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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Email to Friends: Colonial Streets of Trinidad and Back to Havana

Hi All,

My final days of Cuba were mainly spent in Trinidad, a colorful, Colonial town with nearby beaches and old sugar plantations. The bus to Trinidad takes about 7 and a half hours. The Viazul bus is a few CUC cheaper, but several hours longer since it goes back through Havana. The Cubanacan bus I booked for a few CUC more is more comfortable and faster.

The casa particular owner that Ernesto in Vinales set up for me us waiting when I arrive. I head to her casa. It is nice and clean, and worth the 15 CUC price that Ernesto set up for me. I drop my bags and walk around town. Trinidad is a Caribbean colonial town that is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The houses are colorful and the streets are cobblestone. Unfortunately, it is extremely touristy, which I tend to dislike. Everyone hassles me for something and wants money, which I wasn't really getting as much of in Havana or Vinales. Returned to the casa a bit discouraged. Had shrimp dinner with a wonderful cream and squash soup cooked by my casa owner and turn in.

The next morning, I decided to give the horse riding another shot. It is kind of the only way to get around if I want to head up to the mountains. My casa owners arranged for my own private guide. A man shows up in his rancher hat, jeans, a machete and spurs. My horse is very mellow (his is more of a firecracker) and he starts by leading my horse on his horse. Eventually, I get the hang of it and take the reins myself. We head out of town into the Valle de los Ingenios (the old sugar production area), dotted by lots of little farms and vegetation such mango trees, bananas, sugar cane and bamboo. We stop for some yummy sugar cane and limon juice and continue to a river bed in the mountains. He shows me the path and I hike the ten minutes to get to a natural freshwater pool. Little fish swim in the pool. It was a beautiful, relaxing and refreshing spot for a swim until 40 loud tourists showed up. I jumped out and headed back. We stopped at my guide's friends farm on the way back. There may have been a chicken fight (yeah, yeah, I know animal rights lovers, but it wasn't to the death and this stuff exists and is part of every day life in certain parts of the world). And then we headed back to town.

I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around town. People in the town are starting to warm up to me after seeing me around again. I think many are just less friendly at first since this is a major stop for these big tour buses that stop and let everyone off as they clutter up the streets to visit the same main attractions for an hour or two and then jump back on their buses and head to the next town. Ran into several other tourists I have met along the way in other cities. I ran into a Taiwanese guy I dove with in Maria la Gorda and we go sit on the park for a minute. Many locals come up and chat with us, which the Taiwanese guy blames on me, since when I had told him earlier that I somehow spend most of my days doing nothing but chatting with random people. Also go visit my three old men that sit in Plaza Major for photo donations who ask me to sit with the every day (I have probably screwed up many a tourists photo). Head back towards my casa, walking behind a man taking his enormous pig for a stroll (the pig actually seems to be dragging the man around). Have a wonderful Trinidad lamb stew on an outdoor terrace surrounding a massive tree in a restaurant named La Ceiba that I was brought to by some random guy on a street corner that turned out to be the owner's son. Then walked around and listened to live music come from all the nice restaurants and bars. Ran into a local who we met in the park earlier and he and I just sat and chatted on the park benches in Plaza Major until I got tired and I headed back to my casa.

The next morning I slept in. My casa has the best mattress I have had in Cuba, which does not say much. I think since soap and clothes are hard to come by, mattresses are even harder to buy and are hard, worn, and very lumpy. I eventually get a taxi to Playa Ancon, a beach about 12 km away for 5 CUC after missing the bus and trying to wrangle other tourists into a collectivo taxi (but most tourists here are kind of jerks). I head past the hotels and find my own private spot to swim and lay in the sun. Eventually, I head back to a resort and pay 2 CUC for a beach chair and shade (which I share with a little green lizard). A guy from the resort has an all-inclusive package and he sneaks me food and mojitos for the rest of the afternoon until I catch the crowded 2 CUC bus back to town.

I get up early the next morning for a walk. The city is very quiet at first, before people start waking up and coming outside. This is such a small town that everyone starts recognizing me, which is both good and bad (I have had several marriage proposals, some from old ranchers and some from mothers wanting me to come meet their sons). I greet everyone good morning and those that recognize me yell out "Hola Elizabeth" or "Hola Vietnam Chino!" with many cheek kisses. A security guard sees me and lets me into a church and art gallery that has stairs leading up to a rooftop with a spectacular view of the city and fog over the mountains. I keep walking and meet a hilarious lively woman named Sol who seems to know everyone. She, a sweet old woman and I sit and joke and chat with everyone as she jokingly tries to find me a Trinidad boyfriend. We split a beer (yeah, at 8:30am but she tells me I have to because "it is Cuba"). She also invites me to the beach with the locals in the afternoon, but I have already had too much sun. Someone gives me a mango, which I take to the old guys smoking cigars in the Plaza.

