Monthly Archives: April 2017

Matanzas for backpackers & Varadero for your all-inclusive’s.

With a name translating as ‘massacres,’ Matanzas province conceals an appropriately tumultuous past beneath its modern-day reputation for glam all-inclusive holidays. In the 17th century pillaging pirates ravaged the region’s prized north coast, while three centuries later, more invaders grappled … Continue reading

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Santa Clara & Ernesto Che Guevara.

While Varadero courts beach-lovers and Trinidad pulls in history geeks, gritty Santa Clara doesn’t stand on ceremony for anyone. Smack bang in the geographic center of Cuba, this is a city of new trends and insatiable creativity. Ernesto Che Guevara. … Continue reading

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More of Camagüey

The Train Station. Service to Havana, Santiago and points in between. Be prepared to travel slowly and uncomfortably. Foreigners buy tickets in convertibles from an unmarked office across the street from the Hotel Plaza entrance. Confusing time tables at Camagüey … Continue reading

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Camagüey – a must see colonial city.

Welcome to the maze. Camagüey’s odd, labyrinthine layout is the byproduct of two centuries spent fighting off musket-toting pirates like Henry Morgan: tumultuous times led the fledgling settlement to develop a peculiar street pattern designed to confuse pillaging invaders and … Continue reading

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Trinidad (Cuba) – the sights & sounds of an amazing town.

In Trinidad, all roads lead to Plaza Mayor, the town’s remarkably peaceful main square, located at the heart of the old town and ringed by a quartet of impressive buildings. Museo Histórico Municipal. For Trinidad’s showpiece museum look no further than … Continue reading

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Trinidad – treasure trove or tourist trap?

The first sound in the morning is the clip-clap of horses’ hooves on the cobbled streets followed by the cries of old men selling bread from bicycles (El pan! El pan!). Open your eyes, gaze up at the high wooden … Continue reading

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