cuba: santiago de cuba

Once I decided my basic itinerary, it was fairly easy to make it happen. I bought a ticket from Havana to Santiago de Cuba, which is the longest bus ride you can take in the country. If you want to go further east, you have to connect in Santiago de Cuba. (For the sake of my sanity, I will be calling it Santiago for short, as does everyone in Cuba.)

When I bought the ticket they said come an hour early for check in. I did so, then got to sit in the stifling waiting room for a while. No fan, no breeze, not fun.

At first I wasn't planning to check any of my baggage, but I saw that no one else was carrying anything bigger than a day pack onto the bus, so I figured it was relatively safe. The guidebook didn't warn against theft from bags under the bus, like they do in some countries.

At the last minute I pulled my malong (a sheet like thing,) from the big bag and put it in my carryon, I'm glad I did. The bus made liberal use of air conditioning.

Though my boarding card had a seat number, the seating was actually free seating. I was thrilled that I ended up with a window seat. I pulled out my malong and neck pillow and got confortable. The bus actually departed on time, much to my surprise.

During the bus ride we stopped several times, of course. I don't really know what time the stops were, but some of them were longer than others. The next morning we stopped at least once for 30-40 minutes, so people could eat. I'm not sure how those stops are factored into the itineraries, but they are taken into account at least a little.

Nevertheless, the bus pulled into Santiago 30-40 minutes late. I didn't much care, I didn't have specific plans. I noticed my feet were pretty swollen after sitting upright for 16 hours. Not pretty. The foot I'd injured a couple weeks earlier was definitely more swollen than the other, but it didn't hurt, so I figured it was fine enough.

After collecting my baggage a guy approached me and asked if I had a place to stay. I didn't, so I took a look at his photos, which seemed decent. I figured if it was in a bad location, or wasn't that good, I could go elsewhere. He said the price was 20 CUC a night, which was in my budget.

The room was plenty for me. It actually had two beds, which was more than I needed of course. I liked the rooftop terrace too, which gave me a view of the port. A perfect place for breakfast. Not long afterward they brought me a welcome to Santiago drink of mango juice. Soooo good.

I'd been told ahead of time that Santiago in the hottest place in Cuba, and after just a few minutes, I believed it already. I stayed inside until 1530 or so, then ventured out. It was still hot, even then. There was no shade, which was rough for me. I noticed everyone was walking on the side of the street, trying to get into the 2 feet of shade that did exist.

My first sight was a church. Of course. Iglesia del Carmen. It wasn't obvious from down the street, as it wasn't a stand alone building. It was obvious though when I got to the open front doors. Like most of the churches I'd already seen in Cuba, the interior was made of wood. I loved the wood ceiling, maybe because it was different from most of what I've seen in recent years. None of the fans were turned on, so I didn't stay inside very long. As I walked by this church later in the day the door was closed, so I'm glad I got to see it while I did. 

From there I walked to the main platz of the city, which is called Parque de Cespedes. It most definitely is not a park, but who am I to judge others and their names? The first 'sight' was the balcony from which Fidel Castro declared the success of the Cuban Revolution, on 1 9or 2?) January, 1959.

It is now painted blue, and looks pretty good. It's a government building, I don't think you can go inside.

Another side of the platz has the house of Diego Vasquez, the first governor (Spanish) of Cuba. The house is wood, and I loved the architecture. The ceilings everywhere were carved, and really gorgeous. There was an interior courtyard, nothing to get excited about. The wood was carved in ways over the windows and balconies to allow those in those areas to view outward, and to have a breeze, without being seen by those outside.

There was a writing desk with 'secret' hiding spots, and a kitchen. There were a few bedrooms, the beds all made of wood. There was a lot of porcelain, French if I recall correctly. My favourites were the pitcher and bowl made from transparent porcelain.

In several places I noticed stained glass in a half circle above the doorways. It's a Cuban thing, to help cut the heat of the strong sun. All in all, a pretty nice house.

