Music City

Music City.... Well that's what I call Trinidad - not the island but a city on the southern coast of Cuba - this place really does have it all - incredible live music - beaches mountains great architecture - hence all the photos!
The city is the best preserved Spanish colonial town in Cuba with lovely cobbled streets and gorgeous buildings In the evenings I went up to Casa de La Musica - an outdoor venue set on the steps of the church where the Cuban Son bands played hard and the locals salsa-ed harder. It was great people watching - the local guys were amazing dancers and the young female tourists were besotted - occasionally a European or Canadian couple would get up but they knew they couldn't compete and slowly edged off the dancefloor to avoid embarrassment Occasionally an older tourist ( that is not a reference to myself!!) would be dragged onto the floor by a young Cuban girl - he would stand there transfixed and bemused while she shimmied and shook Yes it was really best left to the Cubans
The bands are amazing - usually 7-10 people 2 or 3 singers 3 on horns plus keyboards guitar double bass and most importantly at least a couple of guys on percussion - the most popular live music here is called Son - think Buena Vista Social Club - that's Son Each song is about15-20 minutes long and starts quite slowly but the intensity builds until 10 mins in the band are white hot and the salsa in being performed and a manic pace - people crawl off the dancefloor breathing hard and drenched - its intense!
Daytime the choice was beach or mountains or just wandering round the historic centre - deciding on an easy day I wandered round the town - I'll take in a few museums I thought - The Rough Guide describes one that is not to be missed - its huge - its in the main square - I wander round twice I can't see a sign - although to be fair to me Cubans aren't big on signage - plus most streets having more than one name isnt helpful either... I see a building with no sign covered in scaffolding - there is someone inside - It is then I get my first taste of Museo cerrado por reparacion - closed for repair - a phenomenon so frequent I believe I am cursed! The thing is that they give you hope by having someone at a desk so it looks like its open and functioning!
The next day the weather was gorgeous sunny and about 30 C so the choice first day was easy - second day I decided on a bike ride into the mountains - Los Topes de Collantes (I could have taken the excursion on a Russian truck with all the other turistas but thought I'd be different...) - I knew there would be hills but wasn't prepared for the steepness - halfway up was a Mirador or viewpoint - I only got there by pushing my bike the last 4 km - people on excursions on the passing trucks were applauding me! Still the clue was in the name Topes - Spanish for - er... Top! I decided that getting to the viewpoint was a decent achievement and decided to head back - should be a pleasant run back - think again - it was so stepped I had to apply the brakes continually and zig zag my way down to the sound of screeching brakes and burning pads - next time I'm taking the truck!!
After that I needed some recovery time so intended my stay by a couple of days - a lot of the casas have roof terraces in Trinidad where you can relax with a beer and a book and look over the tiled roofs of the city - all very pleasant but soon it was time to move on to the city at the heart of the Revolution Santiago de Cuba...