Cueva de los Peces: A dive between fish and adrenaline.

Many who have visited Cuba maybe marvel at the architecture of Old Havana, or the blue beaches of Varadero or Cayo Coco, and some other has ventured to wander the cobbled streets of Trinidad, breathing history in every step; but there are few who ventured out of the traditional circuits of tourism in the largest Caribbean island and discover that Cuba keeps treasures yet to be discovered or exploited better.

I’m not talking of treasures hidden by Aborigines in their flight from the Spanish conquerors, nor less than the trunks of gold and silver stolen from the Spanish Armada by pirates and buccaneers then hidden in remote areas of the island. Occasionally is worth going further and discover treasures such as la Cueva de los Peces (the Cave of the Fish) in Ciénaga de Zapata (Zapata Swamp).
 

In my last visit to the island, I decided to leave the "traditional" and went to check myself what I had read or heard from others, that Cueva de los Peces is a unique diving site in Cuba and often overlooked.

Driving from Havana heading east along the national highway, you come to the Ciénaga de Zapata, located south of the province of Matanzas, in about 3 hours, considering a stop in Jagüey Grande to enjoy a coffee with a sugarcane remover (which then you can eat, as an extra bonus), or enter Guama ... but that's a topic for another day.

La Cueva de los Peces is halfway between Guama and Playa Girón, from Playa Larga, in full Ciénaga de Zapata, the largest swamp in the Caribbean and a paradise for bird-watching.  

It is a spectacular cenote (sinkhole), one of these flooded caves that abound in Mexico and Central America, but in Cuba are a rarity since the Isla is younger. At the top of the cenote opens a pond of clear water surrounded by greenery, and is just across the road opposite the waters of the Bay of Pigs.
 

La Cueva takes its name from the myriad of reef fish that pass from the sea to the lagoon through the underground tunnels, and adorn the cenote with a thousand colors.

Diving in the Cueva de los Peces is a bath of pure adrenaline. At the entrance of it there is a diving center where you can rent the necessary equipment for a dive and accompanied by a professional diver, entering the depths of the Cueva de los Peces, which communicates with the laguna, or try your fearless side and dive to another gallery that connects the cenote with the sea, much deeper ... but the most interesting part is at the bottom of the cenote, with stalactites and thousands of fish poking around.

La Cueva de los Peces, 61 meters (201 foot-deep) is a memorable dive through underground passages full of fish and underwater vegetation, that I'm sure will awaken the explorer within us.

Besides, if the dive leaves us hungry there is a small restaurant "La Casa del Pescador" near the cenote that offers simple but tasty lunch of fish, lobster, chicken and even alligator for bolder palate.
 

My day ended with a dip in Playa Larga, but the adventure in Cueva de los Peces was something I’ll repeat again at every trip to Cuba ... after all, not every day one can dive into a cave guided by fish, as if you would have arrived at the bowels of the kingdom of Poseidon, on the same Caribbean Sea.

 

El Tranvia: eating with a chauffeur on board.

Cuba’s cultural mix has produced some superb national dishes, and was for many years like a dormant giant, hungry to wake up again.

After many years, finally the Cuban government has allowed small private entrepreneurs to move forward with their businesses, and the dining scene is recovering its old glory. Small private restaurants, called “Paladar” by the Cuban verbal ingenuity, are flourishing all over the country.  Havana, the always populous capital, takes a huge amount of the steak in this opportunity, but other cities across the Island also have started to manage their own way into this prosperity and make good fair competition to state-run restaurants, mostly needed of this big push for variety and quality in service.

Last year, trying to scape from the excited vibe of Havana, I traveled south to Cienfuegos, the city in Cuba that has well gained its motto of “La Perla del Sur”, and makes a feast to your senses just by letting you loose in its French architecture and its more quiet, but still beautiful Malecón.

I'm lucky enough to have friends who live there, and they introduced me to El Tranvia, a paladar that had been opened just a few weeks ago and was starting to make some noise in the noche cienfueguera. Eager to try something new and trusting in my friends' taste, we went there one evening… and that what is!!

The first thing that got my attention was the location, off the busy Boulevard, and second the name “El Tranvia” (the streetcar)… but all came together when I realized that this quaint restaurant is located in a private house on the same street in Cienfuegos where the now gone route 103 used to travel. The train rails are still in the street as a remainder that Cuba was a flourishing country once upon a time.

El Tranvia is a theme restaurant situated in calle Arguelles just a few blocks from Paseo El Prado, with waiters dressed in old train conductor uniforms that will make every effort to please even the most demanding guest, and its “conductor” is a Cuban-American who went back to his home city to open the paladar. 

After we got seated, I couldn’t stop asking our waiter Bruno about the history of the tranvias in Cienfuegos and he caught my attention with a lot of info about it, in a well-spoken English… until I told him that I was Cuban too!!

