1st stop: Cuba
International airport José Martin,
Havana, january 9th, local time 4:25 PM
I've traveled through Cuba from West to eat and back, about 3000km with any kind of transport invented by the man (Cuban). To name some, state bus, colectivo, bus particular, bicitaxi, Horses, taxi particular, taxi of the state, sidecar, camión (old American tracks with seats)... But more than anything else, my legs.
I found the capital, la Havana, evanescent, chaotic, polluted and quite expensive. Nevertheless Havana vieja and the malecón (seafront) were really nice. I found as fascinating as creepy the old Cadillac and Chevrolet strolling down the city because of the smoke coming out the drainpipe.
I left la Havana and headed to the national park of Viñales, where I hiked every day. I spend one week exploring caves, tobacco plantations, discovering idillic places and spending hours talking with Campesinos (farmers) who were spending days rolling cigars.
In Trinidad I enjoyed the colourful maze of narrow streets and its peculiar houses.
I spent Christmas on a white sand beach , enjoying the sunset over the sea.
I saw the vegetation changing going from West to est, passing through national parks. From Tobacco, bananas or cacao plantations in the west of the country, through the tropical forest with palm trees or agave plantations and cactus around Guantanamo and then back to tropical forest and cacao trees in Baracoa, the eastern town of the country.
I was invited to the new year's eve dinner by the family who was hosting me in Santiago de Cuba. We shared the typical "cerdo asado", basically roasted pork , with beer and Ron. At midnight, in the main square, took place the festival de la bandera, (festival of the flag), to celebrate an historic event, in fact, that is the place where Fidel Castro declared the victory of the revolution on the 1st of January in 1959.
It is celebrated with a big show, and everyone danced until the sunrise.
In Santiago I also got to see Fidel's tomb, surrounded by the tombs of other veterans of the revolution such as José Martin. There I understood the devotion of Cubans for Fidel.
I also had the chance to chill on the beautiful beaches of Cuba after long hikes in the beautiful tropical forest.
How not to mention the music scene? Every 10 steps theres a band playing salsa and evergreen Buena vista social club's songs. Right in front of the bars, couples amazingly dance the night away.
I was surprised by the pizza , which was actually nice and cheap (an Italian abroad....)
I appreciated so much more L'Havana after 13 hours on a Camion :-) .
Above the beautiful landscapes of Cuba I had the chance to talk with a lot of people.
I had beautiful chats with The "puros", men and women who lived in the time of the revolution. They were able to explain how was Cuba under the dictatorship of Batista, the importance of the revolution and how it changed their destiny.
I also talked with young people , sons of the reggaeton and mass tourism. They know their history and they're grateful to the revolution for the things it brought: public health care and education for all.
Cubans talk about their history also through the murals on the walls, celebrating the things their proud of: education, health care and agriculture.
By the way, the literacy rate is one of the highest in the world (99.7%).
It's a country dealing and living with an embargo for years but that is going to face a change soon. Its population want to feel free with the opportunity to leave the country if they would like to. The freedom of choice.
But time has come.
In the end, It's a truly beautiful country and I had an incredible experience. It's definitely worth it. If you're heading to Cuba or you're planning to, don't hesitate to contact me for any info about the island.
Hasta siempre, Cuba.
Next stop: Colombia.
Follow me on my trip ‘Rotolando verso Sud ’ at https://www.polarsteps.com/rotolandoversosud/690815-rotolando-verso-sud