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5.5.2012
Had an early start today to go to Camaguey through the countryside it took a total of 7-8 hrs, 5 ½ driving, had a couple of stops on the way. Very agricultural, tobacco fields, sugar cane fields, bit cattle runs and also a lot of goats, the countryside is quite green but the animals look they are in poor condition. Like everything else in this country. 95percent of everything is state run, hotels, restaurants, travel agencies etc etc. The lines of people outside banks, bakeries, fruit shop (if you can call them that), butchers (yuk!!!) is incredible, the people here get rations on the 1
st of every month and that usually can last them for 2 ½ weeks then they have to buy from their own money food for the last week or two. Stopped in Bayamo en route to Camaguey - a very cute little town and there was a big parade – the winning baseball team was paraded in the town square – this is Granma province and they won the game last night. JJ shouted us a shrimp cocktail off a street vendor – it was delicious – 50 cents – a cup full
of succulent shrimps and sauce (my god!!! You wouldn’t have looked at the stall twice but he said they were very fresh so we gave them a go), yum yum!! Best feed we had for a couple of days the food has deteriorated since leaving Havana.
6.5.2012
Had a night out in Camguey, JJ took us to a private restaurant (if he was caught in this restaurant with us he could be fired – the government have sent out a directive that the tour guides must take their guests to state run places but he lives on the edge and doesn’t keep to the rules. I picked the wrong thing it was dreadful, John had lamb in a tomato sauce and that was nice so we shared that. Our other travelers liked the hotel room – we branched off after dinner and caught a band in the town square and then to a bar to listen to another band which was just fantastic. On to Trinidad today which was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1988. Another four hour drive – and have seen our third car accident
since leaving Sanitago de Cuba – 4 fatalities – first one a motor bike rider was laying on the wayside with a tarp over him – then the next was a hire car full of Cubans who had hired a car and gone to a party - drunk – hit a truck 3 dead – then a beautiful old American car completely smashed – but everyone OK '- it s very scary on the road, no divided highways here or freeways. Go Go – our diriver – we love him – he keeps us safe. 3 nights in Trinidad
7.5.2012
Arrived yesterday arvo in hotel in Trinidad – probably the best we have stayed in – but by no means mod cons. Hotel Costa Sur (Club Amigo) all inclusive drinks and food – yeh right!! Drinks OK plenty of Buccanero beers and mojitos but the food in SH….. Since leaving Havana food has been very scarce and quality terrible but you have to go with the flow. I think its their version of CLUB MED!!?? John has found his place here though playing POOL and table
tennis with the guides and drivers – he has found our group very boring not interested in the things he is. These drivers and guides have their own little apartments – rooms for rent in Havana and we have all the contact details – much better than crappy hotels – and about $30 a night for the apartment , good to know about. The others all went out to an island for lunch – we gave that a miss and apparently didn’t miss much! John had a little melt down – the straw that broke the camel’s back was when we had to queue for breakfast!! Which is crap anyway. Anyway we had a nice day – got a taxi to town and did our own thing –found an internet café that took 7 mins to get onto emails!!! Soooo slow.
He had a massage on his ankle which he had rolled a day or so before and that guy told us where the best pizza was in Trinidad – it was awesome so tasty – the best feed we had had for a few days – a small one with the lot – chorizo, cheese,
seafood, ham, sauce 75 cents each – a hole in the wall but great then bought a Bucannero at the milk bar two doors up and that went down well.
8.5.2012
Had a terrible feed here at hotel last night but since we were gut busted in US and on cruise – won’t do us any harm to eat less!! After dinner went into town to The House of Music – which was lovely – a few rums later and we rolled home with Go Go – he has been so good to us – taking us into town – beyond the call of duty – we are 13kms outside on the beach at the gorgeous Club Amigo??!! Had a city tour today –a lot of history here too. Visited the Romantic Museum in the Plaza Mayor – a coffee at a local coffee shop AND BACK FOR ANOTHER PIZZA John is hooked on them!! The streets are very hard to walk all cobblestoned but very small stones up hill and down dale. In the days gone by they used the stones as ballast in the
ships hulls to come over to Cuba and off load all the stones and load up with sugar. So Cubans used the stones to build their streets. There are still women walking around here with stilleto shoes!!! The only thing going for Club Amigo is their beach area it is lovely with a beautiful view over the mountains where we will be trekking down the Condina Trail tomorrow. Will send this blog when we get to Lima in Peru as internet is terrible here. This hotel was supposed to have internet but “Sorry broken” (like everything). The people here are so gorgeous and friendly and seem very happy but gee it seems tough! There are a lot of fat people so I suppose too much flour, rice, oil , which they get a lot of in their rations.
9.5.2012
Met a Swiss couple in restaurant last night and had a few drinks with them, they were very friendly and then we went onto the show at the hotel, which was a lot of fun, she is originally from Malta and has a daughter who is teaching
in Melbourne. At the end of the show the performers came and pulled us all up on the dance floor. Great night had by all!
Made our way up into the mountains Topes de Collantes, lots of market gardens etc on the way. We had a terrific guide Lewis take us on a 2 hr walk on the Sendero Codina trail – was really interesting – saw lots of native birds and had a lesson in all the native trees as well as imported ones – eucalypts here too and I saw a big pile of redgum beside the pit that was cooking our pig for lunch – so they obviously find that wood good burning as well. After our walk we had a very good lunch of suckling pig, salads, potatoes and rice with beans – a welcome feed after the last couple of days. After lunch pressed onto Santa Clara, this is where Che Guevera defeated the govt troops in 1959 (someone on our tour told us there was a good article in the Age a couple of weeks ago about his wife who is still alive) – murals of him everywhere in this town, very interesting how they won this fight. Then a storm blew up so we didn’t walk to the town square went straight to our hotel on outskirts of town. As we rumbled up in the bus looked very ominous, 3 ambulances out front and stretchers being wheeled in. A big thatched roof gazebo by the pool had blown down on top of a heap of guests, so glad we didn’t get there any earlier than we did. This hotel is a sister one of the beautiful “Club Amigo” – got to the room and killed 8 mozzies – so it took some time to rassle up some spray to fumigate the room. Buffet dinner in hotel and then all sat around and JJ shouted a bottle of very good rum for farewell drinks. 4 hour bus ride back into Havana tomorrow for flight down to Lima in Peru (5 ¼ hrs). Then a rest there for four days before picking up our next tour. Internet in Cuba has been nearly non existent so will try and upload blog when we get to Lima.
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Blake
non-member comment
So - you were Cajun and Cruise spoiled for food!
Sounds like a once in a lifetime trip to Cuba - of course if it opens to the world in the next few years - you'll be able to go back and see the difference. Lots of hard working people with nothing will likely prosper if given the chance. (or it could end up like Russia - crooked to the teeth) Hope the South American trip will be interesting - I know I enjoyed the mountains - of course there are many churchs you'll likely go see - that can get old. But notice how Cuba didn't have them on the tour? - Take some good pics at Machu Pichu - and enjoy the Pisco Sours - and the little green leaves they give you in Cusco!! Cheers, Blake