Before going in my next sight I saw a guy with one of those carts for the shaved ice drinks. They were even cheaper in Santiago, only 2 CUP. I love my life. I had two.

My next sight was a church. This was actually a cathedral, and quite big. The catedral de nuestra senora de la asuncion. The guidebook told me this had been a cathedral in one form or another for 500 years, since the founding of the town.

The front altar was wood, but the rest of it was stone. The ceiling was painted too.

Across the street from the cathedral (on the corner of the platz) was a chess club. Since all the windows were wide open, I could see in, so I figured I might as well step inside. I watched two older men play for about 20 minutes. Chess is serious in Santiago.

The fourth side of the platz held a hotel and something else, neither was of interest to me. Instead, I went back to the pedestrian street on which my accomodation was located. Even though it was a bit later in the day, it was still HOT and people were still trying to stay in the shade. I was just a sweaty mess.

A lot of the signs on the street were art deco in style, the buildings were a hodge podge of architectural styles. As for the fashion of what people were wearing, that seemed to be anything goes. Clothing is clothing when you live in a place that doesn't have big malls or instant online shopping.

I walked to the end of the pedestrian street, which brought me to another platz. Plaza de marte has a monument in the middle, I'm pretty sure it's a veterans memorial. There is a shape of a red hat on top, I think that is supposed to represent liberty.

I saw plenty of people sitting and looking at their phones, so I figured this was a wifi spot. Cubans do have smartphones, but there is no such thing as data. If they want to use the internet, or apps of any kind, they have to be connected to wifi. Basically, internet is not a daily part of life for most Cubans. For many Cubans, it's not a part of life at all.

I kept walking, and noticed a hospital. The map labeled it as Los Angeles clinic, I thought the building was really pretty. Like everything else, medical care in Cuba is really limited. The doctors are educated really well, (free state education,) but the lack of money means a great lack of resources.

Pharmacies all over the country are known for empty shelves more than anything else. If you want to visit Cuba, bring everything you need. DO NOT count on being able to get anything in the country.

Not long after the hospital I noticed a small park, it seemed to be full of ice cream stands. From the signs on the stands, it looked as if they were all part of one company. Each standed was crowded with people, so the ice cream must've been decent. Or cheap. It was so hot I didn't think it would stay cold long enough for me to eat it, so I skipped it.

I walked a couple more blocks, to the Cuartel Moncada, It was a fortress, but was attacked by revolutionaries. As with many fortresses in the country, it has become a school now, but a small part of it is a museum. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to see the museum. Argh.

Since my next destination was actually on the other side of the fortress, I had to walk around the outer walls of the grounds, ugh. I love walking, I really do, but I was so hot and so sweaty, it didn't feel good at all.

My walk took me through another neighborhood, I noticed more men playing chess. They were playing on roll up mats, on the sidewalk.

Given how hot the sidewalks were, I have no idea how that was at all fun, but I figured if they could sit, so could I. I ended up watching a couple matches between an older man and a young man. Fun.

Eventually I got to my next stop, the plaza de la revolucion. Apparently every city has one. This one wasn't exciting, there wasn't anything to see or do. One side had a building with a 'picture' of a guy on it, in the same style as the plaza de la revolucion in Havana. I have no idea who this guy was.

Another side of the plaza had a small hill, on top of the hill was a GIANT statue of Antonio Maceo, surrounded by 23 machetes. They didn't look like machetes to me, they looked like giant sticks in the ground. Anywho. There is a small museum about his life under his statue and machetes, and an eternal flame just outside the entry.

On my way back to my accomodation I walked through another neighborhood, this one apparently dedicated to dominoes. I joined two older men for about 10 games. I got lucky and won about 5 of the games, yay! I like dominoes, as the game goes quickly, and you don't have to know a lot of strategy.

The pieces for these guys were homemade, and their 'table' was actually a board balanced on their knees, while they sat on chairs.

