HOLGUIN, OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Holguin is a province in the north eastern side of Cuba (incidentally, the main town is also called Holguin)  and because sugar cane played such an important role in making that island extremely wealthy in the early 1900's, many poor Jamaicans migrated there in search of a better life. 

And I can see why, for it is a beautiful section of the island.

On my fourth trip

On our arrival there, we stayed at Pernik, a nice hotel near the centre of town. However after a few days, we found a delightful place just five blocks from the city centre where the four of us shared two nicely decorated flats operated by Yusi, a young entrepreneur who had completed five years of medical school before taking the opportunity to go into her own business when liberalization started a few years ago.

Yusi (blond) with my friends and family

And that is exactly why I have entitled this article, "Holhuin, open for business" for there they seem to be on a massive drive to privatize and the people are responding. So everywhere you go, you see for sale signs on the houses as the government is now giving people the opportunity to become their own landlords.

The response has apparently been well received been as you see construction and painting up taking place on all the streets. Yusi told us that when she got the opportunity to own her home, she decided to add two rooms upstairs to rent to visitors and her location close to downtown gave her a great advantage. 

A section of downtown Holguin

To achieve her dream however, she had to work non stop, helping the plumbers, carpenters etc in every way. Her efforts have paid off as the rooms are tastefully done and nicely furnished with fridges, flat screen tvs etc and she happily provided breakfast for us for an additional cost, which was quite small, considering the huge amount of food we got each morning!

You see the result of this liberalization downtown too as it is always bustling with people patronizing the stores, restaurants museums and parks and I suspect a large percentage of the people we saw there each day were tourists from Canada, Europe and Latin America.

This is because there is a lot to see there as there are numerous parks and lots of interesting monuments all over.

I never had a boring day for the entire week when we were there for there was so much to see and do. I am especially proud of  having been able to visit Loma De La Cruz. Proud, as to get there, you have to climb up 300 steps so my years of exercising at home paid off while my other three friends, resisted my invitation to accompany me up there.

Up 300 steps!

Loma de la Cruz was formerly called Cerro del Bayando but the name was changed in 1790 when a priest, Antonio Alegria, placed a huge cross at the summit to commemorate the cross at Calvary.

Once you get up there however it is more than worth the effort as this is where you get the most comprehensive view of the city.

While there is a lot of history to enjoy in Holguin, to cool off you only travel 56 kilometres to beautiful white sands beach at Guardalavaca.

The drive out is very pleasant via wide, well maintained roads with attractive fruit stands  all along the roadway.

This was my fourth visit
 to Cuba and  had thought I had seen most of the beautiful island before but I cannot recall ever having gone to Holguin. 

This trip was specially to meet the Cuban side of my family but I never expected it to be as beautiful and full as history as I found it to be.