The Magic of Trinidad

Trinidad is a quaint UNESCO world heritage town with stony paths, hills and pastel painted houses. Music is the heart and soul of this town. I can’t really explain Trinidad but by the end of my second day here, a day where I had the tastiest crab with rice and peas right on the beach in Playa Ancon, I knew that this will be the place with the most treasured moments. The people-watching here is second to none, and most times the locals come over to engage you in a conversation.

Here are some of my favourite moments in Trinidad:

The kindness of a trader

Just a few seconds before meeting him I thought completing the quite gruesome hike up from Salto El Caburni was the highlight of my day but when a stranger waves at you to stop, offers you a seat to recover and then gifts you a necklace as you leave, from a kiosk on a quiet road side, with a warm smile and a wave, you can’t help but feel warm.

Matchmaking on the dance floor

I did catch him staring a few times, handsome but he looked a bit too young for me. So when I went close to the stage to take photos and dance a little, he saw that as a chance to have a conversation but when he realised I didn’t understand what he was saying he enlisted the help of a much older couple fluent in both languages – Wife Australian, Husband Latin American – to get to ask me on a date, after professing his love. Sweet! I enjoyed the conversation I had with the charming older man. At 80 and married for 30 odd years, he said to me, amongst many other things, “Don’t forget to live”. I told him to tell my darling young man who had been standing to the side while we talked and laughed, that I am flattered but it isn’t meant to be and I have no doubt he'll meet an equally loving and young woman who will love him right back. Un beso y abrazo? Si.. We hugged and said good night.

Disco Ayala

This is a nightclub in a natural cave which was once the home and killing dungeon of Carlos “Coco” Ayala, a Cuban serial killer. This is also where you find young Cubans dancing away 7 nights of the week to the hottest Reggaeton and house mixes. You walk up a very rocky and steep hill to get to the club, passing roadside kiosks selling cocktails for $1. I don’t go clubbing very much these days but I heard so many of my favourite Reggaeton songs, from El Chacal’s “Besos de tu boca” to Gente De Zona’s “Traidora” and I just couldn’t stop dancing. I sashayed to the left, I sashayed to the right, head thrown back, lost in the moment yet wondering if it was all real. It was, very real.

Prima Prima!

We had noticed them the night before at Casa de la musica. Trinidad is such a small town and most people, young and old, end up at there for an evening of salsa and socialising. We ended up sharing a table with them at La Botija. What started off as an evening of “OMG please don’t tell us we are going to be put on the same table with these guys who can’t stop laughing like crackheads and still in the same clothes from yesterday”, ended with shouts of “Prima Prima” and lots of hugs. Here’s what happened – Hersel, the very chatty one who knows only about 8 words of English, asked us if we like rum. Si? He pulls out a bottle of Santiago de Cuba, goes into the restaurant kitchen to get some cups and ice, them makes some Cuba Libre for us. He made a cocktail for us, with his own drink, in a restaurant that serves cocktails. Chiny and I looked at each other like why do we end up with crazy people? Their food came before us and they wouldn’t take no for an answer when they asked us to have some of theirs.

All young artists and from the pictures I saw of their work, fantastic ones at that, who just love to have a great time and, from the number of calls I was asked to reject while checking out photos on Hersel’s phone, break a heart or two while at it. We became Prima (cousins) by the end of the meal and enroute Casa de la music, they even got a local band in a Palenque de los Congos Reales sing a song about us. For them, the night was still young but for us, we had an early start the next morning and so had to call it a night. A fitting last night in Trinidad.

Getting My Nails Done

Walking through the streets I noticed a house with a table display of nail polish bottles. I walked in and asked if I could get my nails done and the house owner telephoned the beauty therapist who rushed down from her other job to get my nails done. This is one of the unofficial jobs she does to make some extra money to feed her family. She did such a thorough job that 3 weeks later I still have the polish on and it has hardly chipped.