Unless you are a voluntary resident of Guantanamo Bay you will not see a Starbucks or a McDonald’s in Cuba (yet)!
As you will soon become very aware, I had a fabulous trip to the largest island in the Caribbean very recently, accompanied by Mrs Wilbur and best travel buddy Hamish. We spent a few days independently and then joined up with G Adventures for a two week tour of much of the country.
A quick shout out to our most wonderful guide Pedro, an English & History teacher turned tour leader, who went out of his way to look after us all and wow us with his encyclopaedic knowledge of his fascinating nation.
A further shout goes to Casavana, our initial accommodation before we joined the tour in Havana. The casa situated in the Vedado district of the capital was brilliantly located close to the iconic Malecon and in Jameel we had a most welcoming and informative host. You do not get top billing in Lonely Planet & Trip Advisor by chance.
Our welcome mojitos on the balcony overlooking the sultry Caribbean will live long in the memory.
Now to our trip and the point of this post. We crammed in a whole host of great experiences in visiting Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Baracoa, Trinidad de Cuba, Camaguey, Cienfeugos, Bayamo & Santa Clara, so much adventure that it would be impossible to recount them all in an article or two. So guess what?
You are going to be treated (I hope) to a whole series of them!
These will cover the likes of:
Road transport of Cuba – from classic American cars to goat drawn carriages
The Revolution – from the disastrous beginnings to triumph against the odds
Fidel – from being condemned to execution in 1953 to leader of his nation for almost 50 years
Che – from being an asthmatic doctor in his native Argentina to becoming one of the world’s most (if not the most) instantly recognisable icons
Birds of Cuba – from the diminutive humming bird to pelicans & vultures
Music & Dance of Cuba – Salsa, Jazz, Son and Buena Vista Social Club
Cemeteries of Cuba – the final resting places of Fidel, Che, Jose Marti & Campay Segundo
Trains of Cuba – naturally deserving of their own article!
People of Cuba – from adorable school kids to expressions that tell a million stories
Colours of Cuba – vibrancy at every turn
Industries of Cuba – sugar cane, cigars, rum and cocoa
Accommodation of Cuba – from the humble casa to mafia palaces
Cuban Fortifications – defending the prized asset
Cuban Architecture – Crumbling Neoclassical to Splendid Art Deco
Wall Art of Cuba – a very public canvass
Old Town Havana – a capital destination
Statues of Cuba – from Generals to Art
Cuban Sunsets – from the Atlantic to the Caribbean
Cuban Flora – flower power
Pictures of Cuba – a random set of anything else
Watch this space………
Awesome photos. I never had the desire to visit Cuba, but now you’ve got me wondering.
It’s a fantastic experience right now
I can’t wait to see more – looks like it was an incredible trip!
It was. So many memories and experiences.
Looks good Wil – I’ll keep looking!