I watched another group of young men playing, they were surrounded by a number of others. Somehow those playing were partners, but I couldn't figure out how that made a difference. One of the guys in the crowd explained to me that in each area of the neighborhood everyone contribures a few pesos every so often, which allows for the purchase of a better table, or domino set, or chairs, something along those lines. I like the idea.

He also explained that it's too hot inside everyone's home, so they get together out on the street. Makes sense to me.

I kept going because the sun was going down, and I'm not a huge fan of being out in the dark in a city I don't know. The sunset was pretty, I could see the colours of the sky change as I walked along. Plus I could feel it cooling down, which was amazing.

I slept well that night, and loved my breakfast on the roof the next morning. The view was great, and this was the breakfast I'd wanted in Havana: two fried eggs, a plate full of fruit (mango, pineapple, papaya,) rolls, pieces of ham and cheese, 3 glasses worth of fruit juice in a pitcher, hot water for tea, hot milk, and jam.

I didn't eat much of the bread, but everything else was great.

My 'chore' of the day was to buy a bus ticket for my next destination. I got all kinds of macho hassling on the way to the bus station, but I was already used to it. The bus I wanted was full, so I had to settle for one leaving mid afternoon, instead of early morning. Argh. Oh well.

From there I walked to a cemetary, called Cemeterio Santa Ifigenia. The guidebook told me it was second in importance in the country, because it is quite grandiose, and also because it is the eternal resting place of Jose Marti, the guy who was the leader of the Cubans in the 2^nd war for independence.

The guidebook also told me there are 8000+ tombs, of course I didn't see them all.

I walked toward what I thought was the main entrance, only to have a guard tell me not to go there. Okay, but where do I go? He didn't tell me that. I started walking in another direction, only to be told not to go there either. I was on sidewalks, and there was no signage, so I was confused and frustrated by this point.

Finally I found a gate. After entering the gate a woman told me it was 3 CUC for the ticket, which was fine. She told me I could see the next changing of the guard in about 20 minutes, but I knew the ceremony takes place every 30 minutes, and that 20 minutes wouldn't be long enough for me in the cemetary.

I was right, I wandered around the cemetary for about 45 minutes. There were a couple memorials clearly intended for groups of people, I'm guessing fighters. There were large family tombs, and smaller individual tombs. Some super fancy, others more simple. The one thing they all had in common was being above ground.

Toward the end, I visited the tomb of Jose Marti. It's big, you can't miss it. A line in one of his poems apparently says something about eternal sunshine, so when they designed his tomb/memorial they made it so that sunlight goes into his tomb no matter what time of day it is.

(Obviously, not at night.) You're able to look down to his sarcophagus, which is draped with the Cuban flag.

I exited the gate, and went over to the area where the changing of the guard ceremony takes place. The guy didn't want me to go over there either, which made no sense, because I knew that's where people stand for the ceremony. I was okay with not standing in front of a specific line, but it felt like all this guy did was say don't go there, without being helpful, or nice.

Soon enough the ceremony started, there is music throughout. Basically it is new soldiers high stepping to the tomb, and the old soldiers high stepping back to where the others came from. (Which is the building I'd initially thought was the main entrance to the cemetary, now I think it is the administration office.) Not very exciting.

I left the area, and walked back by the bus station, on my way to the waterfront area. This seemed new, I'm guessing it has been developed in just the last decade or so. The water itself isn't accessible, but you kinda feel like it is.

There are huge letters spelling out CUBA, and a couple play areas for kids. I saw a shaved ice stand and had a couple of those. Note to self, do not get the mint flavour, it tastes like mouthwash.

From there I walked into the Tivoli neighborhood, which is supposed to be something special. It didn't feel any different to me, at least not any different than each neighborhood I'd already seen felt different from others. There were a couple viewpoints in the neighborhood though, I really liked those.

I went to a museum, the Museo de la Lucha Clandestina, in a beautiful wooden house.

