Santiago de Cuba is the other bookend of the Havana - Santiago de Cuba bus route. As with the other interim stops it was good to have paid-for reservations. And consistent with the last couple of stops, the bus is running behind schedule; 40 minutes today.

Our casa particulare, Casa Tita, is as advertised: private floor on the 2nd level (steep narrow steps up) with bedroom, bath, kitchen & outdoor terrace. This kitchen I could cook in if I so desired. Best bed & pillows of our trip in the sizable bedroom. Very low water pressure in the shower. 25 CUC / room / night. Once settled, we head for the terrace to relax and enjoy a drink. A few minutes later Jerry asks me if I smell “that”? Yes, I’m thinking farmyard. Sure enough there’s a mini-farm next door - 2 giant hogs in a pen barely big enough to hold them, and a bunch of chickens in another enclosed pen. In addition, the next door neighbor has a barking Boxer on their 2nd level and our casa has a barking German Shepherd just opposite the gate that separates the terrace from the other portion of this level. That’s a lot of smell and noise! Thankfully with the door closed and air-conditioning on, the smell and noise is greatly diminished.

The casa is located in the historic center of the city just 5 minutes from the central park so we enjoy a late-ish leisurely breakfast, which is served on our kitchen table. Standard fare yet a nicer than usual presentation. 5 CUC / pp / day. Santiago de Cuba, near the east end of the island 970 km from Havana, is Cuba’s second city. Suffice it to say, there’s lots to see during our short stay. First up, walk the pedestrian street(s) and the plazas to get a feel for where things are located.

As we walk past Plaza Dolores a Cuban couple asks us where we’re from and stops to talk. Ruben is a musician, Elena is a dancer, both born in Santiago and proud of their city. Ruben says wants to “practice his English” and asks if we can all get a coffee. We do get a coffee midway through a 2-hour walking tour of the historical district site locations, up the Padre Pico steps and into the French part of town, Tripoli, for a quick stop at the Casa de las Tradiciones, then on to Parque Alameda for a view of the harbor. He says the port used to be very busy, not so much now. He points out a small white freighter and says it’s the ‘chicken ship”; when it’s in port, there’s chicken to eat. He, of course, asks for “a little bit so Elina can purchase shampoo”. We expected to be asked for a tip, and he was an entertaining guide, and it’s likely we wouldn’t have wandered so far from the central district on our own so got to see more of the city than otherwise. We gave them 10 CUC. It’s now mid-day and we’re hot and thirsty. La Baturro Taverna Bucanero to the rescue - cold beer on tap!

The next morning, we set out do do what we were going to do yesterday, sightsee. Calle Heredia, Parque Cespedes, Museo de Ambiente Historico Cubano. The oldest house in Cuba, started in 1516, completed 1530. 2 CUC / pp for foreigners. Gorgeous woodwork, including the very tall ceilings, along with some of the original furniture, china, and crystal. Even it’s own gold smelter. Museo Provincial Emilio Bacardi Also 2 CUC / pp for foreigners. Cuba’s oldest museum. Paintings and sculptures on the 2nd floor; colonial era uniforms and armaments, slave trade relics, and similar items on the main floor and in the basement, pre-colonial items and two mummies, one from Peru (reportedly 1000 years old) and the other from Egypt (reportedly 2000 years old). Its said that Emilio Bacardi personally acquired and transported them to Cuba. Casa del Abanicos (hand-painted fans), La Barrita, the first Bacardi rum factory. They make Santiago de Cuba rums there today. And more. It is also fruit & veggie delivery day; the open-air market stands and the wooden delivery carts being pushed up & down the streets are overflowing with the fruit & veg in season. Everyone is happy; chicken and produce for sale!