cienfuegos

February 26, 2007

This past weekend a few people from my group and myself traveled to a medium sized city called Cienfuegos. The city is located on a bay in the south central region of Cuba in a province sharing its name. We were able to get a ride to the city for $50 for the four of us each way, which was a great deal. Bus fares for tourists (or for people who would like to have a definite seat on the bus) from Havana to Cienfuegos run about $20 each way per person. For a cheaper bus fare it is possible to pay in Cuban pesos (about 65 each way) but there is no guarantee that you will be on the bus. Basically if you purchase one of these tickets you are able to ride the bus only if there are seats remaining after people pay in CUC…therefore if you have a set time table or a short period of time to visit a place it is much better to pay in CUC or get a driver. It was very interesting to see the difference between the city and the countryside. For the most part it looked a little like the Midwest United States during a small drought. The land was basically flat with an occasional hill in the distance, and the crops or lack there of were dotting the ground with patches of brown. The small towns that we passed through looked as if they had seen better days. The whole ride reminded me of the images we see during the American Great Depression of dilapidated homes and brown dusty fields. Although most of the buildings were not made of wood, as I would have expected but rather concrete which is probably to help combat the climate. The city of Cienfuegos itself is rather small but is rather beautiful. The streets are lined with buildings which all have front porches which stretch the entire length of the street. The main avenues have small parks lining the middle of the street with benches and trees, and are usually filled with people. An entire side of the city is bordered by the bay which is a bright blue manse of water dotted with barges and smaller vessels. We stayed in a small house called a casa particular. These are rented rooms in people’s homes which they rent as their jobs. They cook for you and basically allow you to live in their homes for as long as needed, at a moderate price. Ours were 25 CUC per room per night with meals for about 3-6 CUC depending on the meal. Hotels usually run you the same as they would in the states from 50-250 CUC a night but usually around 100 CUC for an average hotel and meals there or at any restaurant are going to be about 10 CUC. It is possible to eat for less from street stands but a nice home cooked meal and people to talk to is a definite bonus.

On Friday after arriving we walked around Cienfuegos and saw the few tourist sites it had to offer, and ate a relaxing dinner in a Moorish inspired ‘palace’ on the tip of the area known as Punta Gorda, which is basically a small peninsula which juts into the bay. The food was not the best but it was worth the cost to eat in the building and eat something other than rice and beans for a change. That night we walked around the area some more in hopes of finding something that was going on…unfortunately there was little to be found.

Saturday we decided to head to the Caribbean beach which was a short drive away (about 20 minutes). The beach was in an area called Rancho Luna, which had a nice view of the distant mountains and the ocean. We claimed a small palm hut and spent the day swimming in the turquoise sea and taking in the sun. I did attempt to go snorkeling however, not really liking sea life to begin with it was not a big success. I got to see a small school of fish but did not venture over the large patch of sea grass to the coral reef…perhaps later in the trip or later in my life I will charter a small boat for the day and force myself to go to the reefs. The experience just didn’t seem to be for me. After a long day at the beach we were ready to just hang out and eat a nice home cooked meal.

Sunday was a short day full of touristy photos and relaxation before our 3 hour journey back to Havana. The weekend was relaxing and the perfect break from everything, and it was definitely hard to start classes again but it must be done.