On our way to Camaguey, we stopped by Ciego de Avila, which is home to the country’s most famous cutlery artists. Here jewellery and decorative pieces are made from German Silver (copper, nickel and zinc). The gallery is called Pauyet. When Cuba’s first lady went to Mexico she wore jewellery from this workshop and pieces are often ordered from here as gifts or prizes.
It was approximately 6 hours from when we left Trinidad until arriving in Camaguey. On our quick stop for lunch in Florida we had an option of ham and cheese pizza or ham and cheese on toast. The city started out on the coast, but due to many pirate raids it moved into the centre of the island over time. It is also due to these raids that the streets are created in a labyrinth style- no grid, no system, all just haphazard. This was to ensure that if the pirates got in, they could not make their way out. This now not only works on pirates but tourists too!! J
In the evening we went out to Café Cuidad for a rum tasting. Havana Club is a popular brand here and decent quality. We went from the 6 month to the 7-year rum. Then I ended up having a few with our taste tour leader- but of the Pacto Navio. This is a very smooth and expensive rum 8 USD vs 48USD per bottle to get an idea.
Our full day in Camaguey was a Sunday. We start a bici-taxi tour around a few squares of the city. Margret and I were passengers on one bike while our guide on another. I felt sorry for the cyclist who had to travel with us large ladies! The squares were all rather quiet due to it being a Sunday, which was nice and we got to have a look into some of the open churches. We also had a look through a few art galleries.
The rest of the day was off doing our own thing. I went out in search of water…which took 30 minutes to find as a few places didn’t have any. I noted the queues forming for ice cream –about 50 people before they opened! There were also long lines for chicken and milk. Mind you, there are long lines for anything in Cuba really. And if you can get it, it is definitely not cheap.
