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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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 ...
