🏰 Trinidad｜Where Time Seems to Have Stopped 🇨🇺

📌 Trinidad: Our Last Stop in Cuba The old town's buildings burst with vibrant colors, their facades splashed in hues of mango, sky blue, and terracotta. Main streets are paved with uneven cobblestones, yet locals wander barefoot, even kicking soccer balls along the stones—their calloused feet a testament to decades of walking these paths. While commercialization is palpable (nearly every street has souvenir shops, generally pricier than Havana), tourist crowds remain manageable. Walking past, we felt curious eyes on us—Asian faces are rare here, and residents seem to spend their days sitting on doorsteps, greeting visitors in broken Spanish, English, and even Mandarin. The entire district exudes a timeless aura, as if decades have slipped by without disturbing its rhythm. 🌆 Old Town in a Nutshell Half-Day Itinerary: Wander through Plaza Mayor, where colonial-era buildings like the Church of the Holy Trinity cast midday shadows. Don’t miss the Casa de la Musica, where live son music spills into the streets by afternoon. Souvenir Tip: Bargaining is expected in souvenir shops; a hand-rolled cigar box that costs $25 here might go for $18 in Havana. 🏝️ Beach Escape: 20 Minutes from Time Travel Transport Hack: Hire a vintage taxi for $20 round-trip to the coast. Ask to be dropped at the path leading to Melia Hotel’s beach—no need to enter the hotel, a sandy trail cuts straight to the shore. Caribbean Meets Bora Bora: On sunny days, the sea shimmers in gradients of turquoise, with distant mountains creating a silhouette that rivals Bora Bora’s vistas. Waves lap at shores lined with coconut palms, and the water is warm enough for a late-afternoon swim. 🦞 Seafood Feast in Colonial Surroundings Dinner at Conspiradores: Tucked near Plaza Mayor, this restaurant serves lobster three ways: ✅ Grilled Lobster: Charred to perfection, served with garlic butter ($12) ✅ Lobster Pasta: Al dente noodles in a tomato-coconut sauce ($15) ✅ Lobster Soup: Creamy broth with chunks of fresh lobster ($8) Price Perspective: A similar lobster meal in Miami would cost 3x more—savor every bite knowing you’re dining on Caribbean luxury at bargain prices. 📸 Photography Notes Gear Used: Sony A7III with Tamron 28-200mm lens (perfect for capturing both street details and beach landscapes) Editing Tools: Polarr app for enhancing the vivid Cuban colors—boosting blues in the sea and saturating building facades 🌟 Final Thoughts Trinidad feels like a living postcard—where colonial architecture, barefoot locals, and Caribbean waters coexist in a timeless bubble. As our cab pulled away, I found myself wishing for just one more day to wander its stone streets, lulled by the rhythm of a place where time seems to have paused for half a century. #INFJTravels #CubaThroughTheLens #TrinidadCuba #CaribbeanWanderlust