Trinidad, Playa ancón

May 3, Santa Clara to Trinidad by bus
Before we left Santa Clare to go to Trinidad we went to the place where Che and his comrades derailed a train which ultimately led to the victory of the Revolutionaries.

Trinidad offers fantastic Spanish colonial architecture and was rightfully declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. The cobblestone streets can be a bit hard to walk on, but we got used to it after some time. As we were exhausted after the past few days of hectic travelling we decided to take it easy, enjoyed a lovely sunset above Trinidad and spent the evening smoking cigars and drinking.

4th of Mai, Trinidad, Beach day!
After all the sightseeing we decided it was time for another day on the beach. We rented two bikes and went to playa ancón which is about 45 minutes away from Trinidad. Unfortunately, on our way back to Trinidad it started to rain heavily and when we took shelter at a bus station outside a little village we “donated” our soaking wet T-shirts to a local when we took them off. First he arranged his bike so he could jump on it easily and then he grabbed our T-Shirts and took off. Luckily we did not leave our backpacks unattended! But we did curse the local and vowed to come back in a couple of years and burn down his entire village. As the name of the village was “La Boca” we would randomly shout out “Burn la Boca, Burn!” if something went wrong for the rest of the trip.

May 5, Travelling from Trinidad to Havana
To get back to the Havana we decided to try a different type of transportation and shared a taxi with two English girls. To be honest, it was a bit tight to sit in a Peugeot 303 with three other tourists and the driver for a couple of hours without air condition, but as it was only half price compared to the bus, it was worth it. Unfortunately I forgot my hat, which I had bought in Australia in 2001 and which had travelled with me on many adventures on the cab.

Back in Havana we went down to the Malecon once again and walked to the Hotel Nacional for a late night “Club Sandwich” I had been dreaming of for a while. Hotel Nacional is an impressive building from the early 20th century, which has seen such famous people as , Errol Flynn, Marlon Brando and Ernest Hemingway and the equally famous but less likable Al Capone.