STOP PRESS:
At the bottom of this post, stay tuned for “THE CUBAN REVOLUTION IN A NUTSHELL” that explains in very short bullet points the “what” and “why” of the infamous revolution that took place in Cuba in the late 1950s.
After completing our guided tour of Havana Old Town (Pop of all of Havana is 2,156,000) on the morning of 27 January, we embarked on our first drive across the interior of Cuba headed to Santa Clara almost 280km and 4hrs away. Surprisingly the roads were OK despite the thousands of patches from heavy rain. Most of the road was divided and each side was almost 4 lanes across with no markings. Impressive. We made a stop for the real-deal classic “Cubana Sandwich” which unlike Miami has cabbage and capsicum in it as well as the double cheese and ham. At $4USD each, no-one was complaining. The landscape during our drive was green with various trees and grasses of low height but devoid of mountains or lakes. Palm trees and sugar cane featured heavily. It was mainly overcast and quite cool at only 21C but the humidity persisted.
Santa Clara (Pop 213,948) emerged out of nowhere with its narrow grid-format streets featuring coloured houses with a very impressive city centre where most of the classical Spanish colonial buildings were on display. Santa Clara is famous for Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1928–1967). Che was an Argentine-born physician, Marxist revolutionary, and key figure in the Cuban Revolution. During his medical studies, he undertook motorcycle trips through South America. Witnessing extreme poverty and injustice led him to blame capitalism and imperialism for the continent's suffering. In 1955, he met Fidel Castro in Mexico and joined his “26th of July Movement” to overthrow the US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. On 29 December 1958, Che led a small group of 18 rebels and used a bulldozer and Molotov cocktails to derail an armoured train sent from Havana carrying 373 government soldiers, a large amount of ammunition, and supplies. This one battle that lasted only 90 minutes led to the demise of Batista and the end of the revolution which you can read about at the end of this post. In Santa Clara, we visited the Mausoleum of Che and the site of the derailed train and bulldozer which has been preserved as a museum and monument to this one man that has been immortalised in the image below.
Meanwhile in the centre of Santa Clara, we enjoyed US-English Rock Songs played by four 70-year-old guys. They were great. We visited the central square and hoped in the bus to our accommodation which turned out to be the far better than Havana and even Miami !!! That night we enjoyed some local dishes in a nearby restaurant which featured the famous plantain pastry shell stuffed with minced spiced pork – gorgeous !!! This great night was topped off by ample internet which is very hard to get in Cuba. Not only is it slow and drops out all the time but heavily regulated to the point where you need a VPN to access blogs and social media. Santa Clara turned out to be an interesting place for history and for food – enjoy its sights…
The following morning began early. 630am home-cooked brekkie followed by a 730am departure since today (28 January) was a very long drive day 633km over 14hrs with stops. The first few hours led us through lots of farmland, mainly sugar cane but also tobacco, onions and garlic which are all exported to Russia and Spain, being exempt from the US Embargo. We then travelled through dairy country with lots of cows and farmers selling their cheese by the roadside. Still flat and mostly around 100 metres elevation. Weather was cloudy and cool at 20C with lingering humidity. Then we drove through a long straight section of trees forming n “arch of honour” across the road. Much to my surprise there were still some 1950s cars out here, so far away from Havana.
The road leading into Bayamo was particularly bad. Full of holes and not maintained. We were engulfed once again with vast tracts of Sugarcane and Palm Trees. All the toilet stops we made featured open mini-markets selling copious quantities of garlic and onion on giant long stalks. After 10 gruelling hours on the road and 479km from Santa Clara and the super clean and colourful city of Bayamo emerged. Bayamo (Pop 210,207, Elev 55m) is also an historically important city. It is here that Carlos Manuel de Céspedes declared the end of slavery in 1869, which led the way to independence from Spain in 1874. The new National Anthem and Flag of Independent Cuba were also created in Bayamo and the anthem sung in the local church for the first time. Bayamo central square is super clean and almost like an outdoor living room for the locals. Everyone gathers here. Children play. Old folks gossip. All for us and for you under the golden light of a setting sun...
The last 3hrs of our trip was at night with plenty of twists and turns up to the mountain town of Segundo Frente (Pop 40,885, Elev 185m). On the way, scoffed down some BBQ Pork Rolls on the side of the road given we would arrive late into our lodgings. And we did. It was 930pm when we rocked up but that did not matter. Had plenty of wine and Larry David in the minivan on the way up and enjoyed a Rum Gossip Session just the original three of us that started Golfco Pictures way back in 1993: Bundy, Niko and Yiannis. Thoroughly fun until 1230am.
Slept in to 9am the next morning (29 January) since we were here all day. I went off on a run whilst the rest of the group visited the local museum. The day was overcast and a cool 22C. Segundo Frente literally means “The Second Front” and is another famous place for the Cuban Revolution. It is here that Raul Castro and his wife Vilma Elspin formed the 29 July Movement. It is also the place where local organiser, turned soldier, Frank Pais (his status is below) organised the first group of 300 fighters that kick-started the assault on the Batista region on 11 August 1958. There is a museum that covers all these events and a Mausoleum nearby that contains the remains of Vilma Elspin and a spot for Raul Castro himself who is now 94 years old. There is also a military cemetery with 240 markers and an eternal flame within that Cuban Star that symbolises the unknown soldier. The town itself is not well kept or serviced with no tourist restaurants or cafes – just local shacks and market place featuring scant fruit and veggies and canned milk and tomato paste. Very sad for such a pivotal place in Cuban history. I spent the rest of the afternoon blogging whilst the others went on a hike up one of the hills behind our hotel resort. The rest of the day was indoors as it started to rain and we enjoyed ample web and wine. Bundy even taught the staff of this resort how to make a better espresso. Dinner was at the resort at only $USD4 per dish. A bottle of wine was $USD3.50. Cuban Bliss.
THE CUBAN REVOLUTION IN A NUTSHELL:
The Cuban Revolution was a pivotal armed revolt that transformed Cuba from a US-backed military dictatorship into a socialist state. It remains one of the most influential events in 20th-century geopolitical history summarised as follows:
• The Catalyst: The revolution began as an effort to overthrow Fulgencio Batista, a dictator who had seized power in a 1952 coup. His regime was characterized by widespread corruption, severe economic inequality, and violent suppression of political opponents.
• The Leadership: The movement was led by Fidel Castro, his brother Raúl Castro, and the Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara. They formed the “26th of July Movement”, named after their failed 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks.
• Guerrilla Warfare: After returning to Cuba via the yacht Granma in 1956, the revolutionaries waged a three-year guerrilla war from the Sierra Maestra mountains. They gained the support of the rural peasantry by promising land reform and social justice.
• The Pivotal Battle: After the train derailment led by Che on 29 December 1958, Batista’s army was demoralised and many of his soldiers defected to the “26th of July Movement” which snow-balled across the country.
• The Victory: On 1 January 1959, Batista fled the country as his army collapsed. Castro’s forces entered Havana shortly after, establishing a new provisional government that quickly consolidated power.
• The Shift to Communism: While not explicitly communist at the start, the new government soon nationalized US-owned businesses and land. This led to a breakdown in relations with the United States and a formal alliance with the Soviet Union, turning Cuba into a central front in the Cold War.
END OF POST.
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