Allgemein EN – Page 8 – Kat´s Truth about Travelling

Streets of Holbox

Holbox is a very cute little town on an island with the same name. Pronounced Holbosh by the way. Since the island consists almost exclusively of sand, beach and nature reserves, there is not much there apart from the houses where the locals live, hostels, hotels and the centre, which is also largely a tourist (hot)-spot. In the centre itself there is a kind of half-dome for events and a basketball court, but most of it is really souvenir shops, bars and restaurants. Staying true to my way of travelling, I went on a discovery tour through the streets of Holbox anyways and got to see the streets out of the centre. You find a selection of the best pictures below. More on the street art/graffiti in Holbox in another post 😉 Go exploring or not? I think it's always worth it. Simply because you get to know the place where you're staying and visiting better and get a better feel for the vibe and so on. So definitely yes. And Holbox isn't big. You can get around quite quickly 😉 😊

Holbox – Beaches

Holbox is an incredibly cute, really beautiful and truly paradisiacal strip of island close to the coast of Quintana Roo. It basically consists of sand and beach. And trees and houses and a town centre of course, but when you walk along Holbox you basically walk along the beach the whole time. You get there via a tiny little place called Chiquilá from where a ferry takes you in about 20 to 25 minutes to Holbox. Apart from that, Holbox is an absolute dream for all beach and sun lovers. Even I – I am not a beach person – really loved Holbox. There's this endless white sandy beach where you can take long walks, palm trees and other greenery in the background, an incredibly relaxed vibe, boats bobbing in the water, space to swim or chill in the sun, and a jetty from which you can watch beautiful sunsets. For me Holbox is in Mexico what I would personally describe as the perfect little island paradise. As comparison: there are exactly four beaches in Mexico that blew me away: Chacahua, Puerto Escondido, Isla Mujeres and Holbox. Chacahua is my number one on beaches, but it's not an island. Puerto Escondido... you won’t find a place more beautiful and above all more relaxed, but it's not an island either. Isla Mujeres is an island, but Holbox is even more chilled and less touristy and soooo cute! That's why I say it's the perfect little island paradise in Mexico 😊 Go or not? Definitely go! Holbox is one of those cute little places where, like a few others in Mexico, you get stuck and just let yourself be carried away by the vibe and the scenery 😊

Viewpoint, Castle & Lighthouse – Havana

On the opposite side of the centre and the largest part of the city, Havana has a peninsula with a viewpoint overlooking Havana, as well as a castle and a lighthouse. You can get there by a small ferry that runs regularly throughout the day and is super cheap (1 CUP). At the viewpoint there is a Jesus statue facing Havana having a, although the view is slightly limited by bushes at the bottom, really nice view overlooking entire Havana – or at least the centre. The castle itself is nothing special, but the view from next to it – where I watched the sunset – is really pretty. The lighthouse as well is pretty cool. I met somebody at the castle who took me to the top of the lighthouse for free. Since I had never seen a lighthouse so close up and from the inside, it was really cool :D 😊 And the view of Havana at night from up there... very, very beautiful 😊 Go or not? Yes, I think it's worth it. Since you have to take the ferry to get there etc. you should check out the centre and the tourist area first, but I personally think the trip is worth it.

Harbour Promenade – Havana

Endless, beautiful and very diverse. Havana is located directly next to the sea and, as it is the capital, naturally has a harbour. The harbour promenade begins at a spot with many small boats, a few simple huts and houses and a bridge, and continues down to the large viewpoint. From the viewpoint you have a truly fantastic view of the skyline and the harbour promenade of Havana. After leaving the area with the small boats and simple huts, you pass a fortress and then walk along the water in bright sunshine for a long time. On the left is the harbour wall that runs along the entire harbour promenade and on the right the buildings, skyscrapers and simply Havana. In the middle is a wide road where many cars come towards you or speed in the same direction as you towards the centre of Havana. About three-quarters of the way down towards the centre of Havana – it really is a long, winding walk along the water – you come to a section with quite a few different works of art, such as a hexadecagon in different colours, a turtle lying on its back with a red head, an underpass painted with flowers, a few brass dresses and so on. At the end you reach the viewpoint where there usually is some kind of artwork on display. The two things I saw where one time lots of different chairs looking out onto the water. The other time there was a kind of round, tall sculpture made of round metal CDs moving in the wind. I have no idea how else to describe it :D In any case, the view is truly fantastic and the sunsets from here are absolutely stunning. One of my absolute favourite places in entire Havana 😊 Go or not? Well... The section with the artworks is really cool, but the section before that isn't really a must-see. Simply because the path is really long and I personally had to take breaks along the way.

