Monte Alban, the largest pre-Hispanic city in the region of Oaxaca, represents the first urban plan on the American continent.
It is also the heart of the second largest ceremonial site in Mesoamerica, and is exceeded in size only by Teotihuacán.
In 1987, UNESCO named this Zone of Archaeological Monuments a World Heritage Site.
A few hours after arriving into Oaxaca, Rickardo and his friend Alberto, whisked me and Marta (Spanish traveller, whom Rickardo had just met the day before) to a village called San Martin de los Cansecos, located about 1.5hr outside of Oaxaca city.
We were there because Rickardo’s close friend (Yolanda) was getting engaged, and according to Oaxaca traditions, this is a very important day and involved a great celebration. Apparently, this practice is not done in any other parts of Mexico!
We arrived at the house of Yolanda, a “kampong style” accommodation dotted with a few goats and chickens around the house.
There was already a huge crowd, all seated down around a patio, listening to a group of elderlies speaking on a microphone. It seemed like the entire village had gathered in one place for this important occasion.
I had spent the last 3 days in Puebla. Located about 110km away from Mexico city, Puebla is the 4th largest town in Mexico city, with 2.1 million inhabitants.
I didn’t know what to expect at first, but was very pleasantly surprised by Puebla. The city is laid out in an orderly fashioned, with low rise multi-coloured colonial houses, many in Baroque style and with beautiful balconies, and covered in the colourful, patterned Talavera tiles for which the city is famous, that it had been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
It was very noticeable that effort had been taken to preserve the buildings in pristine conditions, with some of these houses being converted into quaint cafes, restaurants and boutique hotels. The city is laid back, a huge contrast from the hustle and bustle of Mexico City, and more pleasant.
A day trip out of Puebla brought me to Cholula, located about 12 km outside of Puebla. Took a public bus which took about 40 mins to get to Cholula town centre.
The most famous attraction in Cholula is the Great Pyramid (technically called a temple, not a Pyramid), or also known as Tlachihualtepetl, an ancient Aztec temple. In fact, it’s not one temple at all, but consisting of no less than six, one on top of the other, built over 6 centuries.
It grew in stages, as successive civilisations improved on what had already been built. At 450 meters wide and 66 meters tall, it is the largest pyramid on the planet, with a base four times larger than the Great Pyramid at Giza and nearly twice the volume (The Great Pyramid of Giza is taller, at 146 metres high). It also retains the title of the largest monument ever constructed anywhere on Earth, by any civilisation, to this day.
At first glance, you would never think that it is a pyramid. From a distance, it looked like a hill, crowned by a majestic church with gilded domes. A church on top of a pyramid sounds extremely bizarre doesn’t it?
I decided to take it easy today, and only visited La Merced. Also because I was clumsy yesterday and had sprained my right ankle. Thankfully it didn’t seem to be a major sprain, with impact possibly cushioned by my ankle high boots.
La Merced used to be the entry and exit point to the city after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire, and appropriately became a point of trade.
Located next to Merced station on Line 1 of the Metro, La Merced is a a HUGE market, covering an area about four city blocks long by two blocks wide.
Teotihuacán (In Nautl, "the place where men became gods"), is an archaeological site located 40 km northeast of Mexico City and is home to some of the largest ancient pyramids in the world.
According to legend, it was here where the gods gathered to plan the creation of man.
Wikitravel has a very good and detailed write-up on how to get to Teotihuacan from Mexico City Autobuses del Norte, and the journey from the Bus Terminal took exactly an hour each way.
Teotihuacan was super impressive! The grounds were so spread out, that it took me 4 hours to complete my visit.
Built between the 1st and 7th centuries A.D., it is characterized by the vast size of its monuments – in particular, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, laid out on geometric and symbolic principles.
Cuba. . . Infamously known as the land of cigars and vintage cars. There's truth in that, though I also found Cuba had a lot more to offer - from beautiful beaches to the rolling hills and pastures in the country side to very warm and friendly people.
I had spent the last 18 days in the country, a lot more than most tourists would.
The original plan was to see both the Western and Eastern part of the country, but due to unforeseen circumstances and flight challenges, I had to reroute my plans and skip Santiago de Cuba and Baracoa. My final trip route :
Jay and I had made arrangements last night to share a cab to the airport, as our flights were departing about 10 mins apart.
The taxi, which took us back from the Fort to Havana Vieja, was supposed to meet me at the Museo de la Revolution at 11.45am, before heading towards Jay’s Casa to pick him up. I waited for about 10mins but the taxi never showed up – I suspected something was off, when the driver quoted us CUC15 for the ride (usual taxi was about CUC20 to 25 to the airport).
