Thursday April 18th - Santiago de Cuba and a Most Beautiful Drive along the South-East Coast

Today's itinerary looked pretty straightforward - up and out early for the two hour drive to Santiago de Cuba, meet a local guide for a three hour tour, then, after lunch, drive the four hours to Baracoa on the north-east coast of Cuba.

Let's see how we did.

This just looked like a lovely way to start the day. Are you sure we're not in the Wild West?

We were intrigued to see the many ways people got to work.

The countryside was green and beautiful and the roads were relatively clear - although there were no cars, it wasn't uncommon to dodge bicycles, horse carts and pedestrians.



This scene shamed me into sweeping my stoop when I got home! As I saw women all over wielding their brooms each morning I realized how seldom I take care of this and the dust and pollen on my stoop loomed large in my head. Within the week of my return home I got out the broom and wash cloth and joined the ranks of the noble women of the world. We'll see if I keep it up!

At risk of being repetitive......isn't it lovely.

The fruits of their labors looked very appealing, too.

Finally, we arrived in Santiago de Cuba, which is another very old city, having been established in 1515.

Antonio Maceo Monument

A large Cienfuegos billboard

It deserves much longer time than our allotted hours, having some very attractive colonial architecture and history crucial to both revolutions. We met our local guide close to this splendid Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption.

First stop was the lovely Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca El Morro at the mouth of Santiago Bay. As with so many other Cuban cities, 'ravaging pirates' were a problem. The city was sacked by them in 1554 so this splendid fort was built by the Spanish in 1633. It was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

I'd love to tell you I was intrigued by the history, but that's not true. I just enjoyed exploring the ramparts

This view of the east side of the Sierra Maestra Mountains is one of my favorites.

I got as far down as I could - there was one more level, but time didn't permit and my knees worried about the return.

It was a lovely piece of architecture. Its recognition by UNESCO is well deserved and it is being properly maintained as a result. 

The next stop was the Santa Ifigenia cemetery, the burial place of many important people, including Castro.

Jose Marti Mausoleum on the left, Fidel Castro's Memorial on the right.

Jose Marti's Remains

Eternal Flame

When Fidel Castro died in 2016, his ashes were transported from Havana to Santiago de Cuba, reversing the procession that had occurred across the country following the victory of the revolutionaries. I was surprised to discover that his ashes are interred in a rock. It is supposed to resemble a kernel of corn, reflecting a Jose Marti poem that says 'all the glory of the world sits in a single kernel of corn'. The boulder came from the Sierra Maestra Mountains.

One has to admire the simplicity of Fidel's memorial

I had never seen goose stepping before.

We were pleased to see the changing of the guard, which occurs every 30 minutes. In the Cuban heat, that seemed a very reasonable amount of time to have these young people standing still in their hot uniforms.

But, eek - we were running out of time and we knew that we didn't want to be arriving to Baracoa in the dark. So we decided it was time for lunch, then just a few brief stops before getting on the road.

Perhaps they were headed to lunch, also.

 Like so many other places, Santiago had the lovely 'in need of paint' buildings.

It was also quite hilly.


















The restaurants were often on a roof or terrace - open to the air. This allowed one to feel the ocean breeze and entertain oneself looking at all the intriguing ways people can add on to homes and fit roofs together. Today there was the added bonus of a cat on a hot tin roof!

Now back to the seriousness of learning about history. This famous spot was the last on our itinerary here - the Moncada Barracks. 

Fran and I found it odd that the barracks both here and in Bayamo were painted in such a fairy tale color, but that's just the way it was. This place was famous for the 26th of July attack that Fidel led unsuccessfully in 1953. The details are a litany of errors that led to many of the original 120 being killed and the remainder being apprehended, executed and imprisoned. Although there are bullet holes on the building, which is now a high school, we were told they are a form of art, rather than the result of the conflict. One blog I read said there are a few real bullet holes near a flagpole, but that's it.

Now it was time to get on the road and get to Baracoa. I was intrigued that we were going to pass through Guantanamo Province and hoped we might get a glimpse of the US Naval Base. 

Lookout near Guantanamo

The whole landscape completely changed as we traveled. The lookout we stopped at was too far away to allow us to see the American base. That was another enigma in my mind - what on earth are we doing there? We were told that the USA pays about $4000 per month to rent the base. We were also told that they never cash the checks. My internet research confirmed that - except one time which supposedly was a mistake! The relationship goes back to the end of the Spanish-American War and a deal that was made to get the USA to withdraw. It was called the Platt Amendment and allowed the USA to retain the naval base. In 1964, the water supply to the base was cut off, so now they use a desalinization plant to supply water. 

The coastline was remote and beautiful.

The area was much drier than any area we had been through before and you will not be surprised to learn that there was little traffic. However it was very beautiful in its own way.

I think this is Sierra del Purial  

It is probable that campesino's find a way to eke an existence in this remote mountain range. I know there is very little to tell online. I find it peculiar that I can't even find a topographic map that provides more detail. It looks as if it is the north eastern end of  Sierra Maestra. We passed through many small communities on the shoreline. Our guide told us they sustain themselves mostly with fishing. I was open-jawed at its wild beauty. The angle of the evening sun was about perfect.

It's a bit lazy of me to end the day with another sunset, but when it's this beautiful, how can I ignore it.