December 2-17, 2024. Havana, Viñales, and Trinidad
TCC #6 as a solo 50+ female traveler
Havana
I spent my first couple of days in Cuba in Old Havana. Later, I spent time in Centro and Vedado.
I enjoyed ambling about Old Havana, even though I was surprised at the dilapidation of so many non-government buildings (future post). The square within Old Havana was bright and cheery with its government-owned museums, shops, and restaurants. Centro was more run down with garbage everywhere. Vedado is newer and more trendy. Had a great view of the water from my lodging.
Took an old car tour of the city, which was a fun and educational way to spend a few hours. Saw Revolution Square, multiple government buildings/monuments, the outside of the Cristóbal Colón Cemetery (giant arch photo), Chinatown (Havana has a very tiny one), Bosque de La Habana with its riverside lush vegetation, John Lennon Square and the adjacent Yellow Submarine nightclub, Hotel Nacional de Cuba (where the rich and famous stay), and various iglesias (along many other sites).
Notes: Revolution Square is surrounded by government ministry buildings which I dared not photo. I was walked into the middle of this huge open space by my tour guide, and I could not help but feel this was the perfect way for government officials to see with their own eyes which yumas were currently in Cuba, hahaha.
In the cemetery, people are buried in graves with marble tombstones and are kept there for two years. Then, unless they are a high ranking official, the bodies are moved to mass burial site and the graves are reused.
Cuba recognizes and allows multiple religions, one of which is Afro-Cuban (more on that below in the Trinidad section). The Afro-Cuban religions perform animal sacrifices, sometimes by the river in the Bosque. I saw a few vultures eating the remains of sacrificed chickens.
While walking around Old Havana, I constantly heard “hey pretty lady” but in a non-creepy way. Always by men keeping their distances. They stopped if I ignored them. I did not feel unsafe. In Centro, however, I did not feel comfortable. If I stopped walking for even a second, I was instantly approached by people asking for money in a less-than-polite manner.
Toilet paper is a scare commodity in Cuba. Also, you cannot flush toilet paper as the pipes will clog. The tp gets thrown away, not flushed.
Internet is slow slow slow slow and often just not working. My eSIM worked well, but I used GigSky which was pricey, therefore I conserved my data as much as I could.
Cuba had another nation-wide blackout while I was in Havana. Lasted around ten hours, then the power went out again the next day for a while.
Public toilets have no seats. Not fun for women.
Also, public toilets have no toilet paper. You learn to become careful with your restaurant napkin and use it for other things later.
Food at the private restaurants was tasty!
I used CUP (Cuban Pesos) at restaurants and dollars Euros for taxis and tours. Bills have to be in good condition with no tears or writing on them.
You exchange your money for CUP with your AirBnB host, who will give you the much better
“black market” rate than what the bank offers. This rate varies daily, but it is easy to find out what the current street rate is through various online sources (find out before you arrive in Cuba, when you can actually get online easily).
My AirBnB hosts were all wonderful. Here I include Yaquelin in Old Havana, she grows her own coffee beans outside of Havana. My hosts’ homes were lovely, and their breakfasts divine. It is common to have the hosts include breakfast for 5 Euros/dollars each morning. The breakfasts are ample, with fruit, coffee, ham, cheese, bread, and an egg.
I also include examples of the structural deterioration happening to a lot of buildings within Havana.
Other photos include: a produce market, a vendor selling breads and other tasty goods, me having a snack with a local guide, views from my last Havana AirBnB (water views were spectacular), interesting sculptures/monuments, the National Hotel of Cuba, and random scenes from walking around.
Viñales
Dec 5-9, 2024. This was my favorite part of my Cuban visit because, well, look at the photos. I am a mountain/hills person, not a beach person, so this was the perfect area for me.
I arrived from Havana via taxi collectivo, which is a shared taxi. Cost is $20 or $25, depending on who answers the phone. I used four taxi collectivos during my time in Cuba. I was the last passenger to get on for the one to Viñales, which meant I got the seat with the least legroom. Think economy airline when the person in front of you reclines their seat. Everyone in the car was nice, anyway. Took three hours, no breaks, I survived.
