I write this post about these three wonderful towns in Cuba not so much to highlight the some of the cool things to see here, but to highlight some of the unique experiences I had the pleasure of…experiencing. Santa Clara is within itself, a cool and unique town. It’s locations is geographically and historically the heart of modern Cuba. It’s the site of the battle of Santa Clara, a historic turning point for the Cuban Revolution. Here you will find the very train that the rebels derailed of the Bautista regime before the dictator fled the country, allowing the rebels to take over the country. This is also the place where the world revolutionary icon, and inspirational traveler, Che Guevarra, the one who set off on not one but two journeys up the South American continent, memorial lies. Outside the city is a tribute to his life and his story from setting off from Argentina on a motorcycle with his buddy, to his last days in Bolivia before he died. Despite being a ruthless murderer in his revolutionary days, as a traveler, and reading about his journeys around the globe, he is a huge inspiration to continue traveling. Not too far on the other side of town, is yet anther monument as a tribute to him, where I “hiked” up for a view to a kill to enjoy a nice ham and cheese sandwich.
The start of the journey is this town didn’t quite start off so smoothly though. If I had known any better being its my first time in Cuba, I would have set off from Cienfuegos earlier. Arriving around 6pm, I not only had almost little to no time to do anything, it was raining miserably leaving a section of the city to undergo a blackout. Fortunate for me, it was only in one part of the city, the part I was staying.
Santa Clara for some is a few hour stop. For me it was an overnight experience. Perfect enough to get a taste of the local culture speaking with a few viejos about Cuba and the United States, all very nice people. The rain and blackout weren’t the only issues I faced though. Upon leaving for Sancti Spiritus, I made a huge mistake. I’m one to use military time on a daily. When I prearranged my viazul bus for a one way trip to Sancti Spiritus, I ignored the fact that 1:20pm was in fact 1:20 am, while I was sleeping. I arrived to the bus station 11 hours late.
In any other country, I would have been shitting bricks. As for Cuba, I honestly felt safe and secure and that anything can be done should anything arise, without issues with safety. My heart fluttered at that moment, considering I have only so little money for the next week and U.S. Cards are of no use. My next alternative was to hire a taxi for the one hour ride south east. This direction is of no value to ‘taxistas’ as most to all see value in driving to Havana. I had to ask tons of people and just about every single one turned me down. All attention was deterred away from me. No one wanted to take the “asshole tourist” to the opposite direction. There’s no value. Not many people want long haul trips from Sancti Spiritus. Hell, not many tourists are there for the most part. I don’t blame these guys. Fortunately after begging and negotiating 30 cuc opposed to 50cuc, I evaded these grumpy ass older taxistas, for local who was about my age to take me for 30cuc. What made the experience more grand, was riding in possibly one of the best looking classic I had seen in Cuba, A 1957 Chevy Belair’s. The ride was short, the conversations were great despite the language barrier, and after some time trying to find my casa, I finally made it to Santi Spiritus. Despite the troubles, it was a great memory and I really wanted to take that car back home with me.
After settling down and cooling off in my nice ‘hostal’, of which I had ALL to myself, I set off to scope out the town and local culture. Every place I go, especially hopping around to different cities, I like to stop at a place that moves slower than the rest. This is where I found just that. The town itself is small with the center even smaller. Walking around wasn’t too much, and was able to take my time as all the locals seemed to have been doing also. No one to hustle or bother me. Just me walking amongst other Cubans in town. The town has a nice small square where locals use to connect with the outside world, a beautiful blue church, a few cobble stone streets, narrow alleys, and a unique mason brick bridge over a small river. The town itself is surely no Trinidad, but it’s a small gem of its own, if you want to take things slow and easy. I spent the rest of the evening connecting back home and watching movies in my room. After a nice LARGE filling breakfast the next morning, I hugged my hospitable hosts, and set off for Camagüey.
Thanks to a friend I made in 2011 who is from Camagüey, I had a bit of info on what to expect in this nice little town. Camaguey is considered a large city, but in my eyes, it was a large town. Each city had something I liked about it. For Camagüey, it was two things: smiling people and really pretty women. As for smiling people, traveling through Cuba, I’ve encountered many people with straight faces. Not saying that they weren’t friendly, but smiling wasn’t a default from Havana up until my trip to Camagüey.
Walking down the pedestrian only strip to the center, I walked passed laughing and smiling Cubans. People yelling to each other in such a positive manner and made me so happy to see this. Camagüey is a somewhat fast paced but has the feel of a small town. I only spent a day and a half here before an overnight trip to Baracoa, but I will not forget the hospitable hosts I had and the hours long conversations about life in Cuba and a hopeful future. Off to Baracoa I go…
