The very first solo Trip- Cuba,Trinidad

Here we go again Children of the Sun- I saved the best for the end of the cuba Trilogy.


After my very brief stay in Vinales, I finally moved to the wonderful City of Trinidad.
Trinidad earned its listing as a UNESCO Worl heritage site for numerous reasons. The architecture is amazing, it feels like Walking on a movie set. The scenry is breathtaking  and the beaches are just one of a Kind. Ofcourse the history and myths sorrounding the City adds another reason,why you absolutely have to visit Trinidad. Trinidad is definitely my favourite City in Cuba.

There are numerous amazing things you can do in Trinidad
My favourites and musts are:


Plaza Major

You can't miss the main Meeting Point in Trinidad. Here is also the Casa de la musica where most of the  night life starts. You can go to all the touristic spots from here. You definitely have to watch the sunset here, plus it's also a WiFi-Hotspot. There are cheap Cocktail spots all around the place. You can take amazing Picture from here. If you're travelling alone, the plaza Major is one of the easiest places to meet new People.In the evening you can watch or/and listen to the cuban local band for 2CUCs in the Casa de la musica. From here you can just walk around the City and get lost.From here you can reach the San Francisco Tower, that dominates most of Trinidad.The view is gorgeous.  Most casas in Trinidad have Balconies with a beautiful view of the City,so don't worry if you can't get to the top of the tower.

Art Galeries

Ist doesn't matter if you are a Art Connaiseur or just a kitsch Lover. You will definitely make good deals in Trinidad.The City is full of Galeries and cool stores to spend money.

Horseback Riding

You can ride or hike to the Javira waterfalls, with stops on the numerous sugarcane frams or coffee planations. There are cliffs on the Waterfalls you can jump from to cool off or you can swim through the cave Systems.

Workshops

You definitely have to try a Salsa Workshop. If you're a shy person (like me) request a private session. If you're not interested in dancing, maybe a Photography Session could work for you. Trinidad is definitely one of the most picturesque Cities I have been to. You can sign up for classes at Casa de la cultura.

Beachlife

The Ancon beach with White sand is 15 minutes away from Trinidad with a Taxi for 10 CUCS. You can also get there with a bike. The sunrise and sunset here is breathtaking. If you like fishing or just chilling on your own, La Boca is the place to be. You can also cycle there. Go to Cayo Blanco for snorkeling or diving.

Architecture Museum

Learn more about the history and architecture of Trinidad and the influence of Slave Trade and Sugar production the City. They also offer guided Walking tours

Entertainment/Night Life:

The night Scene in Trinidad is a busy one. Fom Bars, Cabarets and Cafes,the competition is high.One of the most amazing experiences I had was in the Disco Ayala- La Cueva-The Cave. This Club is literally in a huge Cave, with bats ,stalagmites and shit. It's quite a unique experience, the Music is a mix of latin,pop and tecno. It's easy to find, just follow the mass from the Plaza Major from  9p.m. The are numerous Cocktail-Stops on the way up the hill,just in case you were worried to run out of Rum...Worst case scenario in Cuba!

A more local spot was the La Bomba. The scene is mostly local young cubans, few tourists.I wanted to try my new salsa-moves but I changed my mind after watching the cuban youth doing simple stances.
There are numerous "Clubs" around the Plaza Major, you don't have to dance. You can just have a drink or watch others.

Food

After a week of beans and Rice, it was a welcoming surprise to find the vast amounts of restaurants with differnt varieties of Food. You definitely have to try the Lobster and Planatins, it doesn't matter where you choose to eat, you'll always find something.
My Top 3

-La Redaccion - a unique setting with a apretty courtyard. Former home to the Newspapar "El Liberal"

.Jazz Cafe- Buffet and amazing life Music with great voices
.La taberna la botija -with amazing live music


Daytrips

If you get tired of Trinidad-which is practically impossible. You can still go for day trips in the Region. You can go to the beeaches listed above or take trips to Santa Clara or Cienfuegos with a taxi at a reasonable rate. If you have time, defintely visit Las Terrazas. It is a self substainable Biosphere Resrvewith a beautiful natural swimmingpools. You can get there from Havanna or from Trinidad.There is also a Train into the Valley- if you are really really bored,go for it.


I hope  you enjoyed the post,
Arlette

The very first solo Trip- Cuba: Vinales

Hello Children of the Sun,


I could have stayed in Havanna forever but I wanted to see more of the Island. My plan to take a flight to Santiago the Cuba was a total fiasco. How stupid I felt when I found out contrary to Thailand where you could buy a cheap Inland flight on your mobile phone, things didn't work at all like that in Cuba. First, you only get WiFi at Special Hotspots,mostly around big Hotels, Restaurants or Parcs. In order to access these Hotspots you need a Card (1hour-1,5CUC) you get officially from ETECSA,the cuban  telecommunication Office- Patience is the Keyword here or on the "black market" for twice the price. So with no available flight I decided to change my itinary. I opted for Vinales,because most people I  met praised the landscape, the nature and the activities you could do there. Getting to Valle Vinales from Havanna is easy, you can book a Taxi collectivo at your casa or Hotel for only 20CUC directly to your new casa in Vinales.

Vinales is a  really small city and full of tourists.  You can practically do everything form the main street, so the first thing I did as soon as I got threre was walk through the city.Casas are always available.If you like hiking, Biking and horseback riding, then Vinales is the place to be. The region around Vinales is mostly protected national parc, so ist amazing if you like exploring and discovering nature.There is a numerous amount of agencies offering different tours at different Prices, so take your time and Chose wisely.

