2nd day riding: Cienfuegos to Yuguanabo

We left at 8:30 a.m. to ride through Cienfuegos along the coastal rode then to the Escambray Mountains.

Cienfuegos was pretty - and it would have been nice to have had more time here.

Alex issued the orders for today in terms of where we were to take our breaks along the way and warning us of the toughness of today's ride.

He had yummy energy-dense snacks for us: hard blocks of nuts mixed with honey. And he bought jugs of sugarcane juice for us at a roadside stop.

It was hilly, hot and tough with the light so burnt that the scenery was remarkably unremarkable.

There was some tough climbing but this wouldn't normally bother us. I have never applied so much sun screen, but I still got a bit burnt. We both drank heaps of water and even stopped for some yummy sugar cane juice at a roadside stop. The snacks handed out were yummy.

But the day remained unbelievably hot. And there was a horrible head wind. It was very tough.

If I were to organise a ride in these conditions at home no-one would turn up.

We passed tiny settlements with slogans relating to the revolution painted on the cement walks. CDRs were in each one and you could sometimes see the pueblo of what I presume was the chief person of the CDR - this was announced on the front of the house.

Everywhere the people have very little. Even the shops in Cienfuegos, which seems a reasonably well-off place, had very little stock. Our shops would shock them. I did notice an Adidas store though. In the Mercados ("La Shopping" as locals call them), you can find all the basics and even a few luxuries. This is where ALL Cubans have to go to buy soap, detergent, cooking oil, frozen produce and so-called luxuries like UHT milk, yoghurt, butter, cleaning products. Everyone has access to la libreta or a rations book (which the Government prefers to call a "supplies booklet").

Interesting article here:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/article1953193.html

Still, I suppose if you tell the people often enough how well off they are, I guess they'll believe you. Isn't this the lie propagated by politicians everywhere?

We did a fair bit of climbing today. My Friend went into the bus with several others when he couldn't get his heart rate down to normal levels. This was at about the 46 kms mark.

I lathered myself in more suncream and continued for the next 9 kms but I probably had a touch of the sun as the conditions were truly horrible: parching hot and headwind and hills. This brought us to the roadside restaurant at Guajimico for lunch which was a cooked meal - very nice (the rice cooked with black beans again that we has the first night in Havana) with nice grilled pork (?) and salad plus a platter of fruit and an odd concoction of mango puree with grated cheese. The latter tasted OK but I was full anyway so just had a little.

Only 6 kms to go now - mostly flat and downhill alongside the coast. More cactus fences.

A total of 60 gruelling kms today - a big effort on mountain bikes and in the conditions.

Our hotel is at a beach called Yuguanabo. I guess you could call this a resort. Our room is certainly small compared to last night's but is clean and has all we want plus there is a breeze outside so we hope to get our washing dry (there's certainly plenty of sun!).

We are resting. Too hot to go to the beach. Will go later and have a drink.

Heat started to dissipate a little about 6:00 p.m. We walked along the coast to the beach and had a drink at the bar. Nice golden evening light began to spread along the beach. It was very pretty. People were enjoying the water and the sand. But they also dispensed their empty beer bottles and drink cans into the water. Not much thought for the environment here.

We walked back up to our hotel and had a drink at the bar with some others in the group. I had a piña colada which the bar tender said would take a few minutes and he and I exchanged a joke with him about how long it would take and when I suggested "cinco" or five, he was more than happy with this. We were good mates by the time My Friend and I left for dinner. They do like to please for the most part.

Dinner was at an outdoor cabana - very pretty setting near the water and the sky was pink with the sunset. Food was good and plenty of it. I thought the grilled fish was very nice.

Off to bed early. Closed bathroom door as nothing to stop mosquitoes getting in through the shutters; and put up our mosquito net as My Friends are on the ceiling. I can see them.