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Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

Cuba: Remedios

Iglesia San Juan Bautista de Remedios
The main church in Remedios is the Iglesia San Juan Bautista de Remedios, which was renovated by a generous millionaire before the revolution

From Camagüey we had to start heading back west towards Havana, and we chose as our halfway point the colonial town of Remedios, from which we figured we could visit both the coral islands off the north coast and the revolutionary city of Santa Clara to the south. It turned out to be a good plan, but for slightly different reasons that we'd first anticipated.

The Two Churches of Remedios

Iglesia San Juan Bautista de Remedios
The main square in Remedios is a delight

Remedios is lovely. It's not a world-class tourist attraction and it's not particularly big, but this is one of the reasons why it's so charming. The main square is a great place to walk at night because everyone is so pleasant; there's practically no hassle, everyone seems pleased to see you, and nobody tries to sell you bici-taxi tours of the city or evening meals in the restaurant of their choice. Hell, nobody even tries to sell you cigars...

The main square in Iglesia Buen Viaje with Iglesia Buen Viaje in the background
On the other side of the square is the less fortunate Iglesia Buen Viaje
A horse and cart in a street in Remedios
A tranquil scene in Remedios