Country Mouse and Shadow's Travels: 9 Days in Cuba

Day 6
Today was our longest drive from Vinales to Cienfuegos with a stop at the Bay of Pigs. The area here was once very poor with charcoal production being the main source of income. When Castro got word of the invasion coming he gathered the local farmers to fight. Memorials stand along the road in memory to those Cubans who were killed during the invasion. Since then school children have been trained for potential attacks. They were even more prepared during both Bush Administrations. The museum details the attack from the US and includes a 1960's movie with actual footage from the event.
Lunch was on the shore of Play Larga. (Bay of Pigs). We rented snorkels to see the coral and fish. Not the best when it comes to coral, but a good amount of fish. Across the street was a clear blue sinkhole for swimming as well. A few people on the tour have not been feeling well, including Eric. He made the best of it by laying in the shade.
Cubans standing along the roads is normal. Most families only have one car that as been passed down through the generations so hitching around the country is a necessity.
We arrived in Cienfuegos in the evening. A coastal town with French architecture. It's by far our favorite town and best homestay. Mikel, was once a school principal making 22 CUC a month. He decided to go back to school to become lawyer only to find that he would make 26 CUC a month. To put it in perspective, a pair of tennis shoes cost 100 CUC and to buy a car from the government cost 23,000 CUC. As Mickel said "It would take 7 lifetimes to buy a car." The vintage American cars are even more expensive. Like many Cubans, Mickel quit his job and helped with his family's homestay. His great grandfather planted a banana, avocado, mango, and guava tree in their back yard. It's nice to see that Raul is allowing some capitalism here now. Most houses are three bedrooms so the families will rent 2 rooms and stay in one. Yep, 3 generations sleeping in one room.

Day 7
This morning's breakfast was on a covered back porch. Turns out Mickel has an uncle that works at a car factory in Louisville. I took a photo of him and his mother and plan to send it to his Uncle.
It's odd to see a beautiful waterfront town with no boats in the bay. Cubans are not allow to get on boats for obvious reasons. Old wealthy homes line the waters edge. One has been opened as a restaurant. It's closed today, but we were able to walk inside for a tour.
An hour and a half farther South is the town of Trinidad. Located about 8 miles from the coast and in a more mountainous region. UNESCO has declared the city, that was founded in 1514, a world heritage site. Old one story Colonial houses line the cobblestone streets. Spanish ships used rocks for ballast and the Cuban people used these rocks to build streets in the 1800's. Sugar cane was the largest industry here and slave trade was abundant due to Trinidad's proximity to Jamaica. An African religion that uses water as part of its worship is strong here. If you see men or women wearing only white clothes, it could be that they are in some form of religious activity. Another reason could be their way of protesting the government. There is very little freedom of speech here. The deal is that you either agree with the government, or leave. Rumors are the 1 in every 4 Cubans are informants.