Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Besides a lot of normal roads – sometimes in quite bad condition – there are also motorways on Cuba. Gasoline is very expensive for the local population and the people use busses and lorries for transport; in villages also horses and carriages. For tourists there is a special kind of gasoline available at the limited gasoline stations you should have on a map. Continue reading “Lonesome motorway”
If you get to the Zapata region you can find the Laguna del Tesoro belonging to Guamá, Cuba. Tourists get here to do a boat tour or visit a reproduction of village of the Taino indians. The most interesting sight is the Criadero de Crocodilos – a crocodile farm. Continue reading “Criadero de Crocodilos”
The Hotel La Unión is located in the heart of Cienfuegos, Cuba – not far away from the nice Plaza des Armas. Spanish colonial flair is not only visible throughout the whole city but also in this hotel, which fits perfectly to the town. I enjoyed being at the center and not in the outskirts (which happend often on my trip). Continue reading “Hotel La Unión”
Cienfuegos is a city on Cuba with a beautiful city center in French style. The bay was first discovered in 1494 by Christopher Columbus. In 1745 a fortification was built and in 1819 the Spanish rules brought French families to the area; their influence is still visible, for example in the triumphal arch. Continue reading “Colonial Cienfuegos”
On the southern coast of Cuba, not far away from Cienfuegos you can find the Bahía de Cochinos (“bay of pigs“) with its two beaches Playa Larga and Playa Girón. The area became well known in 1961 because of the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion by the United States and Cuban people living in the U.S. – today you can learn more about the Cuban view on this event in a museum at Playa Girón. Continue reading “Bahía de Cochinos”
The Playa Ancón is a wonderful beach close to Trinidad, Cuba. It offers white sand and clear water – and not as many tourists like for example in Varadero. You can sit under trees and palms and wait for locals selling different kinds of fruits. A small paradise not far from civilization. Continue reading “Playa Ancón”
The Valle de los Ingenios (valley of the sugar mills) is a valley close to Trinidad, Cuba located between the Sierra de Escambray and the Carribean sea. A lot of sugar mills and colonial houses form a UNESCO world heritage site. Continue reading “Valle de los Ingenios”
The Hotel Las Cuevas in Trinidad, Cuba was hard to find. It is located above the old town and you’ll have to circle the protected city center. I took the help of a young guy guiding my by bicycle and earning some CUC that way. It was also the first time that I stayed at a hotel with food shortages and got a hot dog for breakfast. Continue reading “Hotel Las Cuevas”
I’ll never forget the Sierra del Escambray in Cuba. Because of the wonderful nature there and because I nearly killed my Peugot 206 rental car. I had to cross this mountainous region – more then once used as a hideout for guerilleros – to get to the city of Trinidad. Continue reading “The Sierra and the Peugeot”
The Monumento al Tren Blindado is a national monument commemorating the battle of Santa Clara – the final fight before the Cuban revolution succeeded. In 1958 dictator Fulgencio Batista sent an armored train with 378 soldiers and weaponry to end the revolution. As it arrived in Santa Clara it was attacked by Che Guevara and 18 guerilleros. Continue reading “Monumento al Tren Blindado”