Driving into the Cuban Wild West to Vinales

DAY 96: Sunday, 20^th of May

Driving down the empty Cuban highway towards Vinales

Allie's version: first endeavours into the Cuban countryside: a drive out to Vinales

                                                                                             

We sleep till 9.00am! Then preparations for our car adventure: getting more cash from the ATM, calling our parents, packing and sorting things, quick check of emails, hiring the car and filling in more forms. At 11.30 though, surprise surprise, we sit in a white Hyunday and drive through Habana. 

Traffic is a bit chaotic but at least there aren’t that many cars around and most of them are ancient slow vehicles anyway. We make a couple of photo stops on the way out. First at the Hotel National, then at the US Interest Office and the Tribuna Antimperialista Jose Marti. Now this is a funny story: because the Americans have their intelligence office here and the Cubans of course hate the US and whatever they do here, they have put up a whole series of black high flying flags to block the view for the Americans! It’s a great sight and tells so much of this everlasting stupid conflict.

 A la Plaza de la Revolucion

Another great ‘must’ is the Plaza de la Revolucion with the 142 meters high tower – reminding me VERY much of the Juche tower in Pyongyang – and an 18m high statue of Jose Marti. I am lucky with my picture because just at that very moment a bunch of soldiers parade along the plaza. Castro has held speeches at this huge square to at least some 1,2 Million people. 

The massive necropolis of Havana

A bit less then that a buried at the extensive Necropolis de Colon, the main cemetery of Habana where it’s citizens have been buried since 1868.

It’s time to find the autopista and head out of the city, but signposting certainly was not one of Castros main concerns. We struggle to find our way but eventually manage to find it. A broad two lane highway leads straight out towards the west. 

There is hardly any traffic on it and again we are reminded of our experiences in North Korea. I wonder how Castro and Kim get along with each other? 

strange looking local busses!

After 120km on this motorway the road turns off to the north and we follow a smaller and much bumpier road till we reach Vinales. 

Vinales is famous for it’s limestone mountains and pretty scenery and a lot of tourists at least come to visit here for one night out of Habana. So it’s no wonder the Hotel Eremita is not quite what we expected. The pool is full with screaming children and the bar plays a constant reggae and disco music. But there is not much choice and we are tired from the trip. 

Check in at 70 Dollars a night and cool off in the crowded pool. The rest in the afternoon we just relax. I feel that my resources are pretty empty and that this tour has taken it’s toll. Constant travelling for now nearly 100 days, very little sleep and so many different impressions need to be digested. So both of us are somewhat shocked to realize that we have only 10 days left but on the other hand, I think, we both look forward to going home soon.

My Dad had had a great birthday party and two very successful concerts and Barbara, Phils mum, can’t wait to have us back in Bristol.

view over the magotes and coffee plantations of Vinales

Sunset over the steep rugged mountains is fabulous and we enjoy watching the scenery from the hotel patio overlooking the valley and the mountains. A bunch of American students is here as well with their local Cuban tour guide and we eavesdrop quite a bit of the conversation. The Cubans around the hotel are definitely trying hard to get a bit further involved with the American girls and at 9pm (we are ready to collapse to bed) they all start to go out to a disco in a cave 7 km from here. If Mr. Dunnington had tried to get me fired up that way, he would have missed the plot! Fortunately we are both ‘old gits’ and rather go to bed early or have a quite evening with a glass of wine and possibly a cigarillo for me.

Phil's version: Day 96/20 May          

 

Grand buildings at Havana's beach front

Getting a hire car organised turns out to be simpler than I’d imagined and by late morning we are trying to get onto the westbound autopista to Vinales where the plan is to rest for a couple of days and look for suitable balloon operation locations. 

Tribuna Anti-imperialista Jose Marti

After photo stops at the Revolution Monument (very reminiscent of the Juche Monument in Pyongyang), Che Guevarra’s neon-bordered image, and the rather more sedate Necropolis of Colon (Havana’s equivalent of Highgate cemetery) and a detour resulting from an almost total absence of road signs, we are on the way. Occasional military-style trucks and ‘50s American saloon cars are all we see for 120km.

Afternoon by the pool at a Canadian/Cuban joint venture called La Eremita, though its newly extended accommodation and swimming pool open to locals rather detracts from the image of a calm retreat. Dozens of Cuban children dive and splash in the pool and kitsch American songs from the 50s blare out intermixed with Latin rhythm.

In the evening over drinks we eavesdrop on a group of American students (one of the few categories of US citizen allowed (by the US) to visit Cuba) talking to their Cuban guide about comparative lifestyles. About the only point in common seems to be a fondness for Led Zeppelin.