This weekend we ventured to Santa Clara, Topes de Collantes, and Trinidad, three cities located about 6 hours southeast of Havana. We spent a brief amount of time in Santa Clara, stopping only long enough to visit the Che Guevara memorial which had hundreds of chairs set up before it in order to prepare for the 40th year anniversary since his death in Bolivia. There was also a museum and his mausoleum beneath the memorial.
I thought the mausoleum was incredible. Che’s grave was surrounded by the graves of combatants who also died in Bolivia, each with an engraving of the person’s face. Che Guevara is an incredible inspiration to me and being able to feel so close to him was overwhelming. There’s always something so powerful about visiting someone’s grave. I think it helps you realize that the connection you feel with other people is more than physical, it transcends physical contact and it’s lasting
It’s a strange notion that it’s only been 10 years since they’ve been able to bring Che’s body to Cuba. After he was killed the Bolivian government buried him in an unmarked grave and then built an airplane runway over it. It wasn’t until the president was on his deathbed that he told where Che’s remains could be found.
After Santa Clara we went to Topes de Collantes, a gorgeous area in the mountains known for its healing powers and spiritual presence. We spent Saturday hiking down the mountain in order to find the 6th or 7th (we weren’t sure) chakra of the earth. The day before it had poured and so we spent about 2 hours sliding down the mountainside through the jungle until we finally found the right spot. Along the way our guide pointed out different plants including hallucinogenic mushrooms and these incredible ferns that fold up when you touch them. When we made it to the chakra we found it was where two different rivers converged, surrounded completely by dense jungle. There was quartz everywhere and we spent time knee deep in the river feeling for rocks at the bottom. I’m not sure if I felt the energy of the chakra.
The way up was steep and slippery but once we all reached the top I think we were all in high spirits and felt revitalized. I always feel so much better when I spend time in nature and outside of cities.
After Topes de Collantes we headed for Trinidad. Upon reaching the city I couldn’t help but think of Gabriel García Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold. The setting was perfect. A sleepy town with stone paved roads, parks and plazas, old gorgeous houses, a huge ancient church, and perhaps even almond trees if I was able to recognize them by sight. Within the first 15 minutes of being there we were practically run down by a drunk man driving a horse drawn cart wildly down the street, how could you get more Márquez than that!?
We spent the night walking around the town, stopping in various little bars to hear live music (this often included drunken singing from the table next to us). In the morning we continued to explore more. Aidan and I climbed to the top of the bell tower and looked out over the city and then found ourselves in some sort of meeting place where live harp and electric guitar music was being played and they gave us a tiny Venezuelan flag. It was strange, but strange is no longer surprising in Cuba. I also bought a tiny dress for my niece because Trinidad is known for its embroidery and I was able to meet the woman who handmade all the dresses. I’ve spent the entire day taking it out of its bag and fingering the little flowers, I can’t wait until she gets to wear it.
After spending a little time in the city we went to the Manaca Iznaga sugar plantation for lunch. We climbed to the top of a vertigo-inducing tower (147 ft) with ladder-like stairs all the way up its seven levels. The tower itself was incredible but the view was breathtaking. I know I’ve said this before, but truly, I have never seen anything as green as the land that sprawled below me. It was incredible. The tower loomed over the valley which then turned into gorgeous blue mountains that give the illusion you’re looking out at the sea, I’ve really never seen anything like it. The whole experience was really moving and made me think about my grandma. Seeing the fields of cane sugar, the mountains, and then sitting down and being served guava jelly with dry plain crackers nearly brought me to tears.
The bus ride home was long and exhausting. I slept, read, and looked out the window mostly. Cuba is undoubtly a beautiful country. When we finally reached Habana (without any bus breakdowns!) I felt like I was back home and arriving at the house to all the people who work here was a wonderful feeling. It’s nice to feel like you have a home away from home, a place where you feel completely comfortable. Although I loved Trinidad, I’m really happy that I’m here in Habana.

On a side note, Aidan and I have fallen into the habit of naming the dogs we run across, or mainly, I name the dogs and she agrees to refer to them by the name. In Habana we have Delilah, a little black dog who always sits at the bus stop on Linea and Paseo as well as Bob the Agro Dog who is one of the saddest looking dogs I’ve ever seen who hangs out at the agro. In Trinidad we met Gene Hackman, a gorgeous longhaired mutt with a mixture of black and red hair, and at a rest stop between Habana and Santa Clara we found Suzie, a short haired skinny puppy with oversized ears. We’ve also named a few chickens, Julieta, Beatriz, and Rosa, but its hard to tell them apart.
Also, in Trinidad we watched a special on “Mexican culture” and were all amazed that we could understand every word of Mexican Spanish and were even a little irritated by how slow it was. That was a really good feeling. Oh, also, my Latin American Thought teacher just cancelled class for the next 3 weeks because he decided to go to Colombia and he didn’t feel like finding another professor to fill in for him. Once again, another amusing development during my time in Cuba.