A Journey To Cienfuegos And Trinidad

Cuba’s Tourist Friendly Cities

by Habeeb Salloum

I was half asleep as I stepped outside the front door of our hotel in the early morning darkness.  Barely seeing a bench I moved nearer to sit down. Startled, I almost sat down on a man seemingly exhausted with his head in his hands.  “Usted cansado (you tired)? I asked in my broken Spanish. He stared at me, “Yo perro!” I looked at him not understanding what he was saying. “Que (what)?” I asked. “Woof! Woof! Dog! I am a dog!” Still not understanding what he meant, I asked, “Que! Porque (why) dog? He grinned explaining that he was a watchdog for the hotel with very little pay, hoping that tourists would feel sorry for him and throw him a bone.

I was still laughing to myself as I with seventeen other passengers boarded a tour bus for the charming city of Cienfuegos and then the treasured town of Trinidad – one of Cuba’s gems. I felt elated as the cool morning breezes flowing through the open windows caressed our bodies.

As we neared Cienfuegos after a three-hour drive, rice fields began to appear amid the sugarcane and above them the Royal palm, Cuba’s national tree, beautifying the skyline. The most favoured of the country’s 89 species of palms it is heaven-sent to farmers who feed its fruit to their pigs and use its trunk and branches for building their homes.

As we entered Cienfuegos, I was amazed. Unlike other cities in Cuba, the majority of its buildings gleamed sparkling white in the sunlight. An industrial urban centre of some 138,000, the city is a relatively modern town, founded in 1819. Known as the ‘Southern Pearl of Cuba’, it hugs the bright-blue Cienfuegos Bay and is known as one of the most beautiful cities in the country.

We drove along the Prado, the longest promenade in Cuba that terminates at the bay until we reached José Martí Square in the heart of town. As we tumbled out of our bus I remarked to one of my fellow travellers:  “It looks more attractive than a good number of North American cities.” “I can’t believe it’s in Cuba.”

Driving for a few minutes we came to Valle Palace, a replica of a part of the Moorish Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. Even the Arab Nassrid kings of Granada’s wa la ghalib ilallah (there is no conqueror but God) is inscribed in Arabic on its walls. Once the home of a count that must have been enamoured with Spain’s Arab past, it now houses an antique shop, bar and a restaurant, surrounded by Moorish type plaster filigree - an exact copy of those in Alhambra. For me, it appeared like a re-creation from the Arabian Nights.

Departing from this charming palace we left for Trinidad, the third oldest city in the country, labelled ‘Cuba’s treasure’. The fairly good, but narrow road wound its way through the foothills of the tree-covered Escambray Mountains whose peaks rise to over 1,000 m (3,280 ft).  From 1959 to 1965 these mountains provided a hiding place for contra-revolutionary bands until Castro’s forces finely wiped them out. There was little traffic and we made good time as we drove along the Caribbean shoreline until we reached Trinidad - a historic town of 60,000.

Founded by Diego Velázquez in 1514, the city nestles between the overshadowing mountains and Cuba’s south central coast. From here, Hermán Cortés recruited many of his soldiers for the conquest of Mexico and in the ensuing years it became an important Spanish colonial town. It was built around a series of squares with narrow cobblestone streets edged by sumptuous homes.

These were constructed with attractive inner patios, unique doors, imported Italian marble floors, charming wood balconies and iron or wooden window grills. These homes were the principal reason that UNESCO declared the city a part of the world’s heritage and it is being restored under that agency’s auspices.

Trinidad reached the height of its cultural and economic development between 1750 and 1850. This flourishing era was based on the wealth amassed from sugarcane, grown in the remarkably fertile soil of the nearby Sugar Mill Valley, which once had 82 sugar mills. Only traces of these mills and the restored Iznaga or Manacalznaza Tower, from which overseers used to watch the slaves, remain. 

All of Trinidad’s illustrious palaces and churches were built from the money produced by these miserably treated slaves. When they were eventually freed, Trinidad stopped growing and became literally a museum-town.

