Diary of a Wanderer

Reflections on Cuba during the nine days of mourning the death of Fidel Castro Our love affair with Cuban music had been short and sweet, brought to a sudden end with the news on the morning of Saturday 26th November, two days into our stay in Havana. The daughter of the owners of the casa approached me at breakfast with tears in her eyes. She told me how the country had heard some terrible news and that their commander and leader, Fidel Castro, had died the night before. She was ridden with grief and for the next two days of our stay she could barely look us in the eyes, let alone smile. Her state was to reflect that of many people we were to meet over the rest of the trip, saddened by the loss of their 'comandante'. Nine days of mourning were called, starting from Sunday afternoon. Music and alcohol were prohibited. The Plaza de la Revolucion provided a space where Cubans could come and show their respects to their beloved leader, filing passed a picture of him and...

Before we knew it, it was time to say our goodbyes to Havana. A bus ride took us west to the sleepy town of Viñales. In direct contrast to the busy, built up city we had just left, before us stood a quaint town settled amongst spectacular countryside that has been unexpectedly awoken since the tourist trade began to boom in Cuba. Small little houses lined the central street that ran through the centre of the town, none more than one floor or complete without at least two rocking chairs on the porch. All of them finished with guest house signs outside. As the bus pulled up, we were greeted with a mob of casa owners holding up signs, desperate to convince someone to stay at their house tonight. Luckily, we had already sorted our place out on the bus with a guy who had hopped on the stop before. He took us to his family’s casa, just off of the main road and showed us to our room. As the sun set we headed out to explore. Flag flying at half mast in the Plaza Mayor It was aro...