Our Cuba trip began in Havana, where we spent five days wandering the city, taking it all in, and getting toured through the streets by bicycle taxi. It was the kind of place that felt layered with beauty, history, grit, colour, and contradiction all at once. We saw the old American cars Cuba is famous for — often called “yank tanks” — found quiet courtyards for coffee, walked past centuries-old buildings with complicated histories, and explored Havana at night when the streets felt even more mysterious.

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From Havana, we travelled by Colectivos — shared hired rides in those classic old yank tanks — through Viñales, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, and eventually Varadero. It was a rough-around-the-edges but memorable way to move through the country, sharing the road with other travellers and seeing more of Cuba beyond the capital. In Cienfuegos, Peter became seriously ill from a parasite, forcing us to change our backpacking plans and cut that part of the adventure short. After finally getting medication in Varadero, we salvaged the last stretch of the trip on the beach before returning to Havana for the journey home.

 

It wasn’t always easy, and it definitely wasn’t the polished version of travel, but it was unforgettable.