Trinidad, Cuba

Trinidad is an old colonial town (the 3rd town founded in Cuba in 1514 after Baracoa and Bayamo) but in recent centuries has not grown much. Today tourism is by far the most important branch of its economy and it shows. I have to agree with the Lonely Plant travel guide when it says that “some destinations absorb tourism well, Trinidad is not one of them.” Granted, Trinidad has a beautiful colonial core that is fairly well maintained (for Cuban standards), which is what attracts the tourists in the first place. Probably because tourism is so important to this city, everything caters to them. Walking through the streets, even the un-touristy ones, I felt like everybody looked at me as a tourist (with a lot of money) first and a person second. In my travels I always make an effort to blend in with the people (as much as
possible), understand and see their daily lives. In Trinidad this seemed to be a challenge. The Cubans are so open, friendly and importantly seem to have vast amounts of free time, that I have met some amazing people leading to amazing conversations. Fortunately, Trinidad was no exception. I met some amazing people here leading to some of the most fascinating conversations I have had.

A distinct aspect of Trinidad is the music. Of course Trinidad cannot offer the music of Habana, but given its small size there seems to be (usually live) music everywhere. Of course this is to attract tourists (who else could afford expensive mojitos) but has the pleasant effect of covering you in Cuban rhythms all day long. After so many hours of uninterrupted music (in the background) I caught myself subconsciously tapping my feet to the rhythm or adjust the pace of my walk to match its cadence.