We drive out of Havana in a bus - 18 of us, not the 12 advertised by Intrepid (who have contracted out this tour to Exodus in the UK who DO do tours of 18 in fact).
It's a 3-hour journey to the Cienaga de Zapata national park where we will start riding.
In Havana city we pass lots of concrete ugly buildings along the Malecón waterfront - quite desolate in parts. I notice a Teatro Karl Marx - a reminder of Cuba's close ties to the Soviets.
Cuba is the 7th biggest island in the world; the biggest in the Carribean although it is actually an archipelago.
José Martí formed the Cuban Revolutionary Party in 1892 in an attempt to wrest control of Cuba from Spain and for his efforts is regarded as Cuba's national hero. The Spanish-American War followed and Cuba gained independence from the US in 1902 but the US retained the right to intervene in Cuban affairs and leased Guantánamo Bay naval base. Various Presidents following until General Batista was elected in 1944. He staged a coup in 1952 and outlawed the Cuban Communist Party. Unemployment was a major problem. This set the stage for Fidel Castro and his rebels to launch a revolution and they captured Santa Clara in 1959.
A real 'melting pot' of people here. It is a multi-ethnic country whose people, culture and customs derive from diverse origins, including the aboriginal Taíno and Ciboney peoples, the long period of Spanish colonialism, the introduction of African slaves, a close relationship with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and proximity to the United States.
As we drive along we get a potted version of Cuban history from our guide Alex. I'll check Wiki later - but not here in Cuba where Internet access costs $US 4.50 an hour, IF you can get it. The Internet is largely limited to government offices, cafes and hotels; and apparently only some locals such as journalists, doctors and athletes have Internet at home, although we also heard it was banned in the home.
One of the most startling aspects of Cuba is that pretty much everything belongs to, or is run by, the State. While there is some foreign investment in Cuba (notably in tourism where some European hotel chains have joint ventures with Cuba), there is hardly any private enterprise. Which means that there is no competition, no price wars, no advertising and very little choice! On the plus side, there’s no McDonald’s and not a single billboard advertising Coca Cola! (But there is A LOT OF Nestlé!!!).
So Alex our guide doesn't work for Exodus. He works for the Government - because that is how it works here. Our bus driver works for the army. Unlike Ana (our Colombian tour guide), Alex is not suggesting he is NOT a tour guide. He sounds like he's going to offer lots of info. but HIS sanitised version of it, despite his stating emphatically that he will be "neutral" and "130% honest". We feel we have the Cuban version of the InTourist guide we had when we visited Russia in the 1970s.
Alex says: "The Government pretends to pay us and we pretend to work".
In fact he has a university degree in Philosophy, has taught at uni for 5 years and also has a MA. He has been working in the tourism industry for several years. We figure he is about 30. Very personable. Very fit. Good-looking.
We pass by fields of palms and sugar cane. Dwellings of thatched roofs and walls of wood, farmers tending the fields, workers travelling by bike. Cute hedges of cactus.
We pass through a small village called - wait for it! - Australia. I had never heard of Australia in Cuba!!! Australia, population 6,000, was the first sugar town in Cuba to stop using slave labour, and hosted Fidel Castro's command centre during the Bay of Pigs invasion. It made us laugh (the 3 Aussies on board) that there is a town here called "Australia"; that must have kept the CIA occupied for a while seeking out Fidel's stronghold!
When we reached the national park, we rode 45 kms in the heat of the day into a headwind along the coast of the Caribbean which is the most beautiful blue.
We had a stop for a packed lunch which was generous in quantity and yummy: sandwiches, fruit, drinks, biscuit, etc. and has a swim at a lovely beach which had the warmest, clearest water I have ever seen. Eat your heart out Tayrona NP (Colombia): this was divine, enticing even me into the water (me, who only goes in when its 40 deg C). Had the loveliest swim! This in fact is the Bay of Pigs. Idyllic. Who would have thought this was the site of an invasion?
So, the Bay of Pigs Invasion (also known as Invasión de Playa Girón) was a failed military invasion of Cuba undertaken by the CIA-sponsored paramilitary group in 1961 intended to overthrow the Communist government of Fidel Castro but was defeated by his army within 3 days.
