Our Travel Blog

Without a headwind we had a pleasant 83 km ride over rolling hills to Remedios yesterday.  The heat (30 to 32 degrees every day) is always an issue, but as long as we are off the road by early afternoon we aren’t too dehydrated when we arrive.Remedios is a pretty...

I feel that Ruth’s blog about looking for lunch in Topes glossed over some aspects of that area, like long walks in the jungle. We spent four nights in Topes, the longest we have been in any one place.  This was due in part...

We have climbed up to Topes de Collantes, at 750 metres in the Escambray Mountains. The road up was as much as a 22% grade, but we were both able to stay on our bikes for the whole climb. This was partly thanks to our lovely adopted son Albert, who offered to carry my...

We finally found the Cuban music and the other foreign tourists: they’re both in Trinidad.  We were a little concerned about Trinidad, as it has a reputation for aggressive touts.  (The slang expression for them is jineteros or “riders”.  Our...

As in so many other respects, Cuba is an unusual destination in regards to money.  When we were last here, 20 years ago, there were two currencies.  The convertible peso, or CUC, equivalent to a U.S. dollar, was the currency used by foreigners for most...

We are staying in Cienfuegos, the “Paris of Cuba” or “the Jewel of the South.” Like all things Cuban this jewel could use a little polishing, but it’s a lovely place to explore. Cienfuegos was founded in 1819 by Don Louis D’Clouet, a French emigré from Louisiana....