Wednesday is just “One of those days” ...... The bus trip that should take 4 hours ends up being part of a tour and after leaving at 7am we arrive at 4pm. We stop for breakfast at the very bizarre “Fiesta Campienesa”. The literal translation is “Party campsite” where the communist regime tries to convince busloads of tourists that rural life in Cuba is wonderful. After guinea pig gambling and a very expensive coffee I have my photo taken on a giant cow. The tour leader is getting to Sav with his utterings of useless Cuban facts well before we sit down to a very poor lunch in another tourist trap in Cienfuegos where we manage to leave our Cuban guide book. When we eventually get to Trinidad it takes us 30 minutes to find our guesthouse that turns out to be 50m from where we arrived (that guidebook with the maps we lost at lunch would have been handy) who only have one room available, not the two we booked! To top it off we are so tired we head out to an early dinner with the rudest service imaginable (although its not the first time we’ve been denied drinks!) and then discover as we trudge home wearily after seeing a good local rhumba band (definitely the day’s highlight) that all of the music bars and clubs that Trinidad is famous for are just starting to get going. Sometimes you’ve just got to take a deep breath and let it go.
Our next day is a vast improvement. Half a day on a beautiful beach, followed by a long ciesta and a magnificent meal of the largest whole lobster I’ve ever seen cooked for us by the very friendly owners of the guesthouse that Ron and Rosemary are staying at. Tonight we’ve timed our run far better and hit the main square just as a couple of hundred people are gathered around outdoor bars watching local and tourist salsa/rhumba dance enthusiasts groove away to one of the local 8 piece bands. Ron and Rosemary join in like seasoned pros and look great. We try another small club around the corner and after enough Cuba Libres (basically rum and cokes) Sav and I try to put into practice what we’ve been learning at the salsa classes ... thankfully there is no video evidence of what occurred.
We stay Ciefuegos the following night, at a casa right on the water. Although it's communist Cuba, our casa has a pool and there are mojitos on arrival! After a very decadent breakfast the next day, we make our way to Havana for one last night.... and have time for one more much needed salsa class!
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