Baracoa is a small city near the eastern tip of Cuba. Before the Cuban Revolution the only access (to Baracoa) was by sea, but in the 1960s a 120 km long road from Guantánamo named La Farola was built through the mountains, which was one of the showcases of the revolution.(Wikipedia)
Because Baracoa was an isolated city for nearly 500 years, it has developed its own culture, cuisine and lifestyle. Certainly a good reason to take a lousy 5 1/2 hour bumpy journey to get here!!
And so, here is the full bay where Baracoa sits... wow!
Our first meal at our Casa was fabulous again for $8 pp. It consisted of a tomato/bean/noodle soup, salad, fish cooked in coconut milk, rice and ice cream for dessert. So good! Another dessert item we have tried is
Cucurucho which is coconut combined with sugar, orange, guava and pineapple wrapped in a
palm leaf.
After dinner we headed into the lovely downtown and pedestrian walkway of Baracoa...
Catedral de Nuestra Senora built in 1833
The music scene is vibrant here - especially after 9 pm when everyone comes out to stroll the streets. We followed our ears and ended up at the Casa de la Trova club (found in many towns in Cuba) where a local
band was playing.
The next day we walked around more with the focus being climbing a hill to La Cueva del Paraiso
- the Taino (aboriginal) burial chambers that now house remains and artifacts. The access point goes
through remote roads where we were certainly the focus of attention. Several boys attached themselves
to us, giggling and chatting as they showed us the way to the site...Very very few tourists come
to Baracoa because of its remoteness... just what we like.
And what a view from the site!!!!
Our Casa was just in front of the tall buildings in the middle.
Street scene
A construction site
The famed table mountain - El Yunque at 575 metres
FYI - Baracoa is well known on the island for its chocolate and cocoa. Another
unique aspect of this city.
And now it's off west to Santiago de Cuba via Guantanamo... by bus on a very very windy
mountainous road called La Farola. This road was not for the faint of stomach but it sure
was a beautiful ride!!
What a large part of the road consisted of.
A typical house of the area.
Our bus driver quickly stopped to get some food that he had obviously pre-ordered.
Very dry in areas - similar to the Okanagan Valley in BC.
Farming visible everywhere.
Santiago de Cuba - population of about half a million.
Our Casa owner,Yuri, picked us up at the bus depot as planned.
Once we got settled in our room, she brought us up to the 3rd floor terrace and gave us
a light snack and drinks. Soon after, we heard lots of noise/music in the streets only to find
a random parade of some sort. When we went to look, one of the women grabbed Yvonne
by the hand and dragged her into the group to join in with the dancing. So much fun!
The next day we went to the Centro where musicians practice their craft and families wander. There were
lots of hustlers everywhere.
Managed to hit a street festival in the Tivoli section of town ....Part fall fair, home hardware and flea market, roasting pigs on spits, street food, music and no other touristy faces, except us.... the place was wall to wall people in the evening.
Pig on a spit!!!!
THEN we HIT the rum museum for a little walk through...ended there with a few shots of rum Yum! and downstairs to a Speakeasy bar where managed to party the next few hours with Cubans and 6 English ladies who all thought we were their mom-dad.
This same evening we had reserved tickets for a dance show at the Tropicana. Took a cab there
because it was a fair way out of town. This was a very disappointing show even though it was
really hyped up. Hardly anybody was there and low energy. Maybe cause it was low season!
This same evening we had reserved tickets for a dance show at the Tropicana. Took a cab there
because it was a fair way out of town. This was a very disappointing show even though it was
really hyped up. Hardly anybody was there and low energy. Maybe cause it was low season!
Returned to our casa and just in time for a dance party in their kitchen. Husband shared his vast collection of Bee Gees, Boney M, Queen, Air Supply and Beatles. S and Y danced with everyone..wife, cook, husband ...even the old father next door came in to watch....thank goodness, the Konars can dance.....
Next day off to a Cuban beach to recover and cool off..... took a 45 min. cab ride to this gated private Cuban
beach that Yuri (our Casa owner) recommended. Our entrance fee gave us drinks and snacks too.
A few people spoke to us but most just looked at these two tourists.
Yvonne's waving in the middle of the picture.
This section of the beach was somehow carved out or created as an outdoor swimming
pool in the ocean.