Thankfully, Museo de la Revolution is also a taxi waiting point and there were a few taxis, including a really classic blue Chrysler, one of the nicest cars that was in the fleet.
I quickly made arrangements with the driver and secured a classic ride to the airport. Fantastic way to end off a holiday in Cuba!
I wasn’t suppose to be coming back into Havana city, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I am back again!
The moment I arrived, I wasted no time at all and set out to do what I had not when I was first in Havana, and all within 24 hours.
1. Almacen San Jose
This was a scenic walk along the Marina (opposite direction of Malecon), where it took me past a view of the forts, the ferry terminal, and a surprising find of Almacen San Jose, a HUGE market, selling all sorts of souvenirs, artefacts and paintings. There must had been at least 100 stores in this huge warehouse building, with most of the stores offering repetition of items. Great for shopping!
Saw a store which made Pina Colada from fresh pineapple, and I just had to have one too!
2 days ago, when I arrived at the bus terminal, and while waiting to buy my bus ticket in advance to Havana, a guy approached me and asked if I wanted to use a collectivo instead.
It would cost CUC2 more than the bus, but I would be picked up at the Casa and dropped off at my preferred location in Havana city. I took up the option, as the timings were much better than the bus departure times, and it was more cost effective, since I didn’t need to take a taxi to and from the bus terminal.
I was concerned that the collectivo would not show, as he did not have my address when we confirmed.
Miraculously, the collectivo arrived and even slightly ahead of schedule with 3 other passengers in the car.
Thankfully, one of the passengers alighted about 1 hour into the journey, as it was starting to get uncomfortable sitting in one spot without moving about too much for a long duration.
A bus ride would had taken me 4 hours to get into Havana, but with the collectivo option, I arrived within 3 hours, including a short pit stop along the way.
Great for a short distance option, but would not recommend if travelling for a longer period of time.
Santa Clara, located almost in the middle of Cuba, was a stop over point for me before I make my way back into Havana city.
The city is centered around Parque Vidal, where most city life and activities take place.
On the night I arrived, there was an awards ceremony, attended by the governor of the area.
A short distance walk away is a street called “Boulevard”, and while walking through the street, I felt I had been whisked away into a Hollywood production set in the 70s, except that this is not on a production set, but a glimpse into the daily life of a Cubano.
The most famous attraction in Santa Clara is the massive mausoleum, monument, garden, memorial and museum dedicated to Che Guevara. Entrance to the museum is free, but strangely, they do not allow people to bring in bags, cameras or phones.
I am super impressed by Hostal Beny and Roberto, located in Santa Clara. This has to be the best Casa de Particular I had on this trip.
From the speed of response to my emails in confirming my stay (just 2 days prior to arriving), to arranging of a taxi to pick me up from the bus station, to having a professional crew to take care of every guests needs (including a house chef!) to very clean and comfortable rooms (comfortable mattress, pillows, brand new and quiet aircons) and even a colour printed map in each room!
They even have a price card in the room to indicate costs of the drinks in the mini-bar, costs of different breakfast options, snack or dinner menus! And also pricing for different tour options if you choose to do the tours with them.
They are conveniently located, as it is a short 5 mins walk to Parque Leoncio Vidal, the main centre.
Definitely a must to contact them if you are ever coming through Santa Clara.
I had spent the last 3 days at Cayo Santa Maria, an island located about 1.5hrs north of Santa Clara, and connected to the mainland by a bridge of about 42km in length.
I stayed at the Hotel Valentin Perla Blanca, a 5-star Adults only Hotel Resort located on the far eastern part of this island. I am officially a high class backpacker!
It was a rainy morning, so no beach or pool on my last day at Hotel Valentin Perla Blanca.
While packing this morning, I suddenly saw a frog on the wall in my room. I screamed!
For a moment, it looked like a 3D hanging display on the wall, and then it started moving, and I screamed again! It was as big as my palm!!!
I quickly moved my things that were near the table next to the wall, and then it jumped on top of the coffee machine. And I screamed even more! It must have scared the frog as it jumped back onto the wall.
There are at least 10 hotels in Cayo Santa Maria, with Hotel Valetin Perla Blanca located the furthest away from the mainland.
Coincidence #1 : A couple of hours after I arrive, I bumped into the young couple from the bus station at the same hotel! They had taken the collectivo with 2 other people in a car, and had a good experience, and for the same cost. I was very happy that they managed to make it to Cayo Santa Maria.
Coincidence #2 : This was even more surprising – barely shortly after I entered the restaurant for dinner, a lady approached me. I least expected to see Aleti (the girlfriend of Alberto, the “loco” couple I met at Hostal Teresa in Cienfuegos), whom started speaking to me in Spanish and told me that Alberto had spotted me as I walked in and had told Aleti “Chino Muchacha” (the China girl) 
. I had to later correct them that I was from Singapore, not China!
