This gallery contains 6 photos.
We continued a further 1.5 hours to Cienfuegos; here we had the first casas particulares waiting for us. A casa particular essentially is a truly Cuban accommodation option – somewhere between a bed and breakfast and a homestay. These casas (Spanish for … Continue reading
We left Havana in the morning – our first major stop (after hamburgers for lunch at a roadhouse on the way) being at the monument of Ernesto Che Guevara in Santa Clara. Here Natalia gave us an overview of his life and how he helped in and influenced the Cuban revolution: we also had the opportunity to get into his mausoleum.
From the monument we made it to the place of the main last battle against the Batista dictatorship – a mere 15 minutes bus ride away. It was here that Che and 18 companions derailed an armored train in 1958 – a major victory for the revolution.
The first real day of the tour … after a tour briefing in the morning, our tour leader Natalia organized a big taxi to get us (twelve in total … plus her) over to the old town (Habana Vieja) for a guided walking tour around the main sights and some other stops (from the best chocolate drink to the some of the best views in town).
After the tour finished the group split … the Europeans (British, Swiss and German) went for early afternoon mojitos to the rooftop bar of the Ingleterra (England) hotel – followed by a tour on the open roof tourist bus (no mojitos here though) … the rest of the group (Aussies and Kiwis) went for solid food – a proper lunch.
This gallery contains 13 photos.
This year’s November destination was Cuba – picked as I wanted to see the country in its current state – before the US embargo being lifted. I made it into Havana on a Saturday evening coming in via Toronto. I … Continue reading