Samomatic

Our last leg in the journey we ventured across the city, across the channel, and up to the old forts!

Crammed into a Plymouth along with the locals, seeing the city from a different perspective.


The beautiful architecture from the booming days.

We crossed the Havana Channel and toured the Castillo del Morro,

Overlooking the fort. Fire!

Making his move at the top of the lighthouse?

Beautiful courtyard inside Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco.

A group of naval students by the port.

The Christ of Havana, a 20m high statue carved out of white Carrara marble. A sharp juxtaposition against the industrial refineries.


Woman selling plaintain chips.

On our way back to the guest house and packing up.

Adiós Cuba! Until next time.

The Hershey Train was built in 1917 by the Hershey Chocolate Corporation of Pennsylvania. It was built to transport workers and refined sugar from the company’s sugarcane refinery about 45 km east of Havana. It was first electric train system implemented in the world!

Reading a small blurb in the guidebook, we went to Hotel Nacional to do some internet research. What we found were both unsettling and confusing but we were all the more attracted to it. Below you can see the official train schedule as of December 2010.

The train travel through the small towns along the way, often accompanied by stops to greet and buy some drinks.

The atmosphere inside is relaxed, unhurried. The people are curious and often start chatting with each other during the stops.

Little has changed since its inception, the tracks are in disrepair and trains outlined by rust.

The control panel for the conductor. They have to honk to warn off animals sleeping on the tracks.

To get between the carriages, wait for the carts to stop jolting and take a big step!


Due to our schedule we couldn’t take the train all the way to the sugar mill or Matanzas. Reluctantly, we waved goodbye to the train & crew at Playas de Este to continue our journey toward the sandy beaches.

In the summer months, the locals from Havana flock to these beaches for a break from the heat. But in the winter the beaches are deserted.

Playing dominos on the street.

The Old man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway

Beautiful sunset at the beach. The end of our adventure filled excursion from busy Havana.

I stumbled across this great article about the Hershey Train, check it out if you have time!

Continuing on our journey in Cuba, my dad found out that he had lost his VISA while clearing customs and we are on a mission to find a replacement.

We brought along the Canadian winter and fierce winds, resulting in the coldest December in the past 50 years.

We stood on a hill-top and saw this unsuspecting man get hit by a wave.

The waves battering the seawall.

The people along the way were helpful but kept pointing us to the wrong places. Turns out it was a great opportunity for us to tour different areas that we hadn’t plan on visiting.

A dog watching the street below.

Cars of the revolution!

We came across a farmer’s market where the locals were loading up their trucks.

Even though it was still a moderate 17DegC the locals were donning on scarves and gloves.

Pig head anyone?

Parents got grabbed into a photo.

The most antique lawn mower in operation. I had to take a photo of this.


Press doorbell for BAJOS.

Over the Christmas break, the entire family spent a week in Havana, the capital of Cuba. Unlike the stereotypical resort vacation, we rented 2 rooms in a guesthouse and navigated the city at our own pace.

After filling out multiple forms and jumping through many gates at the airport we walked out to the warm and bustling streets to flag down a taxi. Along the way we were amazed to see so many classic cars still on the road.

The standard building architecture, shops on street level and residence at the top, in center Havana. The buildings have many fine details but are mostly unkempt.


Crusing in his Chevrolet into the sunset. I just couldn’t get enough of the classic cars spewing out black exhaust.

By nightfall we stumbled into a building to find a restaurant, the details and layout were breathtaking.

The interesting staircase and courtyard.

El Capitolio, the National Capitol Building, was constructed in 1929 and was the tallest building in Havana until the 1950s.

Butcher shop with a mural of Che Guevara in the back. The locals are still very proud of their national hero and his iconic portraits can be found throughout the city.

The quiet streets in the early morning.

A kitten finding a morsel of food on the street.

Horace has also posted some photos from his perspective, go take a look!