While we were waiting to get a cab to the bus station to move on to Bayamo our Casa owner was determined to have Y´s nails look good... so she proceeded to give Yvonne a French style nail look. It only took
10 minutes.... Voila! Haha.
Cuban women are all groomed very well... high heels, lacy stockings, jewelery and nails done...
beach that Yuri (our Casa owner) recommended. Our entrance fee gave us drinks and snacks too.
A few people spoke to us but most just looked at these two tourists.
Yvonne's waving in the middle of the picture.
This section of the beach was somehow carved out or created as an outdoor swimming
pool in the ocean.
While we were waiting to get a cab to the bus station to move on to Bayamo our Casa owner was determined to have Y´s nails look good... so she proceeded to give Yvonne a French style nail look. It only took
10 minutes.... Voila! Haha.
Cuban women are all groomed very well... high heels, lacy stockings, jewelery and nails done...
Our 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Bayamo went through lush pineapple and sugarcane farms with rice fields and
ground crops visible everywhere. Water buffalo and oxen were working in the fields.
The inside of our bus... roomy, comfortable, AC good with Enrique Iglesias videos showing for one hour.
Our Casa owner in Bayamo was a former lawyer. He, like most Casa owners, are university trained
but have found that they can earn a better living by working in the tourist industry. Our first dinner was
chicken cordon bleu!!
This lovely colonial city is clean and friendly with cobblestone streets... and hardly anyone in sight.
Dinner # 2 - tomato/cheese soup, fish, salad, rice and pot stew
Dinner # 3 - soup, pork chops, potatoes, salad
Our Casa meals in Cuba are absolutely HUGE. For two people they always serve enough for at
least 4!!! Really!! Always for $8.
The main reason we came to Bayamo was to try to scale the mountain hideway in a neighbouring
town where Fidel Castro started his revolution. The 1 1/2 hour drive with Carlos in his new Kia was very comfortable but over some rough roads and through lovely mountainous scenery.
The road in the distance was where we were heading...
Due to the severe rain we were prevented from leaving base camp in the small town of Santo Domingo.
They will not allow the jeeps to drive the 45 degree drive up the mountain and do not open the buildings at the top of the mountain due to the high humidity. Oh well, we can always come back another year.....
Instead of climbing the mountain, we joined another group to visit an old Cuban village in the mountains. We followed our guide along a stream with animals grazing and eventually came to his summer house where he lives with his wife and family during the guiding season. They have 3 bedrooms with sheets hanging in the doorways,an old sewing machine, old radio blaring tunes, electricity, outhouse, lots of pigs and chickens,
turkeys and goats.
Looks just like BC.
Entering his yard.
Main living space on right.
The outhouse.
His wife ground up freshly picked coffee crushing it in a mortar and pestle log-stump. She then boiled water on an open fire filtered the coffee through a sieve bag and then served the coffee in tin a mug and into our glasses. The kitchen had a dirt floor. Was amazing to see their home and taste such delicious, strong coffee!
town where Fidel Castro started his revolution. The 1 1/2 hour drive with Carlos in his new Kia was very comfortable but over some rough roads and through lovely mountainous scenery.
The road in the distance was where we were heading...
Due to the severe rain we were prevented from leaving base camp in the small town of Santo Domingo.
They will not allow the jeeps to drive the 45 degree drive up the mountain and do not open the buildings at the top of the mountain due to the high humidity. Oh well, we can always come back another year.....
Instead of climbing the mountain, we joined another group to visit an old Cuban village in the mountains. We followed our guide along a stream with animals grazing and eventually came to his summer house where he lives with his wife and family during the guiding season. They have 3 bedrooms with sheets hanging in the doorways,an old sewing machine, old radio blaring tunes, electricity, outhouse, lots of pigs and chickens,
turkeys and goats.
Looks just like BC.
Entering his yard.
Main living space on right.
The outhouse.
His wife ground up freshly picked coffee crushing it in a mortar and pestle log-stump. She then boiled water on an open fire filtered the coffee through a sieve bag and then served the coffee in tin a mug and into our glasses. The kitchen had a dirt floor. Was amazing to see their home and taste such delicious, strong coffee!
Continued to be impressed with all the Cubans we meet, gracious and kind....
Will check the beach options from there!
