Sickly sweet Santa Clara, by Juanita
So Jorje and I parted at La Habana ( Havana ) bus station and I headed 5 hours east to Santa Clara, a very small and affluential town.
It is a beautiful and pretty town. Much cleaner, safer feeling, friendlier and richer-looking than big Havana city. The houses and buildings are beautifully kept and freshly painted, tree-lined streets and lots of locals getting around town in their horse and carriage.
My casa "house" was lovely, hosted by Eva and her parents who live with her. Arrived late afternoon and wandered around town to check it out.
Had a great meal at a private restaurant in a casa down the street, highly recommend Casa Rolando to any one travelling Cuba.
Was amused when a local guy started chatting to me because he thought I was a local Cuban. I'm not sure why though - my boobs and butt are waaaaaaaay too small to be of Cuban features. The senoritas here are very voluptuous, curvaceous, with huge boobs and huge butts.
The town's existence is centred on Che Guevera so I learnt a lot about him in my days there. Checked out the train museum, still with the original carriages on site that Che and his guerrillas derailed with a tractor, the event that sparked the Revolution for Cuba's nationalism.
They clearly adore him, as his face is a fashion icon, seen e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e, on the clothes the locals are wearing or selling, buildings, walls, statues, plaques in the street.
Had my first ever experience of food poisoning in Santa Clara. Spent a day and a night in my upstairs apartment watching Spanish tv ( love the program "El Secretario", going to have to stream that one when I get home to Perth ) in between ten hours of horrendous vomiting.
I don't think this is any reflection on the food in Cuba though. Ate at plenty of privately owned and government owned restaurants and cafes in Cuba and the food was well cooked, great range of meat and veggies, rice, potatoe. It was just unfortunate for me, once I had figured it out in Spanish, that my host-mother reheated left-overs from what was family's dinner the night before and served it to me for breakfast. Breaking the travellers' golden rule to always eat food hot ( very hot and well cooked through ), cooked on the spot / when ordered.
Recovered from that with half a day left in Santa Clara, time to check out the Che monument and mausoleum where his remains and his 16 of his guerrilla mates are kept. ( Surprisingly Cuba was returned these ( ~1997 ) from Bolivia, a long 30 years after his assassination ).
Jumped on the Viazul bus to and met Jorje that night in Trinidad.
Highly recommend Santa Clara to anyone travelling Cuba. Was a favourite of mine so far over Havana. The Cubans are fantastic people, they all seem so happy and relaxed, even with their very simple conveniences and lifestyle. Time in Santa Clara and Cuba so far was another really big eye-opener as to how much of a rich, abundant, extravagant and luxurious life the rest of us in wealthy countries of the world live.
My three ( serious ) travel tips from Santa Clara...
1) Only eat food that's cooked fresh, at time of your order
2) Make sure you include two nights stay in Santa Clara if you're travelling Cuba
3) Learn Spanish before you come, has made the trip much more enjoyable than without I imagine, it's worth the lessons, time and money.
