After breakfast, I pack up and walk to the center again - I have to find a new place to stay! I check out one place that was mentioned in my guide book, but they are already full. They refer me to another casa just around the corner - and it turns out that the host there speaks perfect English!
After that, I check out the parks in the city center - apparently Holguin is called the city of parks.
In one of the parks I found this church. Have a close look:
Can you see the bent cross at the top? And the general state the church is in? This is how most of Holguin looks - and I guess it is at least partly due to the US embargoes against Cuba.
After that I went to find the train station and bus terminal - just so I know where to go when I leave for Santiago de Cuba (probably tomorrow).
Finally, I went to climb the many stairs to La Loma de la Cruz - a hill just outside of town offering a nice view of Holguin and its surroundings.
I also made my first visit to a supermarket today. I found a few shops that all basically have the same stuff: an assortment of rum, pasta, mayonnaise and soft drinks. Strangely enough, each shop also has a section for household items such as fridges, plates and pots. And all this in the space of maybe a fifth German Aldi market. After you pay, you have to take the receipt to the person guarding the exit door. He checks that you only take what you actually paid for (and then opens the door for you).
One big problem that I still have is that I don't easily recognize shops from the outside. There are no big neon signs, no shopping carts, and everything looks somewhat alike. I guess this will improve with time, but right now I'm sure I overlook most shops.
Another thing I noticed today - and this is again with regard to the general state of Cuba - is the amount of tiny shops offering to repair watches, glasses or shoes. Apparently Cuba is not yet a society where everything is thrown away the instant it doesn't work anymore, but rather one where everything is kept and repaired as long as possible.
After that, I check out the parks in the city center - apparently Holguin is called the city of parks.
In one of the parks I found this church. Have a close look:
Can you see the bent cross at the top? And the general state the church is in? This is how most of Holguin looks - and I guess it is at least partly due to the US embargoes against Cuba.
After that I went to find the train station and bus terminal - just so I know where to go when I leave for Santiago de Cuba (probably tomorrow).
Finally, I went to climb the many stairs to La Loma de la Cruz - a hill just outside of town offering a nice view of Holguin and its surroundings.
I also made my first visit to a supermarket today. I found a few shops that all basically have the same stuff: an assortment of rum, pasta, mayonnaise and soft drinks. Strangely enough, each shop also has a section for household items such as fridges, plates and pots. And all this in the space of maybe a fifth German Aldi market. After you pay, you have to take the receipt to the person guarding the exit door. He checks that you only take what you actually paid for (and then opens the door for you).
One big problem that I still have is that I don't easily recognize shops from the outside. There are no big neon signs, no shopping carts, and everything looks somewhat alike. I guess this will improve with time, but right now I'm sure I overlook most shops.
Another thing I noticed today - and this is again with regard to the general state of Cuba - is the amount of tiny shops offering to repair watches, glasses or shoes. Apparently Cuba is not yet a society where everything is thrown away the instant it doesn't work anymore, but rather one where everything is kept and repaired as long as possible.