Hard 'yakka' on the bike into Playa Girón where Castro's forces held off the Imperialists. I have never been so sweat-soaked in my life! Absolutely dripping! Fortunately the tour is providing generous quantities of bottled water. Very good!
Lots of eagles soaring. These were to be a feature every day.
We visited Castro's revolutionary museum - definitely NOT neutral.
It's now 5 p.m. and we have a one and a half hour drive to Cienfuegos where we will spend the night.
We crawl through villages; no roads are sealed apart from the main one; we follow lorries laden with produce such as bags of potatoes - always with men sitting on top of the truck or piled into the cabin behind. Pass a big oil refinery; the road was built for this purpose. It refines 60% of Venezuelan oil.
We arrive into the colonial town of Cienfuegos. After the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, Cuba became a Spanish colony. Cuba gained independence from Spain in 1898. Cienfuegos was founded in 1819 in Spanish territory but was initially settled by immigrants of French origin. During the Cuban Revolution, there was an uprising here against Batista when he was ruling Cuba as a dictator and it was bombed in 1957.
Situated on the Caribbean coast, it became an important trading post for sugar cane, mango, tobacco and coffee production area. It has a lovely waterfront setting and buildings in a neoclassical style. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
We are staying at Hotel La Union which is posh Soviet-style. We have an amazing room - a suite in fact. You could hold a party for 50 in it. Don't much feel like it at this stage! It has a separate lounge area with shuttered windows and floor-length ruby red velvet curtains. There are doors to the balconies - however, they do not open.
We didn't get in until 6:30 p.m. with dinner set for 7:30 p.m. so it was a choice of a swim in the pool (VERY tempting) which closed at 8:00 p.m., tour around the very pretty town (sunset at 7:29 p.m.; tomorrow morning a difficult option as it is still dark at 7 a.m. and breakfast is at 7:30 a.m. and we depart at 8:30 a.m.); or dinner at 7:30 p.m.; or have a desperately needed shower and "no" the hotel can't change money now; maybe tomorrow morning (but our guide says we won't have time). Shades of the Soviet Union in the 1970s ... just missing the large woman shaking her head and saying "nyet" (no!).
They are obviously struggling with the concept of customer service here. Service here is pretty laid back (and at times there is a complete lack of it!); obviously no need to do things better in order to keep your clientele. Nor is there an understanding of our need to have things done sooner rather than later. People in Cuba are accustomed to waiting days for the most basic needs to be met. This is shades of our visit to Moscow in 1978 when the Hotel Bucharest allowed showers in the basement at 7:30 a.m. - or breakfast, at 7:30 a.m.
My Friend was a Tad Cranky and stayed to get room allocation (and cold complimentary drink) while I opted to walk the 2 minutes into the Old Town and wander some adjoining streets down to the waterfront as the sun went down. A man let me into the entry foyer of the Government Palace (Town Hall) & let me take photos.
We let the dining room know our meal choices (we were told we had to do this) and said we wouldn't be there until 8:00 p.m. We then had a shower and went to the rooftop bar at 10 to 8 for a mojito each and the cool breeze and the last rays of light of the setting sun, having borrowed some money from our tour guide (because the hotel wouldn't change money). Then went to dinner at 8:00 p.m. Missed out on the pool (which by the way doesn't open until 10:00 a.m. so that's not an option in the morning either). But someone said later it was freezing ... so, all things considered, we ticked most of the boxes!
Our meal (fried chicken for me) was fine enough but I chose a glass of the house red which they said was from Spain. It wasn't very nice. The restaurant was immense and beautifully set for dinner with white damask tablecloths, lovely glasses and cutlery and very attentive and courteous service but the food didn't really match the expectations set by the decor.
We returned to the rooftop bar and enjoyed another cocktail each (they are only 3 CUCs or $US3). The breeze was lovely and cooling and there was a nice quintet of guitarists playing a selection of classical music. Quite delightful.
Meanwhile, the street outside is filling up with people and we can hear them down below where there are numerous bars. Wish we had the energy to join them - sounds like fun!
We have done our hand washing which stinks from the day's efforts on the bike. Now ready for bed - quite done in. Need the paw paw ointment tonight.
The street partying went on until at least 3:00 a.m. ...
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No Dominoes!
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