyage en bus qui nous amène de l'aéroport à notre oasis bien planqué en bord de mer. Nous atterrissons à Santa Clara, ... read more

Geo: 22.4137, -79.9657In de voormiddag nog een beetje tijd doorgebracht op het mooie strand van Cayo Santa Maria, check out van het hotel en dan met de auto terug over de mooie weg door het water naar Santa Clara.Santa Clara is de stad waar Che Guevara tijdens de revolutie de laatste slag gestreden heeft die geleid heeft tot de vlucht van de dictator Batista. De hele stad staat dan ook in het teken van Che Guevara met in de eerste plaats het monument van Che en het mausoleum waar hij begraven ligt. In 1996 is het lijk van Ché van Bolivië, waar hij is vermoord in opdracht van de CIA, overgebracht naar Santa Clara in Cuba. Het is nu zwaar bewaakt.Verder is er nog her monument van de ontspoorde trein. Die gebeurtenis is blijkbaar bepalend geweest, ... read more