Go to Cuba to Go – Part 3

Trinidad, however, isn’t only unique in its history, but is also an exceptional starting point for exploring unspoiled nature. In Trinidad, there are a number of providers of eco-friendly day trips with horses and if you don’t have problems with a few hours of riding, then in any case I recommend at least a trip to a warm waterfall, under which you can pamper yourself in the natural pool created by this waterfall.

Trinidad isn’t located on the coastline, but it’s only a few kilometers from Ancon beach and there are enough friendly taxi drivers to take you to the beach for a few euros. Playa Ancon is a classic sandy beach from postcards, and for those who prefer a rocky beach, between the Hotel Ancon on the east and the village of La Boca on the west, there are a number of excellent smaller beaches.

A little deeper in the interior, you can go for a ride to the next park, Topes de Collantes, in former military trucks. There you can admire the coffee plantations and even try cooked coffee. You can also take a zip-line ride and enjoy the unspoiled nature, where you can also find the Caburní waterfall.

In the immediate vicinity is also the village of Iznaga with its famous hacienda and the Slave Tower, which can be reached by a tourist train pulled by an ancient steam locomotive.

Of course, Trinidad deserves much more than a few sentences, but considering that I didn’t visit it during my trip to Cuba, I’ve summarized the most important ones. Given that this time I decided to take a more static wander around Cuba, I was also able to focus on a place that travelers otherwise rarely visit.

Jagüey Grande, where despite the alluring name, only a few tourists stop

Immediately after receiving the negative COVID-19 certificate, I went to the center of Jagüey Grande, 30 km away, which isn’t found on tourist maps. Although it may sound a bit rude, Jagüey Grande actually doesn’t have any special sights to attract the average tourist. But it’s precisely because of this that it offers something you won’t experience in Havana, Trinidad or Varadero, or Playa Larga. Jagüey Grande is one of those places where we can experience authentic Cuba. And the fact that the city doesn’t have resounding tourist attractions doesn’t mean that it doesn’t make sense to stop there for at least a few hours and take a walk without, like in some tourist places, offering you something all the time. Even in coronavirus times, we can relax in peace in the main square and indulge in a slice of TO-GO pizza. The main square, surrounded by a school, a church, a municipal building and a few shops, and a monument to Jose Marti, the most important Cuban poet proudly standing in the middle of the square, impresses even more with its cleanliness. After a short coronalunch in the main square, I, surprised by the cleanliness, headed around the city again and, despite the search, I didn’t find any garbage, even though some of the buildings are in a rather poor condition.

Although the city doesn’t have a particularly rich history, it’s worth noting that it originated in the second half of the 19th century and is closely associated with the first citrus plantations. The city is also the seat of the Cuban Reformed Church, and after the revolution the city was one of the most dangerous in Cuba, as gangs of counter-revolutionaries ravaged the city and its surroundings, burning crops in the fields, farmhouses and schools, and intimidated and killed. Thus, there are twelve obelisks in the city in memory of the cowardly murdered children. This terror lasted from 1961 until 1964, when the threat was eliminated. The city also offers a small museum, where you’ll learn much more in addition to what is written. In short, if you’re going to get to know Cuba with a rented car and take the A1 Havana–Santa Clara motorway, I recommend a short stop in Jagüey Grande, which is only a few kilometers away from the A1, especially if you have a choice or can make a stop for lunch at a highway stop, or indulge in a typical Cuban small town. Of course, in your case, you’ll definitely be able to eat lunch at one of the restaurants and not just pick up a slice of pizza and eat it in the park due to the coronavirus restrictions.

When we run out of challenges on the surface, we head into the depths

Given the abandonment of the trip to Trinidad, I decided to explore the underwater world as well, as the underwater flora and fauna between Playa Larga and Girona are extremely rich. Diving is organized right from the shore and in a 45-minute dive to a depth of about 15 meters we can enjoy fishes of all colors, sizes and shapes, as well as corals, crustaceans and many other marine plants and animals. The cherry on the cake is provided by the wreckage of a 30-meter-long ship on the very ridge on which it landed, as in a moment the depth is reduced from a few hundred meters to about 15. For such a diving trip, it was necessary to pay around 30 euros. Unlike many diving centers, they also organize dives for beginners who don’t have a diving license, but such a dive costs 10 euros more, as it includes a short course, both theoretical and practical, as well as personal accompaniment of an experienced diver. At times other than the ones I’ve experienced, you can also take a diving exam and become proud of your own internationally valid diving license.

Has time stopped, or has it never started to run?

After returning to Playa Larga, I keep thinking about whether time has stopped in this place, or whether it hasn’t started running at all. And it’s more likely the former, as there’s nothing to suggest that people here are ever in a hurry anywhere. Even the few tourists located in the place have merged with the city, including the three Germans who happened to be at the same host and were about 25, 50 and 75 years old have become real Cubans these days. The youngest, a student from Stuttgart, took distance learning very seriously and distanced himself as far as possible from his home educational institution. The elderly, retired owner of two fish restaurants from northern Germany arrived in Playa Larga after a 28-day all-Inclusive holiday in Varadero, while the middle one is engaged in fishing in Sweden. In this way, in addition to Spanish, I was also able to improve my German a bit, as at least two of the three didn’t speak English.

Thinking about whether time has stopped here or hasn’t started running at all, I’ve already started arranging transportation to Havana, where time certainly doesn’t stand still. Due to the epidemic, everything is related to transport, and route to Havana in particular, with Havana having a slightly worse epidemiological situation, is anything but easy or cheap, as only a few taxi drivers with special permits can transport foreigners between regions.

“Eppur si muove” was the first thing that came to my mind when we arrived in Havana by taxi. Cuba just hasn’t stopped completely. Despite the masks, Havana still exudes its liveliness, although a walk along Obispo Street, which connects Hemingway's popular El Floridita bar with the Plaza de Armas, is quite different than on previous visits to Havana. Most of the restaurants are intended for tourists, but this time they weren’t crowded and most of the bars were closed. So, I was left without daikiri, which originates from El Floridita and was also enjoyed by Hemingway, as well as without the original mojito, created in the small La Bodeguita del Medio restaurant, located just a few meters away from the Havana Cathedral. The restaurant had an open souvenir shop, but the mojito was unfortunately not among them. Of course, Havana is much more than a tourist center; more on this in the next and the last part of this travelogue.