I spend the rest of my last day in Trinidad walking around, looking in shops (most is touristy trinkets) and trying to spend the last of my money. Eat pork el diablo at a lovely restaurant recommended to me named Esquerra near the central music area. Run into one of the guys I met in the park and it turns out he is an artist from Cienfuego. He takes me to his friend's shop and I buy a small colorful painting. I intend to buy stuff to take home and make room in my backpack by giving away what toiletries I have left, my first aid kit, and some clothes that people have asked for (surely not because I am so fashionable). Unfortunately, an afternoon storm hits and all the shops close early. I say goodbye to my old cigar smoking men friends after buying them some mangoes and soda. They seem sad to see me go, and I am kind of sad as well, as I really enjoyed their company every day and our silly conversations where neither of us really understood each other. I take refuge in a beautiful restaurant with an amazing wine cellar. I hang out and chat with the staff, many of whom I have exchanged greetings with on the streets the last few days. One was a teacher for 45 years and now runs the restaurant. Spend the rest of the evening in the neighborhood of my casa, eating tamales I bought from some dude on a bike and sitting with some sisters I have said hello to who sell mangoes and invite me in. We sit outside (which the while neighborhood does) as the kids play in the street and everyone plays music, dances, plays dominoes, or puts their horses into the house... Yep, IN the house (all I could think of was "gee, mom wouldn't let us horseplay inside... wonder how she would feel about bringing horses inside).

The next morning, I walk around Trinidad for the last time and say goodbye to new friends and watch all the families get ready for Mother's Day celebrations with sugary cakes and people selling beautiful fresh flowers out if wheelbarrows or carts. My casa had arranged for me to get a collectivo taxi for the same price as the Viazul bus, which is faster by about 4 and a half hours. I sit up front and the taxi driver and I dance around to Cuban disco music as we drive through little towns and countryside. Back in Havana, the dirt, smog, and noise hits me like a brick. Head back to Havana Centro and try to decide whether to get a room for a night when I have to head to the airport at 2am so I won't even sleep there (my flight leaves at 6am and i have heard that Cubana Air overbooks their flights so you can lose your seat if not at the airport 3 hours ahead). After someone quotes me 25 CUC, I decide against it, even though it would be nice to put down my luggage and have use of a bathroom. Walk around the city with my big backpack and realize I am near Yolanda's casa. Pop my head in and she is there with her daughter, Greta, for Mother's Day. She is really happy to see me and we chat for a while. She offers to cook me dinner, but I ask if I can take her and her daughter out to a nice restaurant. We agree on 9pm and I leave to give her and her daughter time alone.

I start walking again, but it hot and hauling my luggage around is making me tired. A guy leans out of one of the old, broken down buildings and said I look tired. He offers me a coffee and invites me in to his house. His mom pops her head out and I wish her happy Mother's Day. I head into their modest house. Noel is the son and he works as a baker, making all of the cakes I have been seeing. They are both very kind and sweet. They seem to know the whole neighborhood, and people keep popping their head in the window on the street to wish the mom, Chickadeeka, happy Mother's Day. I stay for hours, meeting all their friends and trying to learn to salsa with Noel and his mom in the kitchen. There is no running water in the house, but Noel gets water from across the street and they let me use the bathroom. We climb up to the roof and check out the view. They invite me to come back after dinner and I can take a nap and Noel cam help me get a taxi in the early morning.

Noel walks me to Meet Yolanda and Greta. They are all dressed up and I feel bad that I am in my dirty, sweaty clothes I have been wearing all day. We go to a great Italian restaurant and I have a great last meal of Cuban lamb in wine and mint tea sauce. It is nice because Greta speaks pretty good English and can translate for us. After supper, we go back to their house and Greta heats up some water so I can take a shower, which was wonderful. They walk me back to Chickadeeka and Noel's house. We all walk towards the Malecon and try to set up my taxi ride, since it will be at 2am. They are all very protective of me, especially Yolanda, and they are angry when someone wants to charge me 35 CUC. They find a guy who will do it for 15 CUC, and make sure he will not charge me more once I am alone. Greta insists on getting the driver's mobile number and calls it to make sure it is real and tells him he is to call her when we arrive to make sure I am okay. Yolanda wants to get my mom and dad something, and I tell her them making sure I am safe is gift enough. We all head to the Malecon where the sea air is nice and breezy. The seawall is full of Cubans, families celebrating and teens playing music and hanging out with friends. Cuba has many beautiful sights, but what really makes it special is the people. Many people I have talked to say many of the tourists don't slow down and stop to hang out and talk, and I hope anyone else who comes here really takes the time to do so. Sure, there are some scammers, but life is really difficult for many, and even most of them are good people acting out of necessity. Surrounded by wonderful, gracious, kind hearted people was the perfect way to say adios to Cuba.

And now I have arrived in Mexico City and will hopefully be home on Wednesday night. Sorry for all the emails at once. Hotmail blocked access to my email due to "suspicious activity" when I tried to log in from LA, then Mexico City and then Cuba. The only way to unblock it was with a code they texted and I didn't have phone service in Cuba.

Cuba trip photos are online or you can view them as a slideshow.

Love,
Betsy

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