Trinidad...where the music never stops

Travelling independently can be tricky in Cuba. Few activities can be done without a guide, and most other tourists we have spotted are moving about the country in organised groups.

Even the transport system has a tour group feel to it. Tourists are barred from using Cuba’s regular bus network because it is free to ordinary Cubans. There are two bus companies available to tourists.  Our bus to the to the colonial city of Trinidad came complete with an annoying ditzy tour guide and stopped for well over an hour at this bizarre touristy roadside stop with overpriced restaurants, a bar and this curious zoo setup with snakes and crocodiles in cages.

Trinidad has an incredible buzz to it. It is very touristy and you are constantly bombarded by touts on street corners whispering, “psst..restaurant…cigarros..taxi” but it is the locals hanging out of their windows, sitting on their porches in rocking chairs watching the world go by or playing dominoes in groups on the sidewalks that gives Trinidad a special atmosphere.

One night a big baseball match was on, with the team from Trinidad’s province up against a key rival. The streets were virtually empty, but people were jammed into every living room visible from the street, all eyes glued to the match on television sets.

We got lucky with our accommodation at a casa particular in Trinidad. Located smack bang in the middle of the cobblestoned old town, the house was so close to the live music venues that we could hear strains of Cuban son music as we kicked back in  the pretty rear courtyard.

Our room was upstairs in a breezy loft-style area and the downstairs living areas were big and airy as well. Best of all, the owners of the house didn’t even live there, so we had the place to ourselves! The owners just came over to cook us dinner – and they turned out to be amazing cooks so more often than not we forked over the cash for their food. One night they cooked succulent and delicious lobster tails with rice, salad and a tasty bean soup, appetiser, dessert and coffee. Total price – just $12 each.

Everywhere you walk in Trinidad you hear some kind of music playing, from the band that hangs out on the sidewalk leading up to the town cathedral, to the roving troubadores who go from table to table at restaurants, to the lively bar at the top of the main square. Most of the music venues are open-air, with tables and chairs set up in vine-fringed courtyards or outdoor restaurants.

This is a good thing because it was bloody hot when we visited – up to 35 degrees every day, very humid, and at night the temperatures did not abate much, although at times there was a hint of breeze. Luckily our little turret room had an air-conditioner, which we cranked at night and so were able to sleep soundly.

The heat sapped our energy levels during the day though, and we found ourselves just vegging about after lunch time. Every time we walked around town it was like doing strenuous exercise and we would return to the house hot, bothered and drenched with sweat.

La Boca beach

Trinidad is close to a string of idyllic beaches, so we rented bicycles to check them out. Riding there through the town’s network of streets was a delight – there are so few cars on the road that we easily blended in with the traffic – other bicycles, horses and carts and bicycle taxis. Along the way Adam made friends with a fisherman who was riding the same way as us on his bicycle to sell his catch.

When we arrived at the beach we followed a sign that said “official parking”. We were planning to chain the bikes to the fence but then a guy with a jacket and badge walked over and said he was the official government parking guy and that he would watch our bikes and get us drinks and we could use the thatch umbrellas that were dotted along the beach, provided we tip him at the end of the day. It seemed harmless enough so we agreed.

After hours lying around on the powdery white sand and enjoying the warm turquoise water we decided to walk up to the resort at the other end to check out their pool. Manuel, the parking guy, said he would continue to watch the bikes but asked how we would get home because one of the bikes had a flat tyre. We thought it strange that a tyre could just deflate like that, but then maybe a puncture had been developing the whole time. Manuel offered to give us a lift on the back of his horse cart back to Trinidad.

Manuel's horse and cart scam fleeced us of a few pesos

He dropped us off at the service station where we could pump up the tyre – it inflated straight away and there was no puncture, which left us wondering. Did Manuel deflate the tyre so he could offer us a lift and weasel $10 out of us? Had we been taken for the proverbial…ride?

We spent a fair bit of time at the house, because we had the place to ourselves and it was nice to hang out in the rear courtyard with strains of Cuban music playing in the background. But after a few days we got the impression that we weren’t shaping up as very good cash cows for the owners. Besides having negotiated a cheaper room rate, we were buying our own water, soft drinks and rum from the shop because it was cheaper, and also our own bread and fruit for breakfast.

In the end we stayed four nights and could have easily stayed on a couple of days but it was starting to feel a bit awkward so we took a taxi to the Topes de Collantes, the mountain range that forms part of Trinidad’s beautiful backdrop.

We stayed in the state-sanctioned hotel, housed in a concrete soviet-style block. Though it was nice to have a break from staying in casa particulares because while it is invaluable to interact with Cubans and the food is generally good, at the end of the day you are staying in someone else’s house and it your movements and activities are always being monitored. 

There were three hotels listed but we were told only one was available. They tried to charge us high season rates but according to the calendar they had displayed we were actually in low season so we argued successfully and won. We took a walk around to check out the other hotels and were barred from entering one because we were told it had been converted into a hospital!

There was a cover charge for each hike – something I’ve not experienced before – although this included a free cup of juice at the start of the trail. We chose trail that led to a waterfall and intended to connect to a different trail to make the walk longer, but the second trail was overgrown and we were informed we needed to pay for a guide to use it – Cubans will do everything in their power to discourage you from travelling independently.

We ended up doing two loops of the same track. The waterfall was beautiful; it cascaded into an enormous green pool encircled by sheer cliffs. The water was chilly but deliciously refreshing.