Exploring San Antonio de los Baños on the Outskirts of Havana
Photo Feature by Juan Suarez
HAVANA TIMES — When you go outside Havana, all of this city’s neighboring towns have a different atmosphere, there is clean air, it’s peaceful, people greet you and smile when you take their picture.
My Canadian friend Randy, a professional photographer, and I left Havana to explore the city of San Antonio de los Banos, in Artemisa province, some 22 miles from the capital.
We walked down its clean and sunny streets. We took a break for a minutes at the Coppelia in this town, enjoying a delicious ice cream, which left my follower speechless, as he had paid 6 CUC (144 CUP or 6.90 USD) at an installation with the same name in the capital, whereas here we paid just 6 CUP.
We continued to take photos, sharing experiences with the locals in this charming town, enjoying a pleasant trip to then return to the concrete jungle that is Central Havana.
Click on the thumbnails below to view all the photos in this gallery. On your PC or laptop, you can use the directional arrows on the keyboard to move within the gallery. On cell phones use the keys on the screen.
haha nice collection….correction i paid on 3 cuc for the ice treat…and the flavor was much better
your company is priceless…see you sooner than you think
I have visited and stayed in San Antonio de Los Banos a couple of times. The best known tourist facility is probably ‘Las Yagrumas’, constructed originally by the Russians as a holiday retreat for their Air force personnel and families, it overlooks the somewhat polluted river. With a good swimming pool surrounded by a cafeteria and rooms and with a BBQ, there are also some cabins by the river where one can hire a boat with guide – a nice ride.
Within the town, the outstanding attraction is Cuba’s National Museum of Humour – I imagine that Cuba is unique in having such a museum. Clearly the museum was established long before Raul Castro took over the dictatorship as humour is not one of his characteristics. The ‘humorous’ cartoons are predominantly anti capitalist, but there are a few exceptions. One which given my agricultural interests gave me amusement, was of a sheep bearing a collar with the name “Dolly” inscribed mounting another sheep. The caption below was: “Go clone yourself”.
I recall one paladar which had a very nice garden to the rear.
There are a couple of agricultural co-operatives in the area which has excellent soils.
I never made it there back in March, but will see that town on my next visit!
Hey Juan,
Not been to San Antonio de Los Banos for a while.
Some great pictures of this typical small Cuban town.
Thanks.
Great photos. I’ve been to Puerto Rico many times and the poverty in the outlying areas is heartbreaking. Although poor, the people of this town seem much better off. Thanks again.