One traveler thought the bus that hobbled through the bumpy dirt track roads was heading for the port to catch a ferry over to Trinidad & Tobago. This person could not have been more wrong, as the Trinidad that this bus was heading due south for was in Cuba itself.

Three hours of driving through the small villages and townships of Cuba, passing the local people, catching a glimpse into their humble lives, seeing residences that ranged from mud huts with palm tree rooves, three-roomed shacks to the occasional colourful house that could be seen among the lush greenery. Banana plantations were abundant, as were cocoa beans and coffee. The surrounding land was mainly dry, a little arid in some places as we drove through the dirt tracks.

The bus entered into what seemed to be a movie set of a “typical old Cuban town”…

The occasional 1950 classic American automobile parked up on a cobbled street was picture perfect, not to mention the man riding his horse-drawn cart round the corner, and one old man waiting patiently against a bright yellow wall with his satchel resting over his shoulder.

It felt like we had stepped back in time, at least 30 years, time seemed to stand still. The pace was slow, mellow, tranquil and humid. Poverty was quite significant though the bright coloured houses seemed to prove otherwise, not to mention the shiny and mint condition aqua green 1950 Cadillac that caught my eye. As I got closer to the car, a man approached me with a bag of mangoes, he urged me to buy this bag of mangoes from him and to come look at his car… he proceeded to give me the rundown of details of his pride and joy Cadillac. I bought the juicy ripe mangoes as these would hit the right spot as the sun blared down and the temperature scorched.

         

Trinidad was founded in 1514 by Diego Velazquez and got the name of Santisima Trinidad. In 1988 it was declared a wold heritage site by Unesco. Trindad feels and breaths like an ancient city lost in time, you can’t help but feel like time stands still when you walk through the cobbled streets.

Next stop was at a drinking lounge where we sampled some of the local ales and rums on ice, just what was needed to cool off after touring around the different sites within Trinidad. We even managed to bang our palms and “jam” a little with a local on a pair of congo drums. We made some ad hoc rhythm and bass music while everybody else relaxed and drank before heading back to the moderm times of Cayo Coco.

A very interesting and memorable experience I had at Trinidad that definitely warrants a spot on this site. If you are into culture and history, then this trip back in time worth taking – you will not be disappointed!