The route from Trinidad to Cayo Santa Maria in the north is one of the more challenging stretches of road. Not only is it lacking signage, but it’s also lacking road so you could be driving for miles on dirt roads not knowing if you are even going the right direction. I stopped off in Santa Clara to take a break from off-roading to grab some “pizza” for “sustenance” and to check out the mega-plaza dedicated to the hero of Cuba — Ernesto “Che” Guevara. I also went on a tour of a large Cuban cigar factory. The photos may be a tad out of focus since technically I wasn’t supposed to be taking photos from inside the factory. So technically you’re not supposed to look at the photos either. Please avert your eyes for the remainder of this post.
Authored by: Digital Knowmadd on December 19, 2011.
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One of the more perplexing things about this culture is how people manage to survive on what amounts to roughly $25 USD per month. The fact that the government gives them feed answers part of the question, but I’m still baffled be the fact that you can find Cuban people in restaurants that are charging about 30% of their monthly income for a single meal. People must have side-gigs here. I’m convinced that the menu prices are in CUP for locals (aka 1/25 the price), and CUC for everyone else. I will continue to investigate this phenomenon.
Authored by: Digital Knowmadd on December 18, 2011.
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Trinidad is one of the more picturesque cities in Cuba, with cobblestone streets, an amazing nightlife outdoors at Plaza de la Musica, and lot’s of artisans and colorful old buildings.
Authored by: Digital Knowmadd on December 18, 2011.
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Left from Cienfuegos this morning for the 45 minute drive to Trinidad (an UNESCO World Heritage Site). It took a bit longer however as I traded in the car for a horseback ride through the countryside. Capped off the night watching some incredibly talented dancers in Plaza de la Musica.
Authored by: Digital Knowmadd on December 17, 2011.
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Getting to Cienfuegos was a bit of an adventure. Despite the advice of my Cuban/German friend, I decided to rent a car in Havana in order to see some of the other cities on island. I had the car for a week and the first stop on the map was the city of Cienfuegos. Oddly enough, while driving to the city I did pass by quite a number of small brush fires on the side of the road. I didn’t count them, but it was probably close to 100. Anyways, Cuba has very poor signage on the roads, and so finding your way can be quite difficult, especially if you don’t speak the language, but I needed the flexibility that having a car provides so I had to rely on a guidebook, a map, a hitchhiker, and my acute sense of direction. Picking up hitchhikers is actually very common here, and perfectly safe. The guidebook even recommends it as a way to find your way around the country. What it does not recommend however is driving on a warped wheel that makes the car shudder anytime you exceed 30 MPH. And so changing a wheel on the side of the road in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language can now be added to my list of accomplishments. Check.
Authored by: Digital Knowmadd on December 16, 2011.
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