This museum was about the revolution in this area of the country. The city is surrounded by mountains, the rebels hid in this area at the beginning, until they got their act together. More pictures and descriptions, not much else. This museum charge 5 CUC for photos, though the entry fee was only 1 CUC. Totally not worth it. Originally a home, it was later a police station, and is now a museum. The view of the city from the balconies is quite nice.

After going through the museum I realized I was hotter and more dehydrated than before, though I'd been drinking throughout the day. Ugh.

I walked down a set of stairs, the Padre Pico steps. They're big, but no one in their right mind sits in the middle of them because it is so darn hot. I took a photo, sweating the entire time. I think most of the photos of me during this trip are taken at a distance so you don't see all the sweat. Those that are closer have sweat spots everywhere.

I went back to my room and laid down for a bit, after drinking a heap of cold water. Between the air con and the fan I was able to cool down, but I didn't feel great.

After relaxing and cooling down for a couple hours, I went back out. I wanted to see another church, this one was closed. Argh. I don't know if some churches are open outside of service hours, and others aren't, or if there are certain opening hours many churches have that I just don't know about.

I walked the pedestrian street again, then a block over to see the house of Wilma Espin, Raul Castro's wife. She was one of the more important revolutionaries. It was closed for renovations, argh.

The street from there basically went up. I was hot and miserable, again. Next to a park I found another shaved ice guy, I had two of them. Strawberry flavour is definitely the way to go, but you can also have cola, or orange. The other stands I'd seen had coolers in the middle, where the guy opened it up and scooped out ice. This guy actually shaved the ice while you watched. His cooler in the middle had a bunch of really big blocks of ice.

The park wasn't great, but the fountain in the middle was fun. The statue in the middle of the fountain was actually two faces carved into the sides of a cube, under which the water shoots straight up.

Very cool. I was seriously considering hopping in the water.

From there I just had to cross the street and walk one block to the Cuartel Moncada, which I'd tried to see the day before. This time I was earlier in the day, it was still open. I paid the 2 CUC entry fee with a 5 CUC note, they struggled to find change. Their list price had a 10 CUC charge to take photos, but I heard them saying 5 CUC to several folks for photos. I opted not to pay, as I'd already paid one outrageous photo fee for the day. I still took a few photos, but again, it totally would not be worth it.

If they want to make more money, then raise the price of the entry fee by 1 CUC, and everyone will pay it.

Like the other museums, this one was also about guerilla fighting. This one was specifically geared toward the attack led by Fidel Castro in 1953, when 100 or so of his revolutionaries attacked these barracks guarded by Batista's troops.

It's a bit creepy in some places, as there are pictures of a number of dead bodies. One would've been enough for me, thanks.

There were (money) bills that had been in Fidel's pockets displayed, among other random items. Displays of uniforms worn by various people were up as well. A lot of the displays seemed similar to what I'd already seen in Havana and Santiago itself.

I moseyed back to my accomodation, going through a couple more platzes and seeing more closed churches. I had dinner that night on the rooftop terrace while watching the sun go down over the port. Chicken, rice and beans, fries, a plate with cucumber, tomatoes and advocados, and a dessert. It was huge, I couldn't (and didn't want to) eat all the rice and fries.

Breakfast the next morning was also on the roof. I really could get used to this life.

I wanted to go see a fort, but figuring out how to get there proved to be quite a challenge. The guy in my house didn't seem to understand what I wanted at first, then he had me totally confused with his directions about where to find a bus. I ended up walking to one of the major hotels in town and asking the front desk. The lady working thought for a moment, then told me where to go in just a couple sentences.

When I got to that spot I had about eight locals point out the taxi drivers to me, even though I stated over and over (in Spanish) that I wanted the local ride. One of the taxi drivers came over and tried to convince me, including touching my shoulder a couple times to make a point. This despite me repeating over and over and over (in Spanish) that I just wanted the local public transport.

The ladies waiting at the bus stop pointed out the bus when it arrived, and told me how much it was, and how to hold my bag. Ladies stand up for each other around the world. Men, not so much.

