El Pan de Guajaibon- Artemisa, Cuba

El Pan de Guajaibón is located in western Cuba, in the province of Artemisa. It stands at around 690 meters above sea level.

For Cuba, that’s quite significant.

The Journey

This was an adventure entirely planned by my mother, months before COVID started.

Yes, it was one of my last trips.

A weekend of family disconnection, unaware of how life would change just a few months later.

We left Havana without many inconveniences but with plenty of food for the road.

According to General M ( aka:my mom), it would be a challenging ascent

This was the only Cuban elevation left for us to climb. It was a trip we had to make before the new chapter of our lives began.

In almost two hours (we losted a bit), we arrived to see the sign welcoming us.

I think everyone who visits this place takes a photo of this sign. They say it’s the most famous in the area :)

Looking at the mountain was imposing, but we were even more excited about the idea of looking down from up there.

We unloaded our luggage and set off.

Unaware of what awaited us.

Pan de Guajaibón.I couldn’t find a reasonable explanation for why several elevations in Cuba share this name. According to locals, it’s due to the peculiar shape that resembles a loaf of bread (pretty obvious, right?), and guajaibón is a tree that is abundant in the Sierra del Rosario area.

The Ascent

As in every family trip, everyone has their own objective: my mom wanted our family to conquer the only elevation left (as a family, it’s quite a peculiar list). My sister and I wanted to see the views from up there and, above all, see if we could find the cartacuba. My dad didn’t seem very convinced, so I suppose he was just following his crazy family.

On that trip, we didn’t measure how far we climbed, but I must say it was a tortuous path; at times, the incline became difficult, and our ankles were the most challenged.

There is a microclimate in the area; the temperature was pleasant, and the sounds of the animals made it less difficult.

Before we knew it, we found ourselves at the summit.

The view of much of Artemisa is something I will never forget and that no photograph can express.

Years later, I would climb Pan de Guajaibón again, but with friends. The journey felt less demanding that second time, but the first time is the first, and if it’s with family, even better.

... going back in time

I remember that for hours we sat watching the horizon, amazed by the view and the smallness of humanity. We are a tiny dot in such a large and wonderful world.

After a while, we got to work and, with some binoculars, searched for the cartacuba.

Without realizing it, we first spotted the tocoro, which is one of the National Symbols of Cuba; its colors resemble those of the flag.

Before nightfall, my parents decided to head down to set up camp next to our car. My sister and I chose to stay at the summit.

Watching a sunset from the highest point in western Cuba was an opportunity we wouldn’t miss for anything in the world. And it was worth it. It was an experience with my sister that we will hardly forget.

When night falls, the place becomes a bit hostile, but the animals are just curious and not dangerous. However, you won’t see anything a meter away. The darkness absorbs everything, leaving a deep calm.

The next day, a bit short on water, we headed down to say goodbye to the place. I wish we could have stayed longer. The area has so much to offer; the locals are hospitable people who enjoy sharing what little they have.

The Cuban guajiro is incredible and cooks magnificently.

María, an 80-year-old lady, invited us to enjoy her ropa vieja (a characteristic Cuban dish), and let me tell you, even today, it’s one of the reasons I would return to the place.

What a delicious dish!

At the time of writing this post, my sister was back after her third visit to Pan de Guajaibón, and on all three occasions, she visited María.

She says each ropa vieja is better than the last, and she doesn’t doubt it; the lady wasn’t just a cook; she was a sorceress— that food was extraordinary.

This post is inspired by the "here and there" posts from @galenkp.

I like to live in the present, but thinking about the past makes me realize how lucky I am to have been born where I was. Perhaps the political situations aren’t the best, but Cuba is a paradise.

If you want to see some of my other trips around Cuba, just check out my profile.

If you enjoy traveling, you’ll like those posts.

Before I say goodbye, when was the last time you took a family trip? How do you remember it?

I would love to hear from you in the comments.

Read you soon!

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