After a nice chat and a couple of glasses of wine, yes! good wine in Cuba, I choosed a plate of fresh fish with coconut sauce that made a party in my mouth, seriously. The food is just delicious, mouth-watering choices of lobster, seafood, chicken, lamb, traditional Cuban dishes like Ropa Vieja or others created by the house chef, even vegetarian options.  Letting myself loose into that atmosphere, I couldn’t resist crowning my dinner with my favourite Cuban dessert, a flan that tasted like heaven.

While we were having an amazing dinner, a band of house musicians played typical Cuban songs and we even danced to the rhythm of EL Cuarto de Tula.

But the best surprise was yet to come, when they announced us that on the second floor was a terrace that works as a bar, a well stocked bar resembling an old train car with large carta of internationals and Cuban cocktails. We had to have that experience… so will you!

Getting from the dining floor to the bar/terrace upstairs, you’ll have to pass thru an open patio that works as this paladar's kitchen, an opportunity to first see how the fresh food is handled and prepared, no tricks in here.

Live music, great fresh food, reasonable prices, vintage ambience, an open-air bar, the best piñas coladas ever tasted (made with real pineapples) and after having two El Tranvia, the house drink, I was feeling confident that finally Cuba is getting back on the food track, this time on board of El Tranvia… chuchuaaaaaaa

Cuba Cruise: dancing to the rhythm of salsa and reggae.

Although I’m not a big fan of taking a cruise, traveling on a tight schedule and restricted to a moving hotel, I have received with joy the announcement that finally Cuba Cruise will be sailing, starting this December, around the Island.

It's been a long wait for this news, since the Minister of Tourism in Cuba made the announcement around 2011 and the different ports of call started to get some face-lift. Logistically, Cuba has always been tricky for cruise lines, as it’s difficult for American citizens to get visas to travel there; but, also, keeping a large ship supplied with fresh food and beverages up to certain standards can be really hazardous for any cruise line operating around Cuba, and the reasons are well known.

Thankfully, Louis Crystal Cruise came out with a great solution for cruises lovers, having Canadian food, beef, beer as well as Cuban and International beverages, combined with specialty Cuban dishes, entertainment and front-office crew. This is when Canadian cuisine meets Cuban entertainment as its best!

Circumnavigate the biggest island on the Caribbean will be an incredible opportunity, making the fascinating but otherwise difficult to reach ports accessible and affordable to many. Same ship, same week, but two unique ways to start your cruise, one on Mondays from the always vibrant Havana and call at Cayo Coco, Bahia de Nipe in Holguin, Santiago de Cuba, Trinidad, Cienfuegos, and past by Punta Frances in Isla de la Juventud on the way back to Havana, it will be also possible to join the ship on Fridays from Montego Bay, Jamaica making the experience even more easier; you choose!!

On board of the Louis Cristal, a modern vessel with a yacht-like modern design that features all the amenities and comforts expected of today’s contemporary ships, you will have the chance to visit a total of six UNESCO world heritage sites, four National Parks & Reserves, strolling down cobblestone streets, through rain forests and of course, the world-famous beaches what Cuba is well known.

Cuba Cruise will revolutionize the perception of travel to Cuba forever, and even an sceptic like me, perhaps, will take a chance to get into the adventure of navigate around the Island, being part of an historical opening in nautical trips from and around my homeland, since September 1962 when the ferry City of Havana became the last vessel to leave Havana after the revolution.

I’ll join this new opportunity and will dance to the beat of salsa and reggae, sailing with style and rhythm!

Searching for a “Cucurucho” in Baracoa.

Indeed, my first and only trip to Baracoa was in hoping to find (and taste) the famous cucurucho, a blend of coconut, sugar and sometimes guava, orange or pineapple wrapped in a cone-shaped palm leaf that is a local delicacy.

Baracoa is called “La Ciudad Primada de Cuba”, which means Cuba’s first city, and was founded in August 11th 1511. Baracoa was Cuba first capital, a title that Santiago de Cuba claimed a few years later and then Havana, the country’s present day metropolis.

In the easternmost province of Guantanamo, Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Baracoa is in a remote location surrounded by a wide mountain range that helps to its isolation, and has kept the mass tourism quite low despite the idyllic location and the magnificent scenery in its surrounding. 

Baracoa was for long time only accessible by sea but now you can take La Farola, a road built through the mountains that links Guantanamo city with the eastern end of the Island, and there are also domestic flights even from Havana.

I went to Baracoa as part of a cultural project in my former job in Cuba, and only for three days. I knew that I wouldn’t have enough time to discover the magic of Baracoa, yet I felt under its spell… and still was hoping to find my Cucurucho.

We drove for long six hours from Santiago de Cuba to Baracoa, stopping for lunch in Guantanamo and now I can tell that driving through La Farola was quite an experience, even for someone like me who has traveled to Topes de Collantes and Sierra Maestra, but the view from La Farola will take your breath away.

After check in Hotel La Rusa we had the afternoon free to go around ourselves, until next morning when the event was planned to start. If you go in tourist plan, I’ll recommend to stay in Hotel El Castillo, a former Spanish military fort that is now a hotel, and was one of the three fortress that oversees the city.