Streetart – Havana

Colourful, very diverse and ranging from scribbles to genuine works of art. There is absolutely everything. Havana is not a place full of graffiti, but you will always find graffiti or pictures sprayed and/or painted on walls. And near art galleries or cultural venues, it can sometimes be an entire wall 😉😊 I found the street art I photographed while walking through the streets of Havana. So I would recommend the same to everyone. Go looking for it or not? In my opinion, you don't need to. As long as you walk around with your eyes open, you'll find most of it 😊

Streets of Habana Barrio

Havana is really big and, like any large city, also has districts that are simply residential areas. Places that are neither the city centre nor tourist hotspots, but where normal life takes place and you bump into locals and see things or buildings that are otherwise rare or non-existent. Habana Barrio is of course also quieter than the city centre or Casco Viejo. It's basically like another world. As I personally like to get to know places and cities from their authentic everyday side, I enjoyed wandering through Habana Barrio. Go or not? If you have time, go for it. Otherwise I think there are too many other things to see in Havana.

Viewpoint Loma del Capiro – Santa Clara

The Viewpoint of Santa Clara! 😊 It's not really famous, but since I have a huge weakness for viewpoints, I obviously had to go there. And honestly? It's really cool! You get a really nice view of Santa Clara, stretch your legs a bit and experience a place where usually I think only Cubans go :D Go or not? Definitely go! My personal highlight in Santa Clara – apart from the house with the holes in it 😊

Avenida de la Liberación – Santa Clara

Avenida de la Liberación is exactly what its name suggests: Liberation Avenue. It is home to the house riddled with bullet holes from the battle, the famous railway crossing, the Communist Party building and a statue of Che Guevara carrying a child. In his hair and on his clothes, you can still find all kinds of tiny brass figures relaxing or fighting with him etc. It's a street whose significance is not apparent at first glance, but becomes clear when you take a closer look. Especially if you know the background. Go or not? The railway tracks aren't particularly exciting, but the statue is quite cool and the bullet-riddled house, which by the way is still inhabited, with the holes left as a reminder... That's very real and definitely worth seeing.

Memorial of Ché Guevara – Santa Clara

Santa Clara is a relatively unknown city from a tourist perspective. However, from the perspective of Cuban independence, the city is extremely important. Because! once the battle in Santa Clara was won, the way to Havana was clear. Accordingly, there is a huge memorial of Ché Guevara in Santa Clara. Right next to it and belonging to the memorial is a kind of cemetery, where I assume all the soldiers who died in the fight for Cuba's independence in Santa Clara are buried. In fact, although it is a cemetery the place is not sad at all, but very proud and when I was there also bathed in sunshine. Go or not? Personally, I didn’t find the memorial particularly impressive, but since there is relatively little to see in Santa Clara to be honest you can easily fit it into your itinerary.

Santa Clara

Santa Clara is a medium-sized, relatively quiet city in the centre of the country. It is not particularly touristy or in any way the most visited city in Cuba. Most tourists tend to go to Vinales, Varadero, Trinidad, perhaps Cienfuegos and/or El Nicho, and Havana. Santa Clara is a rather unusual destination on a trip around Cuba. But since I really wanted to visit a place that wasn't touristy at all and had absolutely no desire to go to an overpriced beach area – Varadero – I made my way to Santa Clara. Santa Clara doesn't have a huge amount to see, but it's a really cute, quiet and pretty town – especially the central square with its pavilion in the centre and the viewpoint (see post) 😊 It also played a decisive role in the history of Cuba's independence, as Che Guevara's most important victory was in Santa Clara (the road to Havana was “free” after the victory in Santa Clara). There are also several statues (see post) and a huge memorial (see post) commemorating this event. The house that was riddled with bullets during the battle for example is still riddled with bullet holes today in memory of the event. Santa Clara may not be particularly ‘famous’, but it is really peaceful and quiet and... simply very authentically Cuban. Go or not? Personally, I really liked Santa Clara. However, I would plan a visit depending on how much time you have and what you want to see. And if case you don’t have the time, just come back. Cuba has a lot to see and Havana alone is worth visiting several times. So why not make a little detour to Santa Clara on one of your visits? :D