Trinidad - Camagüey

After Cienfuegos, we visited Trinidad, a stronghold of tourism. For us, it was a bit too much tourism. No question... Trinidad is a very nice old town with a wonderful surroundings... The Valley of the Sugar Mills, national parks, and the most beautiful beach on the lower coast, Playa Ancón. Unfortunately, here, where everything revolves around tourism, you feel like a walking wallet, and the gap between the two currency tiers becomes even more visible. For those who don't know... In Cuba, there are two currencies, the National Pesos (CUC) and the Convertible Pesos (CUC). Tourists usually only deal with the latter, which is worth much more. 1 CUC = 24 CUP (1 CUC = 1 Euro). The whole system is a bit complicated and creates a big gap between wealthy foreigners and poor Cubans. The ratios are sometimes unbelievable... for example, a doctor in Cuba earns 40 CUC per month. No wonder we seem extremely rich here. But despite all that, no one is really poor here because, thanks to socialism and Fidel's ideas, at least the basic security of everyone is ensured. But if you want more than that, it gets expensive. Tourist prices are naturally based on our ratios, so we pay more for most things than a Cuban, which is fair in our opinion. But in Trinidad, it's just a bit too much... that's why it's not our favorite place. The taxi drivers are particularly annoying! They are already a special species of people worldwide, and we have had a few special experiences with them! At least in Trinidad, we had the opportunity to meet some very nice people and make acquaintances from neighboring European countries.

Camagüey, boring. There really was nothing to do here except watch a horde of testosterone-driven dogs fight over a female dog in heat. But our accommodation was top-notch, with a room at the back, which was the only place where we could actually sleep in. Generally, "quiet" is not the Southlander's thing. That is true worldwide! In Cuba, the old cars, where each one sounds like a tractor, the honking (whether to warn or flirt), the clattering hooves of horse-drawn carriages, the street vendors selling fruits, vegetables, brooms, newspapers, well, actually everything that can be sold, the many crowing roosters everywhere, the thin walls and the non-insulated or non-existent windowpanes all add to the noise. Only good nerves and earplugs can help with that!