In September 2012 I walked
part of the Great Wall of China in support of Dementia UK, Admiral Nurses.
I recall my experiences, in words with photos, in the ebook 'Scaling the Dragon's Back' which is
available from Amazon for Kindle at the new price of $2.99 or £1.99, that's less that the cost of a cup of coffee.
Or, help to develop the growth of the Admiral Nursing service, make a direct donation to Dementia UK.
Visiting Cuba an
island of charm and charisma
In light
US relaxing the trade embargo with Cuba and US travel restrictions in December
2014, I decided to visit now before the changes this move will bring kick
in. Visiting Castro’s Cuba had been on
my wish list for many years. I was now
galvanised into action to go now and experience the charms of this time warp island
charm and Castro’s take on communism before the big hotel chains, shops and
cafes take a hold and develop (?) the island. What I found so refreshing was
the complete lack of advertising, neon lights and billboard, aside from
political posters.
The first
thing to say is that Cuba is a big place. Probably similar in size to the
UK if you could straighten it out, rotate it 90 degrees and stretch it a bit. There are 4,400 miles of mostly spectacular coastline.
It's also a place with a small population for its size, huge tracts of the
countryside are uncultivated and sparsely populated. Contrary to what is often read not all of the
island is gorgeous or picturesque, in fact in many parts it is ordinary and
uninspiring. However, when it is
beautiful it is very beautiful.
Temperatures
on the island are hot, hot, hot and it’s very humid. I visited in February and temperatures
hovered around 34 degrees with 90% humidity.
Note the east of the island is hotter and more humid than the west. One guide told me in his view the Cuban climate
was changing with increasingly little discernible seasonal difference in
temperatures, commenting the weather we were experiencing was more like summer
and it was supposed to be cooler in the winter months.
I toured the island for 2 weeks and
share my highlights with you here:
Havana
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| The Streets of Old Havana |
We
stayed in The Plaza Hotel in Old Havana which although extremely tired was
ideally located for walking around the historic centre and visiting all places
of note. Havana grew on me. On arrival I wasn’t sure what to make of the
crumbling dilapidated buildings and the crowded narrow streets. The islands capital, founded during the
Spanish conquest of the 1500’s and largely preserved, is now a huge renovation
project, restoration of buildings is evident all around, with restoration money
being donated by a number of countries. The
restoration project has a 20 year timespan, perhaps the easing of the US trade
embargo will help speed up the process. With
time I warmed to the charms and charisma of Havana. Havana is still a relatively safe place,
there is very little crime, although the streets are poorly lit at night so keep
valuables locked away in the hotel room safe and be vigilant when walking the
dimly lit streets after night fall. Havana
is expensive, throughout the rest of island your money goes much further.
Old
Havana (Spanish colonial) is best seen on foot, in any event motor vehicles are
either restricted or banned. A walk around
the Vieja (Old) district should take in the four colonial plazas: de la
Catedral (see the baroque
Cathedral), de Armas (the main square), and de San
Francisco. Don’t miss el Capitolio, the National Capitol Building, which I
thought the most striking building in Havana and el Floridita famous for its
daiquiris and as a favourite Hemingway haunt, be prepared to spend some time
queuing for your daiquiris. We enjoyed a
mojito and lunch at Hotel Ambos Mundos terrace restaurant, another Hemingway
haunt, the rooftop terrace offering a good panorama of the cities
rooftops. And, do go up the Bacardi
building. Since the revolution the
family have been in exile and Bacardi production transferred to Jamacia.
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| View from Hotel Ambos Mundos rerrace |
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| Reminder days gone when visiting Havana |
Take
the open top tourist bus to visit ‘New Havanna’, the Plaza de la Revolución, and
see art deco buildings be sure to taking in the Hotel Nacional, it construction allegedly paid for by mob
money the hotel opened in 1930. It is well worth having a drink and letting your imagination
run…. You will see many of the restored 1950’s vintage car for which Havana is
renowned, many offering expensive taxi rides to tourists.
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| The Malecon |
Take
a sunset walk along the Malecón, certainly a walk at some point is a must. The seafront promenade is 4 miles long and
runs from the old fort ‘El Moro’ at the eastern side along to the skyscrapers
of new Havana at its western end. The rooftop bar of Hotel Ambos Mundos offers
a good view of Old Havana and the harbour entrance. During early Spanish colonial times the
spacious harbour would be filled with ships from Latin America carrying silver,
gold and emeralds. Today the harbour is
largely empty with only a few freighters a day bringing in food and supplies
for the increasing number of tourists i.e. toilet rolls.