Everyone was pleasantly surprised and I joined their table for dinner. Alberto made sure that Aleti called Teresa to tell her about how we bumped into each other, and was passed the phone to chat with Teresa in very basic Spanish conversation and to sent my regards.
Alberto and Aleti are staying here for an entire week, so am sure we will see each other within the hotel over the next couple of days!
I hardly slept much last night as I was very excited about the trip to Cayo Santa Maria. Woke up a few times in the night to check the time, just to make sure I didn’t oversleep, and ended up waking up even before the alarm rang at 6.15am.
Did last minute packing before making my way to the bus terminal by 7am to buy my ticket to catch the 7.30am bus – the only bus that departs from Trinidad to Cayo Santa Maria (via Santa Clara).
A queue had formed at the counters when I arrived, so I quickly got inline and waited for my turn. Most of them had a reservation or a ticket already on hand. I was hoping really hard I could make it on the bus. Worse case scenario, I will have to take the collectivo option, though would prefer the bus, since the comfort of the ride was questionable, especially for a 5hr journey in a car.
I had to change my plans drastically in Cuba due to
1. Hurricane Matthew
2. Change in flight times in Baracoa
This meant I would not had made it in time for my international connection from Havana to Mexico city and there was no certainty on what were the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew in the eastern part of the island, due to limited information flow and lack of internet connectivity.
I had spent the last 5 days thinking what to do with the balance of my stay in Cuba.
There was a consideration of ending my trip in Santiago de Cuba and catching a flight back to Havana, but then locals had shared concern about flights departing on schedule or even at all! And everyone had indicated the road leading from Ciego de Avila to Santiago de Cuba is really bad, thus making the same route twice isn’t ideal.
Trinidad, a UNESCO World Heritage site declared in 1988, the main historical square is lined with cobbled stone streets, colourful low buildings with a combination of dwellings as well as shops selling paintings, trinklets, cups, cigar holders and other typical Cuban souvenirs.
One could hear the sound of horses' hooves trotting down cobbled car-free streets at any time of the day.
Established by Diego Velázquez in 1514 just inland from the central-southern coast as the third of Cuba's seven original "villas" (colonial cities), Trinidad is one of the oldest European-founded settlements in the Americas and recently celebrated it’s 500th year of founding.
Cienfuegos is a small town located off the bay of Bahia de Cienfuegos. Located about 1.5hr from Playa Larga and Trinidad, it is a stop over town before I make my way to Trinidad later today.
I personally found that the people in Cienfuegos are friendlier and the discrepancy at the shops for either locals or tourists is lesser, which means things are priced a lot more reasonably here in Cienfuegos than in the other cities I had been to in Cuba.
I also met an Italian guy Alberto, who was also staying at Hostal Teresa, along with his girlfriend Aleti, a local from Cienfuegos, who were a crazy and hilarious couple. It was from Alberto, that I found out there is a popular song on Facebook in Spanish (or could be Italian) – Can’t believe someone would actually make a song about Facebook!
Anyway, it’s worth stopping through Cienfuegos for 2 nights if passing through the area. Things worth doing here :
The last bus for the day from Giron to Cienfuegos had left for the day. The only option left was to take a taxi to Cienfuegos.
Rodolfo had made arrangements with a local for the transport for CUC35.00. When my ride arrived, I could sense some uncertainty with some members of the group on whether I would make it to my destination or if the car would break down enroute!
It’s the last day that I am with Rodolfo and the group…
For the 1st time since I joined them, we managed to leave on time at 8.30am for Playa Larga and Giron (where I will be dropped off), as it is the group’s preference to reach Havana before it gets dark and it is a 3 hour drive from Giron.
The drive towards Playa Larga took 2 hours, with a stop at the Crocodile Farm, which breeds only the Cuban Crocodile at the farm. Crocodiles generally live to about 100 years old, and matures at the age of 25.
Interestingly, I found out it is easy to manipulate the gender of the crocodile, by monitoring the temperature when the eggs are incubated. There also needs to be a balance in gender ratio of about 1 male to 5 female, as a male crocodile will mate with 5 female crocodiles at any one time.
Both Frank and I had woken up earlier than the rest and decided check out the beach, since it was too dark when we arrived last night. The beach was just 2 mins walk around the corner.
For all the talk about Varadero’s beach, both Frank and I was disappointed as we both felt that the beach at Santa Maria near Havana city was a lot nicer.
Rodolfo had made plans with the owner of the house last night to arrange horses for each of us today, to ride into the tobacco plantation where we would learn more about cigars.
I love horse riding!
I left Stefano's house at 7.45am to catch the 8.07am train to the airport, which later required switching to an airport shuttle from T2 ...