I booked a horseback riding tour for 20 CUCS. Depending on where and when you book the tour,you could either be on your own or in a group of interesting funny people- I was in the later(another gift from the Gods)The tour consisted of a 5 hour trip around the Vinales Valley with a stop at a tobacco plantation where you could learn about the production of Cigars. You definitely need to try the nicotinfree organic Cigars. You could also buy some Souvenirs at the plantations for a really cheap Price.The next stop was a "coffee plantation"- I've been to coffee plantations before and that was definitely not a coffee plantation, but what do Tourist really know? (just saying!).We got to learn about the production of Rum and guess what... you get to try the Rum! Here I had the best Sugarcane Juice in my whole life. Maybe it was the Rum or maybe I was just happy to get of a horse after 4 hours of riding through the Valley.

The last stop was at lake where you could go for a swim or just relax. Other tours offer a visit to a cave with underground lakes/Indian caves. Ask your tourguide about this before starting the tour.
I met with my newly found friend for dinner afterwards. I was amazed how the main street changed. You have amazing restaurants you can eat at for relatively affordable Prices. The Cocktails, the Pina coladas in particular are amazing!

Another great surprise was the Centro culturo Polo Montanez. Entrance Fee: incredible 1CUC. The live Music and the live Shows are amazing. Plus the Cocktails are really cheap and tasty. If you have enough Cocktails,you can join the locals dancing or just watch until you get confident enough to join.

The very first solo Trip- Cuba, the ideal destination

I don't know about you guys but when you tell anyone you plan to travel alone,they make the craziest assumptions- are you going through  something? Did you quit your Job? Don't you have any friends? Are you sure?  I always wanted to try different things my friends or Partner were not into, so i used to just give up. But things changed at some point, the answer became clear.I decided to what i really want, because why not? Life is short!


So, I started planning. I started to talk to people who had travelled alone. Most said for beginners, for a young black solo female traveller, I should probably start with Cuba or Southeast Asia. I had been to Thailand before and I wanted to try something new, so Cuba made the cut. I booked the flight , without really thinking too much, and I tried not to get scared by the fact that I don't speak any spanisch and that I was never really on my own. A friend of mine adviced me not to to book anything in advance because travelling alone means flexibility and freedom. And there I was, at the Airport with my Backpack, my Flight ticket in my Hand, no accomodation and this bitter sweet feeling I had when I left home for the first time.

So here am I boarding the plane and the pace of my heart beat increases, because now I notice people in groups, with Partnersno one alone. And here I am thinking ''what if this wasn't such a good idea, what if something happens to me, what if i find no one I can talk to or share this experience with?'' Maybe I should have been more careful and booked some few nights in a Hotel. So all in all I started panicking. But exactly at this moment comes this girl over and asks if I am travelling alone and if she could be my travelbuddy for the next hours or maybe days. Just like that, things changed. We talked about our common fears and hopes about this trip and she offered me to stop at her  Casa and find out if they available rooms for the night.

The flight was Swift, directly to Havanna with Airberlin and with some extra Legspace for free (a well appreciated gift from the Gods). If you travel from Germany, you can get a Visa/Touristcard at all airports for 25Euros. My new travelbuddy had everything planed an mapped out (contrary to me). I learned about the 2 Currencies in Cuba. The Pesos convertible (CUC) for the non-cubans and the Cuban Pesos (CUP) for Cuban natives. 1Eur=1CUC=24CUP
We shared a Cab for 25 CUC from the airport to her Casa/Hostel in Vedado, Havannas modern neighborhood. After a quick chat with the owner, I decided I could stay there for one night. I also found out, I had planned my trip in the middle of the high season in Cuba (March-August), so the prices were up and the demand for good Casas was high. Verdado is a quiet, modern neighborhood, close to the Malecon and the University of Havanna. A walk along the Malecon is obligatory.

I was yearning for anything other than quiet and peace, so the next day I packed my belongings and moved to Havanna Vieja, Havanna's Old city. With the help of some locals, I quickly found a lovely Casa I was comfortable with. It seems to work this way in Cuba, where the people are friendly, warm and always ready to help. After checking in I decided to go discover the City. Everything in Cuba is negotiable. And so the adventure began... 

Havanna was a blast: The dynamic, the energy of the City - just amazing. Networking is easy. Maybe it's the weather, maybe the Music (probably just the Cocktails).

With the local cuban currency, you can eat real, tatsy, cuban food in side bars, where you can get a dish with rice, beans and chicken-/pork for 24 CUPS. You can actually get everywhere in Havanna
for a maximum of 4 CUCs.

An easy, friendly and cheap way to discover the city is with one of the numerous Free Walking tours. I spent most of my time purposely getting lost and discovering new parts of the cities. The cuban night life is one of a kind. If you love Dancing , live music or just watching people being happy, Havanna is the place to be.
One of my favourite highlights was the Fabrica de Arte Cubana, a place of Art, live Music, Theater, Ballet (and Cocktails of course). You absolutely need to check it out. The public is kind of mixed. Young and old Cubans, Non-Cubans. It's only open from Thursdays to Sundays. Entry costs only 2CUCS, Cocktail for around 4CUCS.

I had the most breathtaking view of the Old city of Havanna from the El Christo de la Habana. It is a spot opposite to the Old-City Bay. You can reach the place by taxi or by Ferry, which is probably the most interesting of the two.

Another way to discover the City is via a  guided Taxi-Tour. Prices, length of the Tour and locations vary, depending on where you book. The main stops are the Plaza de la Revoluzion , Varadero, Miramar and of course the Malecon.