Cuba's first town
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April 5, 2013:
From Santiago, a 5-hour bus ride over rugged mountains
brought me to Baracoa.
This quaint seaport is one of Cuba's most remote locations.
There was no road to Baracoa until 1964.
As a result of being isolated from Cuba
− and the rest of the world −
for five centuries,
there's a singular feeling in this place.
Travel by bus in Cuba is first class. As with its currency, Cuba has two parallel bus systems: one for tourists, and one for Cubans. Although the tourist buses are more expensive, they're good value, and include air conditioning, on-board toilets, and in-flight movies.
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 My Viazul bus |
 Rafaela and family |
 Breakfast on the roof |
 Fishing boats in the harbor |
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Cuba's casa particular network makes travel very easy.
My host family in Santiago made my reservation with
Rafaela
in Baracoa.
Rafaela met my bus in Baracoa and
took me to my comfortable lodgings where I enjoyed
my next three breakfasts on her rooftop patio
with a view of the town −
while not far away, fishing boats were anchored in the harbor.
On December 1, 1492, Columbus landed on the beach in Baracoa and stuck a cross into the sand − just as he did on 28 other beaches in the Caribbean during his four visits to the New World. What's remarkable about Baracoa is that they still have the cross! When Diego Velázquez landed here in 1511, the cross was found intact, although covered with parra (vines). A church was built around the cross, and carbon-14 dating has confirmed that the cross is about 500 years old. For a small and isolated beach town, that's an impressive bit of history.
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 Cruz de la Parra |
 Remains of the Taíno indians |
 Che's chocolate factory |
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One of the unfortunate consequences of Spain's colonization of Cuba
was the elimination of the indigenous Taíno culture.
There were an estimated 120,000 of them living in Cuba in 1492.
By 1550, only 5000 remained.
In recent years, Cuban archaeologists have been carefully uncovering
their bones, which are found in caves in the hills above Baracoa.
The Spanish brought cocoa to Cuba from central America. In 1961, Che Gueverra's name was attached to the chocolate factory here. As you walk around Baracoa, everyone offers you chocolate. Life is good here. As a beach town, Baracoa isn't Honolulu. The beach is mostly rocks and the malecón (esplanade) is fronted by Russian-built apartments that could use some paint.
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 Beachfront property |
 Maikel Blet Rodriquez & family |
 Dinnertime serenade |
 How to dance like a Cuban (video) |
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However, Baracoa is a very friendly place.
Everyone knows everyone else.
If you're a stranger, you'll get invited in for lunch.
Shown above is the Blet family who served me a farm-fresh omelet,
a salad, and the best lemonade I've had in a long time.
In the evenings, Baracoa comes alive with festivals and street parties. There are also a few excellent music venues with cheap beer and lively dancing.
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 A quiet place to rest |
 Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt |
 Miles of Atlantic beaches |
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The coast north of Baracoa is pristine.
For $3, I rented a bicycle for a day
and explored picturesque coves and beaches.
Humboldt National Park supposedly has a breeding colony of manatees,
but April isn't a good time of year to see them.
From Baracoa, I took the bus back to Santiago where I spent another night with my friends Masó and Marianela before continuing on to Camagüey. 
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