This was our second day in Cuba, rather than lounging at the beach all day, I thought it would be fun to take Melissa out on a mini excursion to visit the town of Varadero. This would give her a chance to experience Cuba and its people away from the confines of the resort. It is a different world out there and one of the reasons I enjoy travel is to experience the lives and cultures of other people. Let’s face it, a beach day and drinking at the resort with other Canadians is hardly a good recipe to get a sense of another country.

On my last visit to Cuba, I spent a few days in Varadero and got to know this wonderful little town. It was Melissa’s first time, so to make it memorable I decided to hire classic car taxis and spoil ourselves with a three hour horse and buggy tour of the town. Granted, there are plenty of tourists around, but when you take a moment to look down the side streets you start to see the real Cuba.

We made two more excursions to Varadero which I will post here. I also made a video of the tour, it’s a bit long and in real time, but it allows one to see the town through a slow horse and buggy ride.

All photos and video were taken with the Olympus Pen-F and a few small prime lenses.