We began the tour of town by walking up one of the ancient cobbled streets. Looking around, I thought that we had stepped back a few centuries in time. On both sides were venerable houses and palaces. Every door of these centuries-old abodes was different in size and design. It is said that people used to know who owned the home by these portals.

Our first stop was the Municipal Museum, whose home is a former palace. After examining its wide-range of artefacts, we walked on past a large hedge of exquisite flowering bougainvillaea to the Romantic Museum, housed in the Brunet Palace, located on Plaza Mayor - the heart of the old town and Cuba’s most elegant square.  Its exhibits consisted of ceramics and furniture utilized by the privileged families in the 17th and 18th centuries. Our guide remarked that the hand-manufactured wood furniture made in these bygone years, remains one of Trinidad’s noted handicrafts.

From the palace-museum, we sauntered to the next-door cathedral, directly opposite the Von Humboldt Museum of Science. Inside, we stood for awhile admiring its hand-carved wooden alter then strolled past the Convent of San Francisco to La Canchánchara - noted for a typical Cuban drink which is a mixture of rum or wine with honey and lime juice. 

After sampling this somewhat different country beverage, also called Canchánchara, we drove to Taller Alfarero, a large ceramics workshop where traditional techniques are still used. After touring the workshop where a pottery artisan was busy at work we left this city that lives in the past.

On our return journey, I reflected about our trip.  The scenic countryside, beautiful Cienfuegos and especially the museum-town of Trinidad were not to leave me until we were back, very late that evening we were abed, in our comfortable hotel.

IF YOU GO

Facts to Know About Cienfuegos, Trinidad and Cuba:

Even though still reasonably priced, Cuba has become for tourists more expensive. It is best to take an all-inclusive package deal offered by travel agencies.

Visitors to Cuba must use convertible pesos (CUC – at present 1 CUC = $1.13 Canadian. The Cuban peso, which can only be used by tourists to purchase such products as fruit and vegetables, converts at about 1 CUC to 21 pesos.

Rental cars in Cuba are expensive - around 50 to 150 CUC a day, depending on size of auto. Gas is around .75 CUC a litre.

In spite of all types of shortages, Cuba is still safe, thefts are rare and tap water is drinkable, even in the villages.

Two good restaurants to dine in Trinidad: Don Antonio, housed in a colonial house of wooden and tile roofs, in the city’s historical center – it is one of the busiest eating places in the city; and Restaurante Vía Reale, specializing in Italian food. Food in most ordinary Cuban restaurants is quite dull.  The meals in peoples' eating-places run from 7 to 8 CUC; tourist restaurants charge from 10 to 30 CUC for a meal.

Ancon and Maria Aguilar Beaches just outside Trinidad are among the finest beaches on the southern coast of Cuba, edged by the best hotels in the area.

The best buys in Cuba are rum and cigars. Beware of black market cigars - often they are not authentic. Seven year-old Havana Club is the top rum in Cuba. It is smoother than brandy and sells at around CUC 12.00 a bottle.

Cubans are appreciative of gifts, especially soap, English-Spanish dictionaries and all types of clothing - new and used.

On trips to the countryside in Cuba take along bug repellent with you to protect against insects.

The best time to travel to Cuba is from December to the end of April during the dry cool season.

Be sure to save CUC25.00 in cash for your departure tax at the airport.

For Further Information, Contact Cuba Tourist Board:

Cuba Tourist Board, Toronto: 1200 Bay Street. Suite 305. Toronto. ON. M5R 2A5. Tel: (416) 362-0700. Toll Free: 1-866-404 CUBA (2822).  Fax: (416) 362-6799 e-mail: info@gocuba.ca ; Montreal: 2075, rue University, Bureau 460 Montréal, Québec, H3A 2L1 Tel: (514) 875-8004 Fax: (514) 875-8006 e-mail: montreal@gocuba.ca  Website: http://www.gocuba.ca/en/index.asp.