Viñales is a small touristy town in the middle of tobacco, coffee, and sugar plantations. My AirBnB host arranged tours for me. Did a plantations tour on horseback, which I half regret. I loved seeing the countryside, and I enjoyed the stops where the farmers explained how everything is grown and made, but…concern for animal welfare is not the same in Cuba as it is in the States. Enough said. Also, there was a rum stop, and when I explained I do not drink, I got a lot of “C’mon, it will be fine” behavior. I had to adamantly state multiple times that I did not want to buy or even try the rum because I have an addiction. Also…horseback riding while healing from a stress fracture in my back was not the smartest thing to do. The next few days had me taking it very easy.
The best thing ever was riding on the back of a motorcycle to a trailhead predawn and then hiking up to a viewpoint with another guide. That was amazing for many reasons. My guide was great, the views were outstanding, and the motorcycle vibrations made my back feel better.
Also enjoyed biking around the town (rented a bike from my host) and just ambling about exploring the local shops and restaurants.
Trinidad
Dec 11-14, 2024. UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its global sugar trade significance during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Took another taxi collectivo to reach Trinidad. My taxi this time was a really nice minivan with air conditioning and comfy seats. Cost was $30.
The historical buildings of Trinidad are centered around Plaza Mayor and were built during the sugar industry’s heyday. Once belonging to prosperous and prominent families, they are now museums of architecture, history, and…”The Struggle Against Bandits.” That last one is housed within the tallest building, the one with the bell tower, and memorializes the government’s 1960-1966 suppression of the farmers’ large-scale anti-communist revolts.
Festivals continue to be held in Plaza Mayer. Indeed, I cut my trip to Trinidad short by a day to avoid the crowds and boisterous jubilations of Canchánchara, an annual festival celebrating Cuba’s first cocktail. No doubt this is an enjoyable festival, but not one I wanted to attend as a 16-month sober person.
Trinidad street addresses have two names/numbers. Each street has a pre-1960s name and each home a pre-1960s number, and now different ones that the Castro regime designated after taking power.
Afro-Cuban religions are accepted in Cuba. I visited a temple of Yemaya, goddess of the ocean and mother of all living things. In the early days of Christian colonialism, worshipers used Christian symbols to hide their own traditions. In the temple one can see both Catholic elements (note the black Virgin Mary with the white baby Jesus) and more traditional Afro-Cuban elements (area that is covered because of animal sacrifice remains). Practitioners believe one can call on spirits of the deceased and attach them to tangible objects (example: black doll in the large room). When one of those objects breaks, believers feel it is bad luck to dispose of it themselves, so they will often leave it on the steps of a church. Note the photo of one object on a red step of a church – it has been painted around instead of moved because the painter did not want to move it. The church clergy will eventually dispose of it.
Another photo shows the entrance to a long series of caves and tunnels which used to be where a serial killer brought kidnapped children. Now the first part of the caves is a popular nightclub.
I took a hike up the local hill to look over Trinidad and also to see the mountains and look over sites of former sugar plantations.
I did not visit the sugar plantations themselves, that is the only thing I kind of wish I had done. Had I not left Trinidad early to avoid the festival, I would have taken a tour of the sugar plantations.
Random closing notes:
The electricity situation is bad. Havana usually has regular power with planned outages here and there, but outside of Havana the situation is different. Viñales and Trinidad were without power most of the day for every day I was there. The government now expects people to supply their own sources of power as part of a country-wide solution. Many people cannot afford generators or solar panels, so this is a major problem.
The vast majority of people are friendly to foreigners and, except in parts of Havana, I felt very safe wandering about as a solo female.
One should have a basic grasp of Spanish to visit Cuba. Very few people I met (outside of my tour guides) spoke any English. I am glad I know enough Spanish to get around. I am sure I butchered a lot of words and often mispronounced things, but everyone was patient and happy to repeat sentences.
I recommend going if you get the chance. Just know what to expect as this will not be a typical vacation situation. Go to Support the Cuban People, bring gifts of antibiotics, ibuprofen, aspirin, toiletries, etc, and be sure to follow the rules and not patronize any government-owned anything (see the USA’s long list of prohibited organizations/hotels/stores/institutions).
The Facebook Group Cuba Travel Tips is an excellent source of planning information. Reddit’s Cuba subgroup is also worth a look.