When we finally made it to Trinidad, it was great to see some tourists wondering about, quite a few restaurants open, art places, and markets open but of course not to the extent they used to be. We were blessed with a blackout here one night after a storm came through, it was quite fun walking up the street with our torches to the only place (luckily with great food) that had a backup generator. We ran into a couple whom we gave a lift to from the beach on our second day here, and ended up dancing the night away once the power came back. Got to be open for an adventure I say! 😎
After Trinidad, we headed to Camaguey. ‘Cama’ is known for its art scene and after speaking with the art gallery owner in Trinidad about the kind of pictures I was looking for, I was quite excited to get there… it wasn’t meant to be. We only found a few artists still open. Some of the once-bustling squares were now empty. Speaking with casa operators, they are planning on a March re-start, so let’s hope it picks up from here!
Santiago de Cuba was the next stop… Could only tell you the same story of quietness.
One of the things that was kind of great yet frustrating to see was the offerings on the side of the road. Near Havana, we picked up cheese and guava paste (all homemade of course!), then there were onions, garlic, tomatoes, bananas… as we travelled east they seem to be more plentiful, we saw pumpkins, potatoes, mangos, lime, papaya, sweet potatoes, grapes even. It was great to see, the reason it was sad is because these growers cannot take their goods elsewhere to sell. We have seen the collectives being searched to ensure that didn’t happen. 😐
We then finally made it to Baracoa. It is such a beautiful place, yet it felt like they were forgotten… those shortages some of you asked about are definitely felt here. Limited food supplies, even water is hard to come by, so you can imagine the shortages of beer and rum. Have only met a handful of Russian tourists who ventured this far… all but two restaurants are closed, and they have very limited offerings. The hotel on the hill is closed, the other was opened, but was like a ghost building.
I’m not telling you to scare you off the place, Baracoa offers many natural wonders, we had a great time discovering them – still kinda grateful that we had to get the car serviced, thus I didn’t have to do the 8-hour hike to El Yunque 😂 although would have been beautiful and definitely be back to do it. We also found the most delicious food at our own casa, which put us into a food coma two nights in a row. But if you are looking for a poolside stay, it is definitely not the place to be.
Whilst I report that most places I still quiet and may sound limited, there’s some great fun to be had and best of all, you have the place mostly to yourself to wonder about and discover, take amazing pictures, enjoy the sites, the hospitality – talk to the casa owners, restauranteurs, artists – we picked up some fascinating, inspiring and sometimes sad stories. It’s been fantastic to connect with people all along the island.
My gratefulness each day has grown by my experience and seeing/learning about the people of Cuba more and more. It certainly brings a deeper appreciation for life and a perfect environment to learn and connect, so if you are ready to travel and looking for something outside of hotel walls, let us know!
