Iberostar Gran Hotel Trinidad

... has been restored and thrives with museums, casas and little business. At night it comes alive and one merely needs to walk down the streets and pick the music of your liking: salsa, afro-caribbean, son, etc. It has more to offer than Vinales, but of course, not as much as Habana. The beach nearby is one of the best in Cuba and I must say it is quite attractive.
One evening I was a ...

... first part of the trail was a bit rockier than we expected and some of us were a bit nervous, especially on the downhill sections which were challenging for the horses - we just had to hold on and trust them. Deb's, Clay's and my horse kept trying to overtake each other on the straight bits but whichever one was in the lead would slow down, while Nath's was way out in front closely followed by Greg's. It was a little ...

... to the trail last week down to the falls (Topes de Collantes). The sun was hot at 9:30AM but the breeze made it a very pleasant excursion. I was alone on the trail and the tranquility of being by myself trekking up the mountain was soul inspiring. Every 10 feet I see another painting in my mind. From the 300-400 year old buildings in town to the bone dry terrain of this mountain I envision hundreds of possible opportunities for a canvas. Sometimes I let my imagination ...

... nature. It was getting close to supper time and today I was not asked what I wanted. Today, it is lobster whether I like it or not. Well, I was not expecting a grand daddy lobster tail that I could not finish. I took a picture and gorged myself on the crustacean. The Cubans tend to overcook the lobster and since it was grilled it had the texture pretty close to the meat they serve. That is to say a little stringy but I really appreciated the desire for my host to give me ...

... really wasn't a viable option).

At 08:15 we set off on an extremely chilly air conditioned bus. Wasn't exactly conducive to my sore throat condition, from having smoked the cigar at the factory the previous day, which now was quickly developing into a cold. My sinuses were completely shot which also wasn't that great as I was considering doing some diving at some point, and at this rate, this wasn't going to be an option.

The bus ride yielded some rather ...

Ok here is a typical day in Trinidad, Cuba. - Woke up at 4am by a rooster outside my window. - Perfect Beach Weather -Walked down the street to pay a different third price for the same amount of bread purchased over the same amount of days. - Handed over the money for some water which was then checked to make sure it wasnt fake. I then checked that money handed to me. - Local people where still drinking at 11am in the morning. - Made some peanut ...

We´ve been inundated by ants again. Any food left out, bread, peanut butter jar, etc., by morning is home to an extended family of miniature ants. Ants that bite. Last night we hit the hay during one of the frequent power outages here, so didn´t get a chance to double check our packs and ziplock bags. Julie washes the ants away during the morning revolutionary chant that starts the school day next door. Later in ...

Our casa in Trinidad is an oasis in the heat. Eumelia´s glowing description was justified. We are in one of two large rooms in a detached building a long and leafy courtyard from the main house. By Cuban standards it´s deluxe: AC, remote-controlled fan (with sleep function!), touch lamp, hot & cold water. We even have a crib. The household proper gets its hot water from a tap off a small water heater in the backyard. For the tourists, the water is ...