Santiago and Vinales

Sorry about the lack of a post last week. We went to Santiago de Cuba and did not return until very late Monday night and therefore I did not have enough time to post.

Santiago de Cuba was a very interesting trip. Santiago is the second largest city in Cuba, and is located on the southern coast of the Eastern part of the island. It is said to be one of the largest cultural centers in Cuba. The trip started with an overnight bus ride which left at 10pm and arrived at 11 something am. Although I did sleep most of the way it was a very long ride and quite boring. After arriving we settled into our casa particular and headed out into the city. The historic city walk which all our guide books suggested was fairly lame and involved a few plazas and a few small museums. But it did provide us with a quick glance of the major areas of the city. The next day we took a horse drawn cart to the Cemetery and saw many famous Cubans graves, such as Jose Marti, Antonio Maceo, Manuel de Cespedes, and the Martyrs of the July 26^th Movement. After that in typical Cuban fashion we negotiated a driver to take us to El Morro which like the one in Havana sits at the mouth of the bay and was used as a fortress to protect the city during Spanish colonial times. The mouth of the bay is also the scene for the infamous defeat of Spanish forces during the Spanish-American-(Cuban) War. As history books say the Spanish forces were basically picked off like sitting ducks by American ships as they left the bay. I was hoping to see some ship masts or something peaking above the surface but I was disappointed. After watching a small band of soldiers dressed in 19^th century attire set off the cannon which in the past signaled the end of the day we drove back to the city center. That night we went to a club/bar which was suggested to us by a friend. After getting all dressed up to go we get turned away by the bouncer for wearing flip flops (nice ones too!). The night was in all a bust and therefore we decided it was best to just go to bed. The next day we again negotiated a ride to the pilgrimage site of El Cobre set in the Sierra Maestra Mountains. The church is located on a hill and contains one the statue of the Virgin El Cobre. The story goes that she saved sailors who were about to die on a raft by appearing to them. She is the patron saint of Cuba and therefore each year people flock to see her and ask her for things. It was interesting to see because she is one of the only black representations of the Virgin and is also a symbol in the religion of Santeria. After El Cobre we traveled to the Moncada Barracks which was the site of one of the first attempts to start a revolution. Basically Fidel Castro and others attacked the barracks hoping to secure the city. It is called the July 26^th Movement (the date of the attack) and is one of the most important episodes in Cuban history. It was after this attack that Castro and others served prison sentences and during his trial Castro gave his famous “History Will Absolve Me” speech. Today the barracks serve as a school as well as a museum for the movement and the revolution. That night we went to Casa de la Trova which is supposedly the best place to hear music in Cuba. I don’t know if it is the best but it was fun and we were able to meet some locals which always equals a good time. The entire next day was spent on the long long (16 hour) bus ride home.

This past weekend a few of us went to Viñales which is located to the West of Havana. Viñales is known for its mogotes, I don’t know what they are called in English but they resemble the mountains in Southern China. They are dotted across the fertile valley and look almost like random mounds covered in greenery. The valley is picturesque and one of the greenest places I have seen in Cuba. It is considered a UNESCO world heritage site for its tobacco farms and its natural landforms and beauty. We arrived having already made reservations at a Campismo (a state run campground with cabins). After trying to check in we learn that they do not have water and therefore as tourists we are not allowed to stay there and that only Cubans can that weekend. They were nice enough to arrange a place for us to stay near by and offered us the ability to use any of the facilities. We decided to take an hour long horseback riding excursion around the valley. After our horse tour we hired a guide (who happened to be in our casa) to take us to a nearby cave where we could explore the caverns and take a swim in the underground pool. The hike was really nice it took us through fields and pastures and up to people’s homes, and finally to a man who we then hired to take us through the caverns by lantern light. The cave was very cool, and had all the basic features of a cave. We same in the icy waters and returned to the mouth of the cave only to find a thunderstorm occurring. After waiting an hour our guide decides that the rain is not going to let up and therefore she should just move quickly to the casa. As we begin to walk the ground underneath us is in parts becoming just a river of water and in other parts just pools of mud. About 45 minutes later we arrive ready for dinner soaking wet with red mud covering at least our lower halves. All our clothes for that day were covered in rain water and dirt. That night we spent the night in our country home. Literally the entire night was filled with animal sounds. The couple we were staying with had a few horses, some chickens, pigs, cows, a dog and a cat. Basically when one animal would stop making noise another would start. We managed a few hours of sleep but it was not very restful. The next day we left the hour and walked the 3km back to town. We split up a little and Brittany and I went for a walk despite our still damp shoes from the day before. It ended up being a hike which was about 10km more. We stopped and saw on of the more touristy caves which involved a motor boat tour of the inside which was covered in electric lights. We decided that although that cave was a little cooler looking it was more fun to have our own little tour the day before. We completed the day with a dip in a local hotel pool and dinner at the oldest home in Viñales.