From the late 18th to the late 19th century, the Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills) was a center of sugar production in our mystery country. At the peak of the industry, over fifty cane sugar mills were in operation, with over 30,000 slaves working in the mills and the sugar cane plantations that surrounded them.
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This is Baracoa Bay, with the flat top El Yunque mountain in the background.
Christopher Columbus landed at Baracoa in 1492 and in 1511 the settlement there became the first Spanish capital of our mystery country. Baracoa is on the eastern tip of the country’s north coast. Surrounded by mountains, it’s very remote and was accessible only by sea until a road was built through the mountains in the 1960s.
The nearby Alejandro de Humboldt National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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These little yellow pods are affectionately known as Coco Taxis because of their resemblance to coconuts. They compete for tourist business with classic American cars, which famously grace the island roads of our mystery country. Essentially, the Coco Taxi is a motorized rickshaw, with 3 wheels and room for a driver and two passengers. If you don’t mind squeezing, a Coco Taxi will get you where you’re going for less money than a “Yank Tank.”
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In the capital city of our mystery country, the Malecon seawall and waterfront boulevard is a popular gathering place, especially for young lovers watching the sun drop into the Gulf of Mexico. The Malecon stretches for 5 miles around the heart of the city and is lined with elegant, dilapidated villas.
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El Floridita has been serving drinks (especially rum cocktails) and seafood for almost 200 years in the capital city of our mystery country. It’s well known as the birthplace of the daiquiri and as a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway, who lived just a few blocks away at the Hotel Ambos Mundos for seven years. Hemingway was just one of a long list of artists, intellectuals and dignitaries who spent time at El Floridita in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, when the city was a hopping playground for the international jet set.
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Iglesia y Convento Nuestra Senora de Belen (Church and Convent of Our Lady of Bethlehem), Convento de Belen for short, is a renowned social services organization in Havana, Cuba, which focuses on senior care. The center is operated by the Order of the Sisters of Charity, with help from the Office of the City Historian and public health agencies.
Some fifty senior citizens are permanent residents and dozens more come daily for activities, meals and medical care. Convento de Belen also provides services for mentally and physically disabled children and operates a daycare center for young children.
Most Ya’lla trips to Cuba include a stop at Convento de Belen, where visitors leave donated goods brought from home, as well as cash gifts. We’re always lovingly received by residents, often with a song and gifts of handmade cards and handicrafts.
Click to see Cuba tours that include visits to Convento de Belen.
The iconic, sail-shaped Burj Al Arab has been called the only 7-star hotel in the world. Built on an artificial island just off Jumeirah Beach, the only access is by a private bridge (or helipad). Although it’s the world’s 4th tallest hotel, it has only 202 guest suites on 28 double floors. Suites range in size from 1,820 to 8,400 square feet.
Each double floor has its own reception and check-in is done inside the guest suites. Personal butlers attend every guest throughout their stay. For every suite, there are 8 hotel staffers ready to serve.
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Arte Corte is a hair salon and museum of hairdressing founded by Gilberto Valladares, known as Papito, the most recognized hair stylist in our mystery country.
Papito’s cultural project brings together barbers, hairdressers, models, artists and historians to preserve the history of hairdressing in Cuba and also to improve conditions for residents of the neighborhood. The group operates a school of hairdressing free for youth of the area and a cooperative to help other businesses get a start, improve the facilities for senior citizens and beautify the neighborhood.
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Regla de Ocha, commonly known as Santeria, is a religion of the West African Yoruba people, who were brought to our mystery country as slaves.They continued to practice their native religion in secret, while also practicing the official religion of the country, Roman Catholicism. To the Yoruba, the two religions were essentially the same, with only superficial differences. Orichas, the deities of Santeria, are often interchangeable with Catholic saints. The center of Regla de Ocha in our mystery country is the town of Regla, just across the harbor from the capital city. There you can visit a Santeria museum and church and maybe witness a religious ceremony. A sculpture garden of Orichas in Regla is pictured above.
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Santiago is the second largest city of our mystery country. Located in the far southeast of the country, about as far away from the much-better-known capital as you can get, Santiago has a distinct culture and demographics. Most of the country’s world-famous music is rooted in Santiago and influential artists of all sorts were nurtured here, and still are. Sprawling around a large bay on the Caribbean Sea, with the Sierra Maestra mountains behind, the setting is spectacular.
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