CUBA Spring 2015 – Trinidad
Day 4 – Getting in and hanging out in Casa Sta Domingo
We had two options to travel to Trinidad, which is 330km from Havana. The Viazul bus has two trips on most days costing 25CUCs. It’s best to book this trip in advance since showing up at the bus station will not guarantee you will get on the bus, but prebooking will. Or take take a taxi for 120CUC. We ended up taking a taxi and sharing with another couple that was going to Cienfuegos. This cost us 5CUCs more then the bus and we were there in three hours instead of the 6 it takes on the bus.
We again booked accommodation through TripAdvisor. Again you cannot contact the Casa’s directly but after some sleuthing we found the website Trinitour.com where we were able to book the Casa St. Domingo.
Trinidad is a small colonial city founded in 1514 by the Spanish. Its main industry was Sugar farming, now it is Tabacco and Tourism. In the main part of town there are many tourist shops, restaurants and bars. 12km from town is the beach Playa Ancon which has three hotels. You can lounge on their chairs for a 2CUC. Food is not readily available, or I didn’t trust the food that was available, as these resorts are for people staying there it seemed to us. The streets of this town are very narrow and shared by horse carts, busses, classic taxis and newer ones. Trinidad is a really cool town and well worth visiting.
Trinidad from Lee Lau on Vimeo.
On the long hot road from Havana to Trinidad via Cienfuegoes
Arriving at Casa Sta Domingo I expressed my love of ice-cream to Yailyn who promptly pulled out ice cream!
We were suitably impressed and partook of dinner at the Casa! Yailyn’s dad was a professional chef. It apparently runs in the family
Inside Casa Sta Domingo
Casa Sta Domingo’s courtyard. A comfortable shaded respite from the day’s heat
The classic shot of Convent St Francis of Assisi church tower from Plaza Mayor
The church at Plaza Mayor and the requisite Cuban stray dog
In the evening I took a walk around Trinidad’s corner via Ave Juan Manuel Marquez via Plaza Sta Ana and an old abandoned church
Brightly painted houses (these at Plaza Sta Ana) are commonplace in Trinidad and show pride of ownership. Such a contrast to the decrepitness of Havana
Classic shot of the Church of San Francisco tower from Plaza Mayor at night
Plaza Mayor Trinidad by moonlight
Day 5 – Playa Ancon and Plaza Mayor Easter
A gunboat used by the Cubans under Castro to patrol inland waterways at Museo Historico Municipal
Playa Ancon is a public 2km long achingly beautiful public Trinidad beach 12kms from Trinidad. Its easy to find a few people to share a cabride there or take your chances on the bus that may or may not show up. At the hotel furthest East on the beach 2CUCS gets you a shady umbrella spot and use of the pool. Score and kind of necessary given the presence of sandflies
We went back to Trinidad in the heat of the day so went for more ice cream
Cubans love their helados/ice cream as do I. Dulcea Cremaria in Trinidad at Antonio Maceo y Simon Bolivar had so many flavours. Ask Danny for the Copa Especiale with dos or tres bolas/scoops. Ice cream coffee is also really good
mmmm more ice-cream. This time out of a street vendor right outside our casa
Rest El Rincon is one of Trinidad’s new private restaurants ie paladar permitted to run under Raoul’s relaxation of the restrictions on Cuban private businesses. It’s located at Antonio Maceo y Zerquera.
Rest El Rincon’s menu is basic, the food good, the staff are proud of the place and the owner obviously worked his tail off. Prices are very very fair
There are many other fine places in Trinidad. Rest Santisima Trinidad might have one of the finest views from its terrace
Terrace view of Trinidad’s evening
We then hung around and watched the Easter parade in Plaza Mayor
Easter Day parade at Plaza Mayor – Trinidad. Pomp and pageantry.
Trinidad Easter – April 2015 from Lee Lau on Vimeo.
Moonlight – Plaza Cespedes right around the block of where we stayed
Day 6 – Cerro Vieja and more Trinidad randoms
Futbol cafe on the way east out of town on our walk up to Cerro Vigio
Disco Ayala in a cave (actually probably would be cool in the evening) E of town
View from Cerro Vigia
Looking to the Sierra Escambray mountains
Shar was feeling the heat so chilled. I took the trouble of taking some more pictures. This is outside Casa Sta Domingo on Calle Sta Domingo – Trinidad
Portrait of Che Guevera on Calle Sta. Domingo y Frank Pais in Trinidad. He is still their national hero
Dominoes game on Calle Frank Pais. I played a 1-1 tie with the older gent in the striped shirt
Classic Trinidad restaurant just off Juan Marquez near Plaza Mayor
Trinidad electrical spaghetti.
Cool sunsets from another nice terrace
Requisite sunset shot
Rest El Criollo in Trinidad has fantastic prices and a mean terrace view
Alfonso is a composer based in Trinidad. He sings a mean alto
Trinidad Music – April 2015 from Lee Lau on Vimeo.
Transportation
Car ownership in Canada is 750 per 1000 people. In Cuba there are 30 cars per 1000 people. The US has the highest in the world per capital ownership at 980 cars per 1000 people. I am continually fascinated by how people get around in Cuba. Truck, bikes, horse carts, donkey carts, old crap welded together with duct-tape; its all used to get around. By law government trucks have to stop to pick up hitchhikers!
Despite the communist tripe about everyone living together harmoniously the lack of adequate means of transportation does lead to lots of inefficiency. Short distance commutes consume a lot of time. Perhaps that’s why Cubans seem so patient and inordinately OK with standing in lineups – they don’t have much of a choice!
Donkey chilling in the main street Camillio Cienfuegoes – Trinidad
Roadies probably don’t find Trinidad’s cobbledstoned streets all that comfy
Working horse cart on the road near Ciego Montero
All this needs is a Ferrari sticker. This car probably would cost north of 30,000 CUCs in Cuba
This endurobro is 24’ing the main street of Calle Sta Domingo pacing this tour bus who’s patiently chilling and waiting to pass
Horse carriages are a common mode of transport in Cuba. Some are tourist but many are used to haul. This is a working horse; the farmers use the cart to haul food grown in farms into town
Yet another fantastically preserved classic car on Ave Jesus Maria
Two jeeps now one
Horse cart enduro used to transport farm goods in Trinidad