Travel Stories - Cuba

In Santiago de Cuba a lot of people try to help me when I ask at the bus station for a means of transport (no matter what) to "Bartolome Maso". I may follow someone who points to the first truck we see. We must have been driving for an hour if he suddenly points me out and I am the only one who’s getting out of the bus. He points to a truck opposite and I say that I want to go to "Bartholomeo Malo". There I step into the truck and take a seat. After another transfer, we stop at my destination and I know that no public transport will continue from here. I walk out of the street with a beautiful old woman (they try to get me a horse taxi first) where she points to a motel. Many bicycle taxis but also taxis with horse are waiting but I prefer to walk a bit. There is a small group of tourists and the man points to the jeep that apparently goes to "Alto de Naranho" today, the village high in the hills from where you can make the hike to the headquarters, I have read. This group is going and I talk to the driver who’s local. I have to pay him quite some money but if I want to go there today I have to go with this group. Next to that – the piece of road btween Santa Domingo and Alto is so steep that a “normal” car can’t do it. I try to put the price a bit down but I’m not succesfull and I don’t have a lot of choice. 

I am dropped with the jeep by a very modern looking tourist complex with a large restaurant, cabanas and an information point. Because I also have to return here from my tour the girl proposes to buy a packagetour which includes the return with the jeep, the entrance fee, the obligatory guide and a kind of lunch package. 

We’re on our way and I realize that nobody said something wrong when they talked about the steepness of the road. This is not possible for a “normal” car without 4WD. I’m looking out of the window and the view is beautiful - green forests, occasionally a hut, but especially high mountains, a lake and a lot of forest. I leave my big bag in the backseat of the jeep and I meet my guide who unfortunately speaks very little English. On a board I see which way we have to go and also that the distance is about 3 kilometers. Below that is the timetable of about 4 hours. The goat path is natural and is therefore frequently used by the rebels and their helpers during the start of the Revolution in the 50’s. A lot or rocks, stones and pebbles in the stream that we pass that goes straight through the jungle. I’ts tough and rough and I feel I start to sweat and realize I’m happy that I left my big back in the jeep. Halfway the guide asks me if I have a camera with me - I have and he proposes to put this away otherwise I have to pay an extra 5 CUC. Then we encounter the real entrance and I lie that I never take a camera with me. 

After another walk through the jungle, we finally arrive at some signs indicating that we have arrived at the headquarters of the group Rebels. There follows a first thatched hut (completely empty) that served as the first checkpoint. We continue our walk on a steep path and arrive on an open piece of grass where in the middle is a patch of sand; my guide makes clear that this served as a helicopter landing place. Where the forest starts again is a wooden barrack in which the museum is located. Here are photos on the wall with Fidel and his fighters (including Che), but also utensils such as a typewriter, pen and an oxygen machine. The terrain is large and the huts scattered in a big green area - the rebels seem to sleep in their hammocks here and there in the woods while Fidel has his own cabin that we will see later. As can be seen on the large scale model in the museum, a number of barracks have been taken over by nature, weather and the heat and are gone, unfortunately. We walk further up and pass the cemetery on the left side. You can imagine how hard it was to live here in the jungle. My Spanish is not perfect and I understand that he tries to explain that somebody died here – because of the cross – but I’ve got no clue who and what was the deathcause. 

We encounter further at the path a new straw hut that served as a storage place; stuff to eat and drink, but also uniforms and weapons were stored here. Behind it is a small kitchen that is no more than a piece of wooden veranda with a large wooden box. We climb up the mountain and arrive at the large kitchen. When it rained and the rebels could not sleep outside in their hammocks, most of them slept here and you can imagine how crowded it became. Now we come to Fidel's house itself where even a separate bedroom was built. I ask why Fidel did have a house and the rest did not, especially since you know that he was pro equality (communism). My guide explains that it was the soldiers who wanted him to get a house with some luxury. Two shutters could be opened and closed (probably to keep the weather outside) and there are two rooms to see - one is the bedroom with a bed and a double mattress, and in the other there is a table with some chairs that were most likely used as a staffroom for meetings. Behind is even a terrace to see that then again looks out on the personal toilet of the leader. Where-ever you look you see roses; my guide explains that the secretary of Fidel wanted to make the place a little cozy and planned the plants here to give it some colour. 

It is impressive to see how this small group of rebels has spent five months without any comfort and never was found by the Batista dictators' troops. There is a path further up the mountain and my guide asks (and I understand after repeating several times) that it is still possible to view the radio antenna on top of the mountain. I'm not here for nothing, nod yes and we walk up a very steep path to the top. First we come across a reed hut, then the electricity house (they had about an hour of electricity per day and that was only used to make radio connection). We come in the end at the top where we feel a chilly wind blowing. A house with a beautiful view over a large lake and the mountains around us. Surprisingly, there is still a lot of (expired) communication equipment to see. When we sit down to have a sandwich I have to say that I’m happy that I bought a lunchpackage although it was quite expensive. After the new energy boost we walk a bit further where we encounter two holes in the ground; this is where the big antenna stood he says. I’ts time to go back into the jungle beneaths us.  

At a new exit, my guide asks me if I still want to go to the hospital and I answer; “yes ofcourse I want to see it all”. Here too, the wooden stairs stop and we climb steeply down a gravel path with stones and pebbles. At the bottom of the hill near the river (which you also hear) are three beautiful barracks built with straw roofs and a number of wooden terraces. With all respect – these could be part of a tourist cabana in this beautiful spot. The first hut is almost empty, but in the large one you can clearly see wooden boxes where the various medicines have stood. The wooden table that was used for operations is still there and I wander how this hospital would look like in these times. It is time to walk back and the sweatdrops slide over my face. On the way back we no longer encounter any tourists and on the grounds of the headquarters I only met a French couple. After 15 minutes we walk back the last part where Vladimir, my driver is already waiting for us.

Campsites in Cuba are not real campsites, but a collection of small cabanas together in a green environment with some facilities like a restaurant. The room looks fine; large with two beds, a separate toilet and shower and clean too. I get undressed and turn off the tap of the shower but no water comes out. I try the toilet and the tap in the kitchen but nothing. Clothes on again and I walk back to the reception. I pick up my stuff again and go to another cabana. After switched of the disco-light there it occurs there is no water at all at the camp – the woman comes up the path with a hot bucket of water for a kind of shower. In the evening I sit down next to another tourist couple at the terrace at the restaurant – I’m just in time because they’re going to close soon. We drink a beer together, talk over our trip and experiences in Cuba and say goodbye. The next day I’m picked up by jeep and brought back to the real life.