Tuesday March 23 - Camaguey to Trinidad

Starting off our Camaguey tour by bicitaxis

We woke up to rain pouring down into the hotel courtyard, but it didn't last for long - just long enough to wet the seats of the bicitaxis (or rickshaws) that we took for a morning tour around Camaguey. Camaguey has a totally confusing layout (allegedly deliberate in order to confuse pirates in the 16th century), and winding in and out of the streets and elegant colonial squares with occasional U-turns didn't help us get our bearings. En route we saw yet another hero of the fight against the Spanish, Ignacio Agramonte, immortalised by a statue,  astride his horse. On a smaller scale in one square a local sculptor had immortalised some of the ordinary citizens of Camaguey. With the morning rain still clinging to the figures they looked distinctly sweaty! The sculptor's studio across the square had an interesting variety of pieces, including a fountain featuring a woman squatting for a pee! The sun came out as we left Camaguey in the coach, and again the warmth, the flat countryside with sugar cane plantations mostly, meant that eyes were gradually closing as we drove.  A short coffee (or fresh fruit) drink stop in the Rio Azul roadside café helped. The first of our two included lunch stops of the tour took place at Sancti Spiritus. We had to wait for a short time while a large group filed out of the restaurant - a fairly common occurrence as tour coaches follow each other around the island. During the meal Ricardo slipped out & managed to find not just a cake, but also candles, to present to Caroline whose 60th birthday it was. Inevitably we had musicians accompanying the meal, but at least they included a birthday song as well as Guantanamera in their repertoire.

After the lunch we had a short walking tour of the centre and found another pleasant colonial town with a pedestrianised shopping street. But we had little time to linger, and it was back on the coach for the final stretch to Trinidad, where we arrived just after 5pm. The Trinidad hotel, Las Cuevas, is located on the hill above the old town of Trinidad, and comprises rows of cabins lined up the hillside with a large pool set amongst the upper cabins. It took some time to get our keys as there was an argument going on between our guides and reception. It turned out that the guides were being asked to share rooms & beds, as the hotel was overbooked. As this apparently happens frequently the guides wanted to make a stand and this still wasn't resolved after we had got our rooms and come down for dinner. I offered my spare bed, or to pay for bed and breakfast, but the stand-off continued. Later, as we watched the loud (in all senses) dance and song show, we spotted the guides climbing out of the restaurant window and disappearing - but we had no idea where they were staying!

Sweating sculpture in Camaguey

Wednesday March 24 - Trinidad

After several days of travel across the island it was a relief to get going for a walk - except that it took a long time to get going as we missed picking up the local guide, and arrived just behind a large group. This meant hanging around the Rancho Cubano for enough time for four people to give up waiting and setting off to walk on their own - but at least Roger & Rita got lots of photos of butterflies. Eventually we got going - very slowly as there were lots of plants for Carbonel to explain, and plenty of birds for the birders to peer at. After a stop at a neat thatched farmhouse for some lemon-grass tea we reached the Javira waterfall. This is a stream of water flowing over an apron of tufa before falling into a deep pool - deep enough to jump off the rocky walls of the cleft into the pool safely. Even stranger, it is possible to swim into a cave on the far side of the pool, complete with stalactites and flow-stone and even bats. However, only a few of us ventured that far.. Back at the Rancho Cubano we had another meal between two deal - only this one wasn't such good value.

Taking a pig for a walk in Trinidad

Blackboard showing rations available in government shop

Then it was back into Trinidad for a tour of the town, starting at a pottery - a few people came out clutching pots or wind-chimes. then we were dropped in the main square of the Trinidad, which is outside the historic centre which is further up the hill. The square was packed as in one corner there seemed to be a schools' team gymnastics competition - well the kids were making pyramids, waving pom-poms and releasing doves amidst music and much applause. Leaving this behind we wound our way up through the town with its mixture of restored buildings and propped up shells. Overall the cobbled streets and pastel painted buildings created a wonderful Spanish colonial atmosphere in afternoon heat. Diversions included a man wandering around with a pig on a lead - presumably in order to get money from tourists as they take photos (yes, I did pay) rather than to exercise the pig. We also went into one of the shops which sells the basic foodstuffs and goods available to Cubans on their ration cards. A cabinet was filled with bread rolls, and stacks of egg trays graced the shelves. On the wall a blackboard gave the quantity and price of the various items available. After that we had a tour round the Museo Romántico, housed in a rich sugar baron's house, with its fine collection of 19th century furniture from almost every European nation. Then, after a drink and music at the Cuban-Afro music centre, we headed back to the hotel. This time the guides and driver had accommodation - but in a different hotel......

Thursday March 25 Trinidad

Lizard checking us out at the Hacienda Codina

Another day of delays before walking! We were ready at 8.30, but the bus and guides didn't arrive from their overnight hotel until just before 9. Then, as the bus had to return to Santiago for repairs, we boarded two large army lorries for the drive up into the mountains behind Trinidad. The next delay came when we stopped at a lookout (looking for all the world like an unfinished concrete dwelling - no handrail on the steps, or wall round the flat roof) and ordered sandwiches for a picnic. It was almost half an hour before the first one appeared - toasted, and on a plate and no means of wrapping it! It was much longer before the last one appeared. Reaching the 'tourist complex'  of Topes de Collantes - a huge soviet style range of buildings including a massive spa hotel block on the hill top - there was more delay in meeting up with the local guide & presenting vouchers for the service. Hopping on the lorries for a short ride we hit the next delay - a visit to the coffee museum where the guides insisted on having coffee (so I joined them, although most didn't). At last, a mere three hours after meeting up this morning, we set off on the walk. We were rewarded with plenty of flowers, but fewer birds. Once again we reached an incredible landscape feature in the limestone - this time the stream flowed through a partly collapsed cavern. The walls again had stalactites and the stream flowed down through a series of pools. It was possible to get so far up the cleft by clambering over the slippery rocks - a fixed rope helped here, but it was easier (and colder) to swim through the pools and clamber up the low waterfalls. Why was I the only one to do this??

Eventually we reached the Hacienda Codina, a rustic café in the forest. Another group was eating (and staying the night) here so we perched by the bar, ate our sandwiches, and watched the wildlife all around. Our guides disappeared for a full Cuban lunch! After this break we walked the short nature circuit "the magic " where there were spectacular ground orchids, and a pig being roasted on a spit! The drive back to the start of the walk was spectacular, along a ridge just under 1000m in altitude and fringed with tree ferns. It made us realise how far we had walked! On the way down we had a short stop to photograph yet more orchids - this time growing out of the rock. Whilst doing this a woodpecker was busy with its nest in a hole in a wooden pylon on the roadside. In the evening a group of us headed down into the town, to the steps outside the main church where a big band sound group was playing to the crowd sitting on the steps. There was a healthy number of locals in the crowd, and some fantastic dancers. It was the first time we had seen high speed salsa done with two couples and, later, three couples! How they coordinated the twirling and swapping of partners I don't know!

Woodpecker nesting in electricity pole

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