Trinidad
Cuba, April 20-30
Ten days in Cuba, to see the main highlights Sabine remembered from her trip 17 or so years ago. Havana, with its old American cars and some of the grandest palaces sugar money could buy that are now slowly turning into rubble, Viñales with its craggy mogotes (limestone monoliths), rusted red tobacco fields with real cowboys, and Trinidad, the cute, sleepy little colonial town with cobblestone alleys and colorful houses. Cuba is a lot more touristy now, with higher prices, more restaurants and sleeping options, sometimes more organized and in some places, working hard to restore its buildings and plazas to their former glory. Other areas, especially in Havana are still rundown and crowded, the shops still have empty shelves (though very well stocked on alcoholic drinks) and service in governmental owned places is as sleepy as it used to be.
In Trinidad, we had our best casa in an old colonial building (1830). They served an awesome typical dinner on their terrace and had the most short-legged husky we have ever seen. During the day we got to relax at the Playa Ancon and then took the double-decker bus back to cute little Trinidad in the eve.