Blogs from Cuba, Central America Caribbean - page 44

After a night in Cienfuegos, I arrived in Trinidad (an hour and a half away -- take a taxi or Transtur, not Viazul, to make it even shorter) hoping expecting to find a town that warrants its effusive descriptions in travel books. While I had heard some negative things from other travelers about how touristy the town is, I'd also heard that it's a can't-miss colonial town frozen in time. Sadly, in the end, I have to go with the former of the opinions: I was disappointed. THE TOWN I immediately found the perfectly polished city center to be disingenuous. Everything is perfectly manicured and restored, even more than inplaces like Granada, Nicaragua and Antigua, Guatemala. What bothered me the most about the main square is that unlike in Granada and Antigua, there are really no ... read more

Havana-Cienfuegos-Playa Ancon-Camaguey-Santiago-Banes-Cayo Coco-Cayo Santa María-Santa Clara-Varadero-Havana Rental Cars in Cuba: Last time we went to Cuba we also rented a car (I believe with Cubacar) and didn't have a single problem. We had a new although tiny car and it worked. This time we chose the cheapest company VIA Car and did not have the same luck. On the first day we had to wait 1,5h for the car. Then after 2 days the gas started to leak. We filled at the gas station and it came out again on the bottom...although Via Cars should have two offices in Camaguey where it happened both were closed. Luckily we found a mechanic on the side of the street who drove a VIA truck and basically forced him (he told us he was busy and the town office ... read more

When planning my trip to Cuba, I was concerned about spending too many days in La Habana. I don't care much for most big Latin American cities but my friend Tracy was pushing to spend three nights in Havana and then one more before leaving the country. We actually enjoyed the capital so much that we ended up leaving the Cienfuegos / Trinidad area a day early to get more time there. It might be the most interesting and entertaining city I've ever visited. We still didn't end up seeing everything we'd hoped to, so it could be necessary to spend about a week in Havana to do it properly. What distinguishes Havana is that it lacks all of the qualities that make many Latin American cities challenging. Most are loud, dirty, dangerous, and difficult to ... read more

Having spent a few days in Havana, and then a week with Jack, Linda's brother on the Isla de la Juventud, it was time to explore the main island of Cuba. We took the ferry/bus route back to Havana, spent the night with Jose and Lourdes, and then set out by bus to Vinales. Vinales, Pinar del Rio, Cuba, is a picturesque small town set in the heart of Cuba's tobacco growing region. The valley, famous for its tobacco and the mogotes mountains, with their rounded tops rising abruptly from the valley floor, is home to some 30,000 inhabitants. It is located about 150 kilometers west of Havana, just a nice little bus ride. Vinales' claim to fame is: Cuba produces the best cigars in the world, Pinar del Rio produces the best cigars in Cuba, ... read more

After a full month in Cuba we were ready to head for home...but always in the back of our minds were the worrying memories of the very difficult outbound sail. We knew that the further we went into April the less likely we would have to deal with north winds... we would be heading due north. We left Marina Darsena at 8.30am on Saturday 13th and dropped anchor just south of Miami at 2.20pm the next day. The return trip was much, much better ... fair winds and gentle seas (well, mostly!)... but a long haul for us; 180 nautical miles, 30 hours; overnight. We dodged 5 cruise ships (actually they dodged us!) and several freighters. The Gulf Stream gave us a good boost when we found it off the Florida Keys...pushing us along at 8, ... read more