Oh,
and a trip to Havana would not be complete without an evening spend at the
Buenavista Social Club to salsa the night away.
Vinales
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| View of the Mogotes |
Vinales is a
small town to the west of Havana. It is
prosperous lying in lush countryside of fertile soil, home to Cuba’s tobacco farms
which produce the raw material for the world’s best cigars, allegedly. The area is known for the Mogotes, steep
limestone hills which rise from the valley floor. Spectacular some rising as high as 1,000 feet
and covered in unique flaura and fauna they are said to have started to be
formed some 160 million years ago. Do
take the time to explore this unique and picturesque valley and the pretty town
with its elaborately decorated and well maintained houses, it will not
disappoint.
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| Cobbled Streets and low rise homes of Trinidad. |
Trinidad
Trinidad
is a lovely town an unspoilt example of a Spanish colonial town with low rise
homes and cobbled streets behind the town are the mountains of Topes de
Collantes ahead the Caribbean Sea. The town which is full of churches and cafes
is a UNESCO World Heritage site, the town has a unique atmosphere. At times it
seemed that tourists will overrun the town, with tourist buses constantly
arriving around one of the main squares the Playa Major. More locals can be found in the Parque
Cespedes. The homes of Trinidad have street-level rectangular windows barred with
iron grilles during the wooden shutters are always open, it’s hard not to peer
in. The locals do not appear to mind
taking it all in their stride, it is the norm. Trinidad is a busy working town
and the maze of streets bustling with horses and carts and the odd vintage
1950’s American car. Groups of old men
with sun creased faces smoke cigars sitting on steps in the shade, no doubt
putting the world to rights.
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| The terrace of our Casa Particulares |
Whilst
here take a salsa class and relax over a mojito or two in the Havana Club. Don’t miss the open air music and dance at Casa
de la Musica, a unique experience. We
stayed in a Casa Particulares (locally owned and run local bed & breakfast
homes). Our hosts were lovely, an aunt
and her nephew. We spoke no Spanish and
they sopke little if any English but this did not detract from our stay which
proved to be a highlight of the holiday.
We were very well looked after out host even escorting us to and from
attractions to ensure we did not get lost in the maze of streets which to me
all looked the same.
As
beautiful as the town undoubtedly is it is overrun with tourists, but even so
it is not to be missed.
Sierra Maestra Mountains
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| View from El Alto De Naranjo |
This is the highest mountain
range in Cuba and home to Comandancia
de la Plata, Fidel Castro’s mountain hideaway during the revolution. Four wheel drive vehicles took us up a very
steep mountain road to El Alto De Naranjo from here the view across the mountains
and down into the valley was quite simply stunningly beautiful. From here Fidel’s hideaway is a short ascent
away. For its beauty and its historical significance this area is worth taking the time out of your trip to visit.
Cayo Levisa Island
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| The beach on Cayo Levisa island |
On the north coast of Cuba and reached
by ferry from the Vinales area, the beach here is unspoilt and as yet
uncommercialised housing only two small beach tavernas. The island is part of the Archipelago los
Colorados. The lovely unspoilt white
sandy beach offers little in the way of shade so be sure to pack a hat, your
sun cream and a garment to cover up when you have had enough sun. The clear blue sea was warm and welcoming, a
delight for swimming and snorkelling. You will have a relaxing day here recharging the batteries.
Although there is a small hotel
on the island, and it is expensive according to some Belgium visitors I spoke
to we only visited for the day. As we
meandered back to the boat jetty I couldn’t help but notice the expansion plans
seemed to be a foot at one of the Tavernas so perhaps the beach will not
remain as unspoiled for too much longer.
With the hindsight of my visit I
think the expected changes will take time.
The standard of hotel accommodation will have to improve significantly
to attract the predicted large number of tourists from the US. But I suspect there will soon be fewer old
American gas guzzlers to be seen on the roads, to be replaced with newer models,
and alas Cuba will no doubt have some McDonalds and Starbucks et al present on
street corners. 2015 was a great time to visit Cuba and experience its unique
culture and political system.
Blogs to follow:
Cuba, the revolutionary trail.
How to prepare for visiting Cuba for the first time.
Vintage cars of Cuba.