Knowing that I wouldn’t have too much free time, I strolled the town trying to capture its essence but without forgetting my Cucurucho. My first visit, and will say a must see, was to Nuestra Señora de la Asunción Cathedral to see the Cruz de Parra, a wooden cross that is believed to be brought by Columbus and is the oldest in the New World. Many claim is a legend, but true or not, the cross have been there way before us.

The next two days I was immerse in my job, but still I had time to stroll around the beach just in the doors of the city and feel the warm of its people, dancing the night out in Parque de la Independencia (Independence Park), which is next to the church, and putting my feet in the Miel River like in the movie “Miel para Oshun”.

Time to go back to my place and Baracoa has already left its aura on me, aiming to come back and hike El Yunque, a nearby table mountain, to see Salto Fino the highest waterfall in the Caribbean and cross the Toa River on rafts made of bamboo that are powered with a long staff.

        

Courtesy of Cuba Tourist Board

 

      

  But most of all, I’ll be back to taste the real Cucurucho, that didn’t found anywhere around my short stay,  but ironically I found its underrated “cousin” in my way back, on the road through Las Tunas. Hence, it didn’t taste the same… or not what I was told!  

Cuba in a nutshell




Courtesy of Cuban Tourist Board

Cuba is a fascinating island nation, a country that has been famous for its postcard images of sun, palm trees, sugar cane plantations and clear blue sea. All that coexist in a place where history has been made on its own, a unique land where music and colour vibe in every corner, and its ethnic mosaics of race have shaped a complex culture that have merged in a unique rhythm.

Most of all, it is a land of proud people that will captivate you with their friendly smile, their uniqueness, that despite its own difficulties, will enchant you with its particular identity, and will welcoming you with open arms and making sure you won’t feel a visitor… you are at home!

The Caribbean’s largest island, Cuba is in fact an archipelago comprising the main island (Cuba, slightly smaller than Pennsylvania), the Isle of Youth (south of Artemisa province) and thousands of cayos (cays and small islands) in the Greater Antilles, laying just south of the Tropic of Cancer between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, its closest neighbour are Florida (US) to the north, the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico) to the west, and the islands of Jamaica and Haiti to the south and east respectively.

Cuba is a long and narrow island that, on an east-west axis, is about 1250 km (776 miles) long and 100 km (62 miles) wide on average, covering 110,992 square kilometres (42,828 square miles). It is mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains and has more than 300 beaches, unspoiled cays and small islets, mountains, caves, forests, savannas and swamps, making the island more than just a “sun, sea and sand” destination.

The Republic of Cuba is composed of 15 provinces and has over 11 million inhabitants, and about 2.5 million of whom lives in the capital, Havana.  The official language is Spanish, although you will find that English, French or Italian are spoken in almost all hotels and tourist areas.

The climate in Cuba is tropical, moderated by trade winds and sea breezes. Average temperature is 25C (77F), although from June to August it can rise up to 35C (90F). There are clearly defined two seasons: dry season (November to April), and rainy season (May to October). The east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to October (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every three years).

Thanks to the island mild weather, any time of the year is good for visit, but the best period is from December to April (coinciding with the winter months in most northern countries), when the climate is warm without being unbearable.

Cuba is five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), like Canadian Eastern Standard Time (EST) and the US east coast, and in summer there is daylight saving time, same as in Canada.

I have promised that this blog would not be a mere tourist guide, but as a start I think it is logical to put us on the map.
Cuba is not a dream of mine, is a reality, Cuba is something that even if you think away is very close...

A big “thank you” for stopping by…with Cuban accent!

I know that a lot has been written and said about Cuba, its wonders and its downsides, but as someone that is proud to be called “Cubano”, someone who was born there and a few years ago decided to take a turning point in live and career, and as a travel agent I have decided to step into this new fever called “blog sphere” with the biggest ambition of helping many of you that dream of visit Cuba.
Since Cuba’s government decided to open up to international tourism in the 90’s, and we all know the reasons, a lot of Travel Guides-Travel Journals-Travel Websites have been created. Neither to say that the tourism flow to the Island has increased every year since, but still I think there’s a lack of personal touch in travel context.
Every time you turn around looking for information about Cuba, either if you’re a savvy traveler or a first-time adventurer, you find a lot of materials in travel books, which is very helpful and has a great trusted info about when-where-what to do etc. Also, there’re great tour-operator websites, travel journalist articles but not many blogs about the biggest island of the Caribbean with a more personal approach. Cuba is a wonderful place to go, but can left uncomfortable memories if you don’t have the right information to discover it to the fullest.
And here I come, trying to bring every one of you my personal experience, best advices and tips about Cuba, not only as a Cuban but also as a travel agent who live and work in Toronto, Canada. You’ll find Cuban accent in this space, and every recommendation made will be worth.

It’s a most saying that this blog it’s a travel-related site, a place where to express my personal views and opinions but far from any political or journalist approach to Cuba’s reality… for that, I think there’s a lot of space out there.

Said all that, I’ll cheers you with my best cup of "café cubano" and finishing with a Mojito… please unwind, you just got to paradise. Cuba is closer than you think!