Ciego de Avila City: The city, 460km east of Havana and 110km
west of Camagüey, has developed as something of an historical
halfway house; travellers used it as an overnight watering hole
before continuing on to the islands of Trinidad and Santo Domingo in
the 19th century.
An interesting place to visit is Parque Marti and a few blocks from
there it is the Teatro Principal, a 500-seater theatre which is due
to undergo further restoration works. This was built by a rich
socialite, Angela Hernandez Viuda de Jimenez, who battled to create
a cultural mecca in her home town.
The Museo Provincial on Calle Jose Antonio Eschevarria is worth a
visit if you are interested in the area's role in the struggle to
overthrow Batista while the Centro Provincial de Arte building on
Calle Independencia may appeal to some. The Casa de la Trova on
Libertad No 130 can occasionally deliver a raucous night out.
Traffic in the town is almost all horse-driven, and the longest
possible journey should only cost a few pesos by pony trap. The town
is built on a strict grid system centered on Parque Marti but there
are few buildings of note, the most popular meeting place on the
square is the Casa de Agua (Water House), which serves free glasses
of the local mineral water, as well as homemade refrescos (soft
drinks) and fruit juices.
Moron: This small coastal town lies 36km north of Ciego de
Avila. Its citizens, known as Moronians, have traditionally made
their living from fishing although, with tourism beginning to
blossom in the nearby resort of Cayo Coco, the town is looking
optimistically towards a new, more lucrative future.
Close to the city on the northern coast is a strange lagoon called
Laguna de la Leche, which is home to a variety of wildlife, most
notably several thousand flamingos, it is a prime fishing lake and
consequently is very popular with anglers, It is Cuba's largest
natural reservoir and it was strategically important during Cuba's
1895 War of Independence. It is a lagoon milky-white from sodium
carbonate deposits that seem to nourish snook and tarpon. |