Our route from Havana to Trinidad took us past the Bay of Pigs. Site of a near diplomatic and political disaster, it is now a calm spot popular for fishing, diving and snorkeling.
Our hotel is on the beach, about 15 km from Trinidad. There are few hotels in the city, with many tourists staying in casa particular or bed and breakfasts. These and the paladars are part of the economic change that is Cuba today. The casa particular and paladars are privately owned and earn their right to exist by paying a tax or license fee to the government. I am not sure which is the correct term as our guide made it sound like there is an amount that must be paid even if the business is not profitable.
Trinidad is one of the original European villages founded in Cuba. Dating back to the early 1500’s, Trinidad’s fortunes have waxed and waned. Early financial success was due to it’s isolation from the rest of Cuba, so life was a bit freewheeling with piracy a significant source of income. Later, in the 1800’s the growing of sugar cane and the processing at sugar factories brought wealth to the area. The large, colonial homes in Trinidad were built during this period. When the wars of independence began, the mills and fields were burned. While growing sugar came back to the area, the breakup of the Soviet Union did away with a major customer. Today tourism is the source of much income as historic Trinidad is a UNESCO world heritage site.
We spent our day wandering through the historic part of the city. With centuries old cobblestone streets our feet were happy when we returned to our hotel and gave them some rest.
Dinner was at a paladar in Trinidad. Soup, shrimp, red snapper, rice and potatoes were on the menu, followed by pineapple, guava and banana flamed in rum served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. The fusion style cooking in Cuba still has a ways to go before it can compete with the rest of the world. All the motions you can drink do not compensate for over cooked shrimp and over sauced meat and fish.
Tomorrow the long drive back to Havana.