The bus (which was more like a truck with a canopy over the back, I think about 50 people were in there,) was 2 CUP one way. By comparison, the cheapest taxi offer I heard was 8 CUC. That 8 CUC converts to 200 CUP, so even a round trip on the public ride is heaps cheaper. Of course, there is no real schedule of the buses, so you might have to wait. But I had no schedule to keep, so I was fine.

I got off the bus at the end stop, then had to walk about 30 minutes up a hill. The fortress (called El Morro) is on a promontory guarding one side of the entrance of the bay on which Santiago is located.

Building it took so long the guy who designed it died before the building was completed. By the time it was completed, it wasn't really needed anymore, the pirates had mostly moved on. It was used for other purposes over the years, mostly military. At one point parts of it were a prison, which must've been awful for the prisoners.

Anywho. The entry fee was 4 CUC (it is a Unesco sight,) with a photo fee of 5 CUC. This city is ridiculous with the photo fees. This time I did pay.

The fortress is a star-ish shape, surrounded by a moat on most sides. The non moaty sides have stairs going down several levels, I don't know who went up and down that way. I took photos of the exterior before entering over the wooden bridge.

The inside wasn't that great. There was a room that had been used as a church, several rooms displaying weapons of the various centuries, a description of the torture room, and several of the prison areas. I ended up going down, then back up all the stairs. I know I'm out of shape, but WHOA, I was huffing and puffing. And sweating, of course.

Eventually, when I felt like I'd seen everything, I left. I walked back down the hill (much faster going down, of course,) back to the bus stop. While waiting for the bus I drank the water left in my camelpak, so I knew I needed to go straight back to my room when I got back to Santiago. Thankfully I didn't have to wait long for a bus going back to the city. 2 CUP more and life was good.

Back in the house I laid down for a while, cooling down again. After a couple hours I took cold water with me and went back into the heat. I went to see the Museo de Carnaval, which wasn't that great.

There were a few costumes on display, and a few photos of some of the older festivals. There were also posters of the more recent Carnavals, which take place in Santiago in July every year. This was another museum wanting a 5 CUC photo fee, but the entry fee was only 1 CUC. As the museum itself was three and a half rooms, I refused to pay that photo fee. There wasn't even anything to take photos of! (I snuck one, of one costume not behind a display case.)

I had dinner in the house again, up on the roof. Fish this time, with rice and beans, fried plantains, as well as the same salad and dessert as the day before. Sigh, life is good.

Another big breakfast, another beautiful morning view on the roof.

At the beginning of my walk I went past a small park, where a band was playing. One guy was running a paper organ (I'd never seen one before!) while the others were keeping the beat or singing or doing something else. Awesome. I was happy to throw into that tip basket.

I decided to make another attempt at the Vilma Espin house, after reading the guidebook and seeing that the opening hours were only in the mornings, I hoped the renovation they'd mentioned earlier was just an afternoon of moving things around. Alas, my hopes were dashed. I wonder when this renovation will end.

I walked to another museum, the Emilio Bacardi museum. This guy is the one who started the rum empire you've probably heard about. By the time the rum got famous he wasn't living in Cuba anymore, but the country still claims him.

His museum has a lot. The top floor is all artwork, that floor is air conditioned. Some of the paintings I really liked. Paintings of royals always fascinate me, as I often think they weren't at all good looking. The middle floor has stuff he collected on his travels, as well as items related to the history of the city. The bottom floor has ethnography stuff, including three mummies. Creepy, but awesome, sortof.

From there I went back to my accomodation, packed up my stuff and checked out. It was easy to catch a bici taxi (bicycle taxi, they pedal while the passenger is in a small carriage of sorts,) to the bus station. The bus to my next destination was an hour late, argh.

I think I"ve pretty much seen all there is to see in Santiago. The city is crazy with photo fees at museums, how many people pay all of them. But if I come back to Cuba and want to see anything east of Santiago, I'll have to connect in the city at the very least.