Hi guys, welcome to part 2 of my Cuba adventure, Part one can be found here if you missed it:(https://hive.blog/hive-174578/@biggypauls/engage-on-hive-cuba-part-1)
Yesterday we had left Havana and were on route to Maria La Gorda, on paper it promised to be a world class place to dive. It was a long drive through stunning countryside passing the town of Vinales, this area is where Cuba produces it tobacco for their world famous cigars, all along the route were huts drying leaves in a valley region that was amazingly beautiful, lush and green with stone outcrops rising on the horizon, as mentioned yesterday nearly all my photos have been lost so to set the scene i'll have to borrow one.
Vinales valley.
This area is perfect for tobacco production as it is damp and humid, each night the mist rolls in off the hills and provides moisture which stops the tobacco harvest drying out too quickly, we learned the secret to a good cigar was slowly cured leaves And one thing is for sure they can make a good cigar here I should know iv'e smoked plenty of them.
Cohiba Esplendido the choice of Fidel Castro.
At days end we arrive at our destination, it was not what I had envisaged and nothing like what had been posted on line. Maria La Gorda turned out to be fully state controlled, the accomodation resembled prison blocks and our first meal at the on site restaurant was poor to say the least. We consoled ourselves with the promise of great diving the next day.
The following morning after a average breakfast we joined the dive crew, we had expected things to not be perfect in a country virtually cut off from the world and for this reason we had brought our own dive equipment along for the holiday. Just as well what they had was in awful condition and didn't give you much, confidence, things went from bad to worse, the boat struggled to start, the guide despite being asked many times gave us no information about the dive sites merely gesturing us onto the boat. We teamed up with another English couple and decided that we would all keep an eye on each other, the boat that looked better than it was spluttered away from the jetty. Forty minutes later we arrived at the dive site and it was clear all the guide was planning to do was lead us around, no pre dive briefing no safety checks. So we took it upon ourselves to do things correctly and stick to standards, all checked among the group we jumped in. The water was warm and clear but within minutes it was obvious this was not the world class diving we had been promised, far from it mostly sandy bottom very few fish and little coral to be seen. After about a forty minute dive we came back to the boat disappointed. I would like to say this was a one off but every dive was equally poor and at the end of our four day stay we were happy to leave.
Looks can deceive.
It was a shame to have been so let down by this leg of our trip but onward and upwards things would hopefully improve at our next destination, Playa Larga at the north of the bay of pigs. To get there was a bit of a pain as the road system had no link through the south of the island so we had to travel back to Havana stay over night then journey down the next day. That said it was a nice road trip taking in some lovely countryside on route. Playa larga was a small one road village with a nice beach and a great vibe about the locals, friendly and sociable they would all invite you in to their homes and share meals and conversation about their lives. We stayed with Bel, she was a great host cooked amazing food and treated us like family, she made our stay so enjoyable, her brother in law told us stories about the local area most famously the attempted American invasion.
After the 1958 revolution the Americans did many things to destabilize the Castro regime, many stories have come to light, like attempts to kill Castro a keen scuba diver by planting bombs in conch shells, poisonings and so on. In 1961 the CIA funded Cuban exiles who opposed Castro with the intention of invading the country through the bay of pigs. Unbeknownst to the US planners their were double agents in their midst who tipped of Cuban officials of the plan. On the 17th April 1961 the Democratic Revolutionary Front (DRF) together with us military invaded from Guatemala and Nicaragua by boat, the Cubans were expecting them and had hurriedly fortified the coastline. 1400 Cuban exiles and US military took part in the failed invasion which lasted just three days, the defensive was over seen by Fidel Castro his success cemented him as a national hero. For more on this story I have added a link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Pigs_Invasion
All around the coast are remnants of this period in Cuba's history, here in some of my surviving photos you can see bunkers and rusting relics of landing craft.
Koz on a bunker.
Gunner post.
Landing craft remains.
Bunker complex.
I really enjoyed learning more about this story from locals that were there to witness and in some cases take part, what ever your politics these were great recounts from interesting people.
During our stay in the area we hired bicycles and rode out for the day to visit a cenote (sink hole) connected to the sea with salt water crocodiles patrolling and we dived a couple of times which was better than before but again not brilliant, the highlight being a small wreck left from the invasion attempt. All said and done this leg was to be our favorite of the trip, the history, people and surroundings were unforgettable. After ten days it was time to move on to the last part of this holiday which meant another car trip north, but this time in classic style, Bels boyfriend offered to drive us north and look at his car! Image salvaged from my instagram poor quality but you get the idea from it
1956 Chevy bel air Amason.
It was sad to leave Bel and the local community it really was one of the nicest places iv'e ever stayed, it's people that make a place and here you will find some of the best specimens. We spent the last few days in Cuba in a resort near Havana, Playa Jibacoa not my usual choice but a chance to unwind and put your feet up, the hotel was completely full of Canadians the only other nationality there aside from Cuban staff were myself and Koz, it felt very strange they were all inclusive and drinking from first thing in the morning not my sort of thing. There was one couple who were totally wasted all the time, she described herself as a cougar, wishful thinking on her part, we would bump into them three or four times a day and every time she would introduce herself followed by "ohh man we met some English people earlier" of course it was us but she was too blind drunk to remember, by day two every time she spoke to us and asked our names we gave different ones and not once did she notice, it gave us a little laugh. Our time done it was the day to pack up and leave and sadly we had again found ourselves in a place we were happy to leave.
I have felt for a long time we have unfinished business in Cuba, it would have been nice to spend longer and scratch a bit deeper below the surface, for sure if we go back we would stay away from larger state controlled resorts and spend more time in small communities, there you will find the real Cuba.
Engage on hive contest sponsored by @abh12345 - @tarazkp - @meesterboom and @galenkp
[//]:# (!pinmapple 22.249201 lat -81.194384 long Playa larga Bay of pigs d3scr)
Aww, Vinales... my favorite place in Cuba. Thank you for bringing some nice memories to me with this great travel report full of amazing shots :)
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 0/20)
It was a stunning place to visit I hope to return some time in the future, writing the piece brought back lots of memories for me also.
Congratulations, your post has been added to Pinmapple! 🎉🥳🍍
Did you know every user has their own profile map?
And so does every post as well!
Want to have your post on the map too?
Do you see youself getting back there at any stage? You mentioned unfinished business. I think it often happens that a person visits somewhere then wants to go back, delve a little deeper, connect more.
Great post, again. Thanks for taking the time.
I would like to think so one day but it's a big planet and so many places I want to see, never say never.
That's the thing isn't it, how many times can one go back to the same place when there's so many other places to see.
After a morning of no internet it seems we are back up and running. Without a doubt we would like to see as many places as possible in our short time here on earth but I do find that it is hard to take in many places on a single trip, most countries I have traveled to I end up going back, some like here I end up living for a while.
We're the same...It's always so tempting to revisit a place if close but all that does is preclude somewhere else. Travelling from Australia take a lot of effort, time and money so we need to make sure we're getting the value. I need a few lifetimes and a few million kilogram gold bars! Lol.
Keep working on them gold stocks:) How about reinforcing your shed roof and building a new island, it worked before. covid proof tourism.
Lol, I already have gold fever don't need any coaxing.
Yeah, the roof would nee to be reinforced these days, I weigh just a little more now than I did 41 years ago! Gives island paradise holiday a whole new meaning huh? I have my own house now though, don't have to hide on the roof...I've got me a fire pit, and I know how to use it!