_____ PLP 12 traveled to the island nation of Cuba on April 21st, 2018. For 16 days 12 students explored the Caribbean island with their two humanities teachers and a very knowledgeable guide. I was one of the 12 students who was lucky enough (and smart enough) to go on this trip. The 16 days I spent adventuring and learning is a little piece of my teenage years that I will never forget. The scenes were beautiful, the people were characters, the food was an experience, the history was inspiring and overall the trip was impact on me.
Part 1 of the Trip: Havana Introduction ( 2 Days )
_____ The first part of the trip started in Havana and was by far the shortest section of our adventure. We landed, met Allister, and began our journey. We settled into our home stay and walked across the street to a famous hotel, the Hotel National. We got drinks, Anatolia learned how to bar tend and Michael F was goofed by an actual bar tender. After this we went to dinner and ate quite fancy at the Cafe Laurent, personally I ate sword fish along with fancy appetizers. That was the end of the day and our first sleep in our Havana home stay. Day 2 was a full day and very fun. We began with a classic car tour and saw the city from the roads. Being in the cars was an experience that paired nicely with the amazing views. The day followed with good food and a walking tour of Old Havana that was interesting and captivating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYBZPHpa2Kg&feature=youtu.be
Part 2 of the Trip: Central Island ( 6 Days)
_____ The second section of our trip was the most impactful in my opinion. This second section is spent in 4 different cities that are not typical basic tourist spots, the real Cuba. On Monday the 23rd we left Havana and embarked on a drive to Ceinfuegos. During the day we experienced the bay of pigs and swam in the ocean, and in a sink hole. We visited a crocodile farm and then after lunch visited a museum, on the bay of pigs. After this we slept in a new home stay, in Cienfuegos. The following morning we walked through the town and experienced its history on foot, we visited a palace and a very historic cemetery. After this we moved onto Trinidad the next town on our central island journey. After a visit to a museum we slept in another, new home stay. In Trinidad we walked through the city, to experience the town. We also horseback rode to a waterfall, one of the most experiences of the whole trip. In Trinidad we visited Disco Ayala, an underground nightclub. After two sleeps in Trinidad we moved onto Santa Clara, where we visited the valley of sugar mills. We climbed a very tall tower and ate lunch in an old plantation building. Later we visited a small family tobacco farm which was an awesome and humbling experience. We ended the first day in Santa Clara with another walking tour. The next day we finished our Santa Clara experience with a visit to the final site of the Cuban Revolution. We also visited a cigar factory and Che Guevara’s burial site. After this we embarked on a 6 hour drive to Vinales. After arriving late in the day we visited a biosphere, then went to sleep. The final day of the central island adventure was spent in Vinales and it was awesome. We zip lined in the morning, visited a large mural of dinosaurs, and explored underwater caves deep within the mountains. We finished this day with the best meal of the trip in my opinion, a home cooked meal.
Part 3 of the Trip: Havana Continued ( 4 Days )
_____We began the Havana continuation with a visit to a famous public art exhibit, then a little stop to see the Soviet Embassy. Dinner for this day was in an art gallery that was an experience and a half. The next day action packed, we visited an expansive soviet memorial then drove to the jungle. In the jungle we visited one of the coolest places I have ever been. After trekking through the brush, we came across THE Soviet bunker that nukes were held in. Allister our guide had tracked this building down through satellite images and old cold war records. While walking back we were shown a cock fighting ring, where an execution occurred. The next day we joined over a million Cubans in the annual May Day parade where we walked many blocks. We followed this up with a visit to a rum museum, air force museum and statue of Jesus Christ. The final day of our second Havana stint ended with a revolution museum, soviet lunch, visit to the Capilolio and burlesque show at the Tropicana.
Part 4 of the Trip: Resort Relaxing ( 4 Days )
_____For the next four days we were at a 4 star all inclusive beach front resort. My friends and I spent our days swimming, eating, tanning and doing homework. These four days were an awesome end to the trip and concluded an epic adventure well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozDdz2IE3xo
Overall Reflection
_____ This 16 day trip was an amzing experience that truly changed me as a person. I experience so many things its hard to list them all but I am going to try. Political: I got to see how GDP, economic policies, embargo’s and political ideologies affect the citizens of a country and truly made me value the way Canada is operated more. Friendship: I spent many, many hours with Michael Fourie on the trip and our friendship deepened. We learned the true sides of each other while rooming together and it taught us a lot as we will be rooming together next year. Wealth: While in Cuba I came to an appreciation of the life I am lucky enough to live. Western society is different and I’m lucky to be upper middle class within Canada. The conditions some people are happy to live in gave perspective to what fortune I live with daily. Culture: Cuban, Spanish and Latin culture educated me and taught me the scope of what is truly out there. living in Canada can give a false perspective on how the world lives, and now I strongly know different.
