Phil's version: Day
102/26 May
During
the night there is another heavy storm which drives rain through every open
window and floods the cabin floor. As we leave for a day visit to the nearby
resort complexes the manager of our hotel suggests avoiding the ford but when
we get there a local recommends we attempt a crossing. I am reluctant at first
but after watching a truck cross with only the tyres inundated I give it a go.
No problems, but a couple of inches deeper and we would have had water in the
floor pan. The river is flowing very fast and the surge against the upstream
side can be felt.
There
is a piece of preserved coastal forest just west of Guardalavaca with a
well-signed botanical trail, but even here the thump of nearby beach music and
the screaming of excited children rather detracts from the peace as we walk.
The main hotel ‘strip’ is just as we feared and is inhabited by hapless Brits
and Canadians who seem marooned in their island of free entertainment, booze
and food.
 |
| Phil with one of the Cuban Army flight captains |
I
seek out an outfit which organises parachuting and water-borne microlight
flights, but they are only jumping today (which I don’t have the courage to do)
as it is too unstable for the microlights. The microlight pilot formerly flew
helicopters for the Cuban Army and was two years in Angola supporting the UNITA rebels.
After
watching the parachutists take off we notice that our hire car has been subject
to attempted break-in by forcing the passenger door. We’re not sure when this
might have happened but suspect yesterday in Las Tunas where a man offered to
‘look after’ our car when we parked. I had refused which probably led him to do
the damage. We must try to get some official acknowledgement so as to avoid
losing our deposit, so we try with the hotel security people but without
success. I can’t face another session with the Police such as we suffered in Namibia,
and it makes us very depressed about the state of human nature which threatens
to turn us all to paranoid distrust.
Allie's version of Day 102: Saturday, 26th
of May
A drive to Guardalavaca and chasing micolights and aeroplanes
The rains certainly came in again
and at quite some strength! At midnight I am woken by threatening sounding
thunder and minutes later we find half of our cabina is under water! I drag out
our drowned suitcase and clothes and try to store things on higher grounds. I
am worried about the river and whether we have to spend the rest of our time
here in Don Lino. Sleep is passé until early morning.
 |
| Allie has waded through the mud puddles to test the depth of the water |
We sleep in and arrive at
breakfast just 30min before closing time. No wonder we are ‘punished’ to find
that there is no more milk, no cups or glasses and that half of the buffet is
empty. We should have known by now that from x to z mean do by all means show
up at time x because time z doesn’t exist. The drive across the river is
manageable, but some more rain will definitely make it impossible for our car
to cross.
Todays exercise is to search for helicopters, microlights on floats
and an old Antonov that drop parachutists. As you can imagine – not my
favourite kind of thing to do, but Phil is really keen to get some rare shots.
We drive to Playa Esmeralda where the heliport is supposed to be. And indeed
the station is there, but no helicopter. Instead we find ourselves walking
along a short but quite interesting nature-trail that leads to the beach and
explains about the various type of cactus and the native but nearly
extinct Ba trees.
 |
| A la Playa de Esmeralda |
On to the main tourist beach of
Guardalavaca. This stretch of beach is full of big mega all-inclusive resorts.
Most guests here are from Canada and the UK. But my God, even given I wouldn’t
want to spend a fortnight here! We are in search of the microlight boys and
finally Phil gets hold of them, but not of the microlight. The weather has been
so bad here that they haven’t flown for 21 days. That’s the worst they ever had
since the start of the operation 10 years ago!
Nobody understands this strange
weather pattern but it seems to continue even through today. After some time
waiting around and talking to the guys we are finally shown the microlight with
it’s rubber boat suspended underneath in a hanger near the hotel. Then suddenly
the sound of an aeroplane and we race out to the little airstrip to watch the
double winged 60 years old Antonov land. They are taking 4 passengers up for a
parachute jump and wave me and Phil in to join them.
 |
| Phil testing the cockpit of the Antonov |
But we both just don’t
have the courage to do it (Phil's excuse being that he has already flown in this
type of aircraft and that he doesn’t need a flight in it). One of the
passengers is a wild looking Canadian lady who already had done 28 jumps and
probably spends all her holidays ever to come here to Guardalavaca. I just
don’t see the point…nevertheless Phil is allowed on to the tarmac to take
pictures whilst I get more and more itchy to return back home to our resort.
This was supposed to be our ‘rest-at-the-beach’ day and now I find myself
waiting for aeroplanes to arrive, for funny microlights to be digged out of
hidden hangers and to chase non-existent helicopters.
But finally my man is
happy because he got some good shots and we drive back. I must add – to be fair
to him – that whilst we had been waiting, I went for a snorkel swim. But what an
disappointment: the sea here seems to be completely devoid of anything living
or growing. Except for one big sea urchin and a tiny little fish I didn’t see
anything. And this is the famous Caribbean sea??
 |
| looks like the Caribbean but.... |
On our way back to the hotel we
detect that somebody must have tried with force to open our front door of the
car! There are at least 10 huge dents around the topside of my door which
clearly shows that somebody must have used a tool and lots of force trying to
open it. Shit! Where and when did that happen and why must it always happen to
us? Why do people have to screw you all the time? We are debating what to do
and neither of us fancies spending the rest of this already long day at a
police station explaining the unknows. We finally ask the hotel manager for advice
and after some long discussions he agrees to write up a piece of paper for the
car company. Let’s hope it works.
The sun is hidden behind thick
and rainy clouds and we have to stick with writing and reading hiding
underneath umbrellas or in the bar.
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