After Caibarién in northern Cuba, we headed south again with a stop in Santa Clara — a place, wild and steeped in history, where Che Guevara became famous in battle and where his grave rests. Naturally, his myth and heroic deeds are celebrated here, a contrast between history and reverence.

A student town with punk flair

Santa Clara is a charming student town, quite different from the other cities we’d seen — many young Cubans filled the streets and parks, and it was cool to see a lively punk scene thriving, raw and surprising. An open-air museum displays train wagons destroyed by Che Guevara and Fidel Castro during battles against government troops, but the wagons themselves offered little excitement. More interesting was a small, inconspicuous café nearby — Café Revolución, where a Cuban displays old documents, photos, and artifacts while serving good coffee and delicious mojitos in a cozy atmosphere, a spectacle of culture and enjoyment.

Sunset at the mausoleum

That was more worthwhile than the museum, we thought. At sunset, we made a detour to the impressive Che Guevara mausoleum — a moment of reverence and farewell that rounded off the day.

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