Leaving Cienfeugos we now drove to Santa Clara in the midday heat. Santa Clara is the site of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara's mausoleum.

As we arrived the heat was quite strong and we tried to get inside quickly. I'd been to the tomb of Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi and seen the tomb of Lenin on tv so was expecting to see an embalmed body.

There was a dimly lit room with some names written on different squares on a wooden wall. As we came out I asked where was the tomb? They said we just passed it so I had to go back in and Che is one of the names written on the wall. The remains for each are inside the wall.

There was then a museum telling his life from his early childhood and school days to his political and military career. His real name was Ernesto and did not grow a beard until later in life. On some of his later travels to export the revolution ideas he would travel in disguise to avoid arrest or assassination such as a fat bald old man that I had no idea was him at first. No pics are allowed in the museum.

We then made our way to Santa Clara's main town square. This was a similar version to Cienfeugos this morning with a town hall, cathedral, and opera house.

There was a famous lady who made large charitable contributions and built a hospital for the poor. Her statue is in the main square. The Government wanted to name the town the home of Che Guevara but locals objected such is the strong legacy of this woman on the town.

We then went to a buffet restaurant for lunch. From the outside it just looks like a small one story home and you would drive past but they converted their backyard into a restaurant with grilled meats. I was told not to drink the fountain juices as the water 'might not be safe' but I didnt want to pay extra for a canned drink.

I stocked up on the fruits and desserts as there were mostly meat dishes I couldnt eat but tried some of the fish.

We also had ice cream which was a rare treat in Cuba. Lunch was $10P plus tip.

Continuing our drive to Trinidad we passed by some burnt fields which were lit on fire in the past for some reason.

In Trinidad we were divided into different Casa's again. I was with two other ladies from our group this time. There was one room downstairs so I went upstairs to avoid any ground floor mice.

The lady who took the downstair room then came running out screaming as though there was a dead decomposing body in there. She was yelling she cant stay in there as there were no windows, natural light, or air circulation. We offered her the upstairs room with windows overlooking the street. A bit of a waste as she said she will sleep with earplugs.

My room was no better. It had no bathroom but instead down the end of the corridor. Also there was only one light in the room meaning no bedside light. We were meant to be staying in a 'family home' but this was just a vacant house with beds in rooms, none of the personal attention. The downstairs room didnt have a bathroom either and you had to walk thru the kitchen.

For a two night stay none of us felt this accommodation was acceptable and comparable to the other Casa's we had stayed in. There was no dining room for breakfast but a small terrace on the upper floor leading to the roof. The owner took special attention taking me to the roof in the baking sun to point out how to get to the 'cave disco' this evening!

At 5pm we were to go on a walking tour and orientation of Trinidads old quarter. There was a handcrafts market which was closing but we would have time to come back tomorrow.

The towns cobbled streets are closed to traffic, and it had a very Spanish European feel in this Unesco town.

The group was moving very slowly with their narrations and I wanted to do my own stuff. There was an old convent whose tower you could climb for $2. Not knowing if we would have time to come back tomorrow and not wanting to climb in the heat a few of us took the chance to go up.

There were nice views of the city and the tower bells but we were a bit rushed as the lights were starting to come on and they were closing up so we had to head down. Also others from the group were waiting to leave.

At the base was a small military museum but again I was rushed as the group was ready to leave now.

For dinner they decided to goto the most crowded restaurant in town that had lines waiting to get. I decided to goto the wifi hotspot in the meantime to try to sign on. Internet is tightly controlled so as everyone was trying to sign in I couldnt connect so gave up.

They were still waiting in line to get into the restaurant. Some of our group had been seated while others were still in line. I thought this was crazy. The point of this local tour was to help the local economy and there are other restaurants that are empty and could do with the income from a foreign group.

I decided to just leave and find another restaurant. I found a nice burger and pizza restaurant where I was able to get a Pizza for $4P though there was a long wait time after ordering and it was a bit lacking on cheese.

I then went to another public square by our casa and was able to get onto the wifi this time. By co-incidence the guy that looked like Che Guevara that had hitched a ride with us to Cienfeugos was in the park and helped me sign on. I also found a supermarket and got a coke can for $1P.

It was now back to our scary casa to try to get a good nights sleep... details to follow next entry!