After a day exploring Isla de la Juventud, we were half way through the Group IST/Variety Cruises Cuba trip. We had spent two nights at the Port of Havana, a day at sea and one day anchored off the Isla de la Juventud.
There were three nights left to complete our journey.
What had at first seemed like a broad expanse on the calendar had rapidly shrunken to half the size. Time seemed to be accelerating as we crossed the halfway point and the conclusion of the trip came onto the horizon.
From Havana, we had sailed around the thin western edge of Cuba and then turned eastward along the southern shore. The next three days were spent exploring these southern parts via three stops: Cayo Largo, Trinidad and Cienfuegos our final destination-from where we would catch our flights out of the country.
Cayo Largo is part of the Canarreos Archipelago, the same group of islands as the Isla de la Juventud. Though the name is the equivalent of "Key Largo," meaning "long key (or cay, meaning a small island)," it is not the same Key Largo in the Florida Keys-the one featured in the 1948 film noir classic starring "Bogie and Bacall."
But Cuba's Cayo Largo is a popular international tourist destination, drawing people with its wildlife, pristine white sand beaches and great diving in clear water among coral reefs. We anchored three miles off the island and rode to shore on an inflatable landing craft.
There we visited a wildlife center that rescues and protects sea turtles. We got to see and touch some of the cute young ones that are kept in the center until they are old enough to be released into the wild.
As part of the People to People requirements, we visited a local clinic and heard from an administrator and a doctor about the Cuban public health system, which is enviable despite the country's poverty.
We were next given a choice to either spend time on the beach or go out on a catamaran named Ballenatos for snorkeling at a special spot near a sunken shipwreck. The quiet underwater world was well-lit, with sunbeams shining through the clear water. The area around the sunken ship was populated by a great variety of colorful fish, which were not afraid of people and seemed, in some cases, to be hanging out hoping we might offer them something to eat.
At 5 p.m., the ship left Cayo Largo and sailed for the port of Casilda, near Trinidad, which was our main focus on Thursday-our next-to-last full day in Cuba. Trinidad is a gorgeous Spanish colonial city, with cobblestone streets over hilly terrain decorated with old Spanish architecture.
[READMORE] READ MORE: Cuba Continues to Grow As a Cruise Destination [/READMORE]
Founded in 1514, it was the fourth of the original seven villas established in Cuba by the Spanish conqueror Diego Velásquez. It's one of the oldest colonial cities in the New World; its age is tasty, like vintage wine that you absorb through the atmosphere.
Plaza Mayor, an open park square in front of the Holy Trinity Church, was our central meeting point for exploring the shops, restaurants and street vendors, rows of pastel-colored buildings with red clay tile roofs and ornate wrought iron railings and doors. Behind the church is Trinidad Terraces, with wide stair steps up a steep hill, where much of Trinidad's music and reveling takes place.
Trinidad is one of Cuba's seven UNESCO World Heritage sites, and it's one of the more enchanted parts of island. It's a pleasant dream just to walk around and soak up the historical atmosphere and the street life.
I sought refuge from the mid-day heat at El Mojito, a tiny restaurant/bar/souvenir shop on the edge of Plaza Mayor with an open front. I nursed a cold mojito and watched the world go by.
Thursday night was the farewell dinner on the ship. There was one more full day to explore Cuba, in Cienfuegos, before heading back to the states early Saturday morning.
Cienfuegos is another of Cuba's UNESCO World Heritage sites. It was founded in 1819, 300 years later than Trinidad, and the architecture is more modern and urban.
It had originally been a settlement of the native Taino people of Cuba. Though it was part of the Spanish territory, its first colonial settlers were French immigrants from Bourdeaux and Louisiana, and they left their imprint.
The city's architecture reflects its 19th Century origins, with a great collection of neoclassical buildings in the downtown area, and wrought iron railings on balconies of row houses reminiscent of New Orleans.
[READMORE] READ MORE: Does JetBlue Know Something About Cuba That We Don't? [/READMORE]
We had some time to explore El Bulevar, a broad boulevard in the city center, forbidden to car traffic for several blocks. It was packed with people shopping, walking or congregating and was a great place for observing Cuban people and their families.
We were taken to a busy cigar store to learn about complexities of the production of high-quality cigars. We then visited a printmaking shop and the Benny More Cultural Center of the Arts, named after Cienfuegos' favorite son and musician. At a lively produce market, we next saw where local Cubans buy their fruits and vegetables.
While at the Benny More center, we saw a performance of a guitar ensemble of seven musicians playing classical guitars with great precision and drive. Like seemingly all Cuban musicians, they played with great concentration and seriousness, as if their lives depended on it.
Our last experience in Cienfuegos was visiting a school where we watched a musical play called "Martina the Cockroach" put on by a cast of kids about 8 years old. Dressed in costumes and earnestly portraying their little comedic drama about a cockroach trying to decide whom to marry, they were enchanting and irresistibly cute.
As I have discovered on other trips in other places, a visit to children in school may have been the most moving and memorable experience of the whole trip.
After a day exploring Cienfuegos, we reluctantly headed back to the ship, knowing that the explorations were over and all that was left was an evening of saying goodbye to our traveling compatriots, packing, organizing and preparing to get up before sunrise the next morning for the bus trip to Abel Santamaria Airport in Santa Clara.
Before dawn the next morning, we had one more opportunity to visit with our bleary-eyed compatriots-the new friends with whom we had shared an unforgettable experience. But that morning was different. It had a sense of grim determination about it.
No longer enjoying a time of free exploration, our attention turned to navigation, getting all of our things together, leaving the ship in time to catch our flights, dealing with all the unpleasant necessities of traveling through airports.
Surprisingly, the airport at Santa Clara was a breeze. It was clean and freshly refurbished, with glossy tile floors and minimal traffic. It was as painless an airport experience as I can remember.
But it was painful to say goodbye to Cuba.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
