Granma
The naturally gifted south eastern Granma (vernacular for Grandmother) province was named after a ‘Granma' ship that Che Gueveara and Fidel Castro used to land in Cuba with 82 guerrillas. Because of this, the whole Granma province is full of Cuban Revolution and Cuban Wars of Independence sites and archaeological digs. Granma province is considered the heartland of Cuban independence where turbulent history was marked. Lots of billboards advertising ‘Socialism or Death' can be seen in Granma province. The famous, country's largest mountain range, Sierra Maestra, on the edge of Caribbean shore provided shelters for Cuban revolutionaries. The important battles against Batista took place in the mountains of Granma province. The economic growth of this province is mainly coffee that is grown in mountainous region but also includes sugar cane and tobacco industry. The coffee itself is well protected by army to ensure that coffee is delivered to the Cuban government and not the black market.
The Granma province is also known for giving birth to the hip shaking rhythms of Afro-Cuban music. This part of Cuba , near where Castro launched his revolution, has almost no cars
The capital city of Granma province is Bayamo where Cuba 's national anthem was first sung. The main parish church is located in the centre of old city of Bayamo where the Father of Cuba (Carlos Manuel de Cespedes) who first freed the slaves in 1868 was born. Nowadays, it is a museum around which are hotels, restaurants and other city attractions. On weekend evenings in Bayamo, the square hosts something resembling a large party, with hundred of Bayamese dressed to the nines, socializing and eating rosquitas, the local sweet made of yucca.
Photo of Granma:
Another more famous picturesque coastal city of Granma province is Manzanillo. Manzanillo is Granma's province main port used mostly for exportation of sugar. South of Manzanillo are a number of appealing Caribbean beach resort in area called Pilon. The Granma province stands out as an ecotourism destination and a place of historical pilgrimage and is well visited by many tourists. It is full of beautiful nature just like any other part of Cuba . A nicest ride by fine roads can be taken all the way to Santiago de Cuba where one can't get tired of watching awesome fields of rice, tobacco and sugar cane. |
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Another more visited Granma province place is the Sierra Maestra Natural Park where dark sand beaches below mountains are located and where the country's highest peaks are. One of the peaceful beaches is Marea del Portillo located on a spectacular cove. Activities here include scuba diving and snorkelling at the coral reef, fishing but mostly exploring the mountains by jeep or on horseback because of nice looking valleys, rivers and virgin forests. Many natural trails to caves are in Granma province where Cubans used to live that still bears signs of their culture. Anyone interested in famous and revolutionary Cuban history should definitely visit this national monumental Granma province that is the mark of everything Cubans believe in |
Photo of Granma Cuba:
PINAR DEL RIO
HAVANA
ISLA DE LA JUVENTUD
MATANZAS
CIENFUEGOS
VILLA CLARA
SANCTI SPIRITUS
CIEGO DE AVILA
CAMAGUEY
LAS TUNAS
GRANMA
HOLGUIN
SANTIAGO DE CUBA
GUANTANAMO
Photo of Castle bridge in Granma:
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