Rain and more rain and onwards to Guernavaca

Phil's version: Day 101/25 May

typical street scene in one of the many towns we pass

It has poured with rain all night but nevertheless people are shouting in the street outside at 4 a.m. My first task is to go with the bell-boy to Cubacar to check out the errant wheel. En route we discuss the familiar pleasantries about sport and family. He plays baseball on Saturday, his only day off. 

Castro promotes the historic sites in Camaguey province

He has a lone daughter of twelve “In Cuba, one child, problem, two childs, two problem”. I told him I had four. 

On arrival at the suburban workshop I am ejected from the repair yard by the security guard (health and safety, no doubt!) so cannot watch the work being conducted, but after half-an-hour I am re-united with the car following ‘wheel balancing’.

As I drive away the noise from the front wheel is just as before but it seems pointless to return.

 Crossing by the only two river bridges into town I notice half the population is hanging over the parapet gazing at the torrent beneath.

the bridge is nearly flooded

Between my outward and return journey the water level has risen over 50cm. The bell-boy says it is 20 years since the river was this high and so I text Allie to prepare to leave before our exit route is cut off.

We make it just before the river floods the bridge approach roads and set course for Las Tunas and the coast. 

The countryside is more interesting than yesterday (but only just) and Las Tunas an uninspiring town. Each roadside co-operative has erected slogan-boards decrying the ‘Yanquis’ and praising ‘La revolucion’. ‘Get Well, Fidel’ hangs from every telephone post and farm entrance.

After Holguin, where we get lost again, the road improves remarkably driving towards Guernavaca, the tourist resort coast where we want to spend some final days of recuperation, no doubt intended to impress arriving visitors with the benefits of Fidel’s brand of Socialism.

at the coast again: the Playa Blance of Columbus

Allie has identified the only hotel not part of the massive Melia-style complexes at a place named Playa Blanca where Columbus allegedly made his landfall in 1492. After fording a river in flood and following a deteriorating dirt road we arrive to discover the place is full with Cubans enjoying ‘reward’ holidays courtesy of their government. The manager at last finds us a cottage near the beach, but it may only be available for one night. We help ourselves to Cuba Libres and there is even wine with the meal. It is certainly more friendly and well-organised than the example in Giron.

  

Allie's version of DAY 101: Friday, 25^th of May

Onwards to the North Coast of Cuba!

water levels are raising dangerously

Breakfast is served at the 5^th floor at our Hotel in a nice colonial style restaurant with splendid views over the city. The only downside is, that the floors have been soaked in water during tonights heavy rains and that the choice of food is not what you would have expected from such an upmarket hotel. But never mind! After feeding ourselves with pineapple, powdered milk and undrinkable coffee Phil goes off with a fellow from the hotel to the garage to check our car. In the meantime I am allowed the luxury to enjoy a dip in the pool without anybody else being around. Great!

At 9.30 am Phil returns with the same car. The boys have checked it but didn’t really find anything wrong, nevertheless it’s making the same strange noise when we finally drive out of the city. It’s obviously rained so heavily during the past 4 days that the rivers are about to flood and we are in danger to actually getting trapped in Camaguey because the bridge is flooded with water. The water level is raising rapidly, Phil tells me, since he had just crossed the river a few minutes ago and it’s risen since then by at least half a meter.

non-stop heavy rain is flooding the roads

We manage the 130km to Las Tunes in about 90 min on a straight road and head out to the airport. Alas there is absolutely nothing to see! The airport only has one flight a week and it’s completely void of anything alive on this Friday noon. We hope to grab a coffee downtown, but even the ‘Cafeteria’ doesn’t serve coffee. What a place!

Ok, continue towards Holguin, another 90km battling dozens of horsecarts, bicycles and trucks. We miss the town centre because – of course – there a no signs, but finally we are out on the road towards the northern coast. We found a hotel in the Lonely Planet that is described as quiet and ‘romantic’ and we try to get there. But first we have to cross another nearly flooded bridge and 8km on a pothole road. When we get there exhausted and tired of driving we are told that it’s full! No rooms available for tonight. 

an old forgotten steam train

But the manager seems to be kind and helpful and he asks us to wait. Yes please, let us stay! I would even sleep in a donkey barn tonight. The little ‘Playa Bianca’ looks very inviting and there aren’t many other guests around, well not Whities anyway. 

As we later find out, this hotel called the ‘Don Lino’ is now the main resort for ‘bonus workers’ that receive 3 days here as a free holiday from their company as a special reward for their good work. Wow! We are honoured to eventually book into cabina no 36 right at the end of all the bungalows. So it should be in theory a quiet nice place.

I look forward to dive into the waves. But they are really strong this afternoon. A huge storm raves across the Atlantic causing huge waves and later a big thunderstorm. We enjoy a couple of hours at the beach reading and relaxing. This actually is supposed to be the area where Christopher Columbus landed on the 28^th of October 1492 discovering Cuba and new land in the West. As proud Cuban plates proclaim, Columbus was so impressed with the country that he called it “the most beautiful land”! – well, we don’t quite understand his enthusiasm but after probably months on a rough sea, every piece of land might seem like paradise.

finally a place to stay but we are battered by strong winds

Oh, forgot to tell: this again is ‘all-inclusive’ for 80 Cus! So we indulge in a few drinks and later at the restaurant even in free wine! Can you believe it? The other place wanted to charge us at least 6 cus for it, but I guess we are here in the up-market Cuban resort and even wine is included. We are starting to like our Cuban ‘all-inclusive’ holidays!

Dinner opens at 7pm and we allow to come 20minutes later. But that’s a BIG mistake if you are in a Cuban Resort: most of the guests were there exactly at 7.00 filling their plates with whatever food you could find on the buffet, from starters (soup and salad) to mains (spaghetti, rice, meat and veggis) to deserts (the obligatory cookies and pudding of some dubious sort). Anyway, when we get there, half of the buffet is already empty (a lady having piled up her plate so much that everything is dropping off from all sides!) but the three waitresses just stand around like lemons doing absolutely nothing. 

The great discovery – as I mentioned earlier – is, that we even get wine for free in this place. We try the local white wine and find it’s not too bad. Dinner officially is open from 7.00 to 9.30pm but when a young couple enters the restaurant just at 8.30 pm we can see not only the faces of the waitresses dropping but also of the young couple: there is hardly any food left and they are probably being told, that buffet is finished! If that is the way communism works it’s no wonder that it teaches more greed and selfishness then capitalism ever would!

We retreat from this dinner battle with a glass of straight rum (you can’t get much else from this free bar then rum and beer) and go out to the beach. The winds have dropped but the sea is still bashing against the shore. A lovely quiet evening and hardly any disco sound. I think we have to hope for more rain – especially in the evenings!