The second day of the trip is chilly by Caribbean standards, the first of several cold fronts we will experience over the next couple of weeks. Still, there wasn't any of the white stuff folks were getting back home in Smithers, so all was well.
Breakfast of Champions
After breakfast featuring a buffet with eggs, fruit, some unidentified meat products and the ever-present staple, rice and beans, we receive an excellent and informative overview of our next two weeks from the tour company rep. Lucy, an expat who now resides in Cuba, provides insight into the workings (or not) of Cuba. Our accommodation tonight, she warns, is the least comfortable that we will experience for the whole trip, and we shouldn't be surprised at occasional power outages, cold showers from time to time, and a lack of variety of food choices, which will prove challenging for the vegetarians on the trip.
Outside the hotel our bus is waiting and we meet our driver Alexis. Alex will play a key role in the care of our group, keeping us well supplied with water, fixing our bikes, and always standing by in case one of us doesn't feel like riding for some reason. We board our comfortable coach and head for Jibacoa where our bike mechanic and our other support vehicle await.
It's a short transfer through the marvelous city of Havana, the sun is shining and it's warmed up dramatically by the time we get to our bikes. It takes a while to sort out pedals, bike seats and get 18 people organized. Several in the group have their own SPD pedals and bike seats. The bikes are very decent hardtail Trek mountain bikes, well maintained and some them appear to be brand new.
We're finally sorted out and on our way. It's a short day mileage-wise, only 25 km, but on rough, potholed roads. We are very thankful for the front suspension! The palm-sprinkled rural countryside of the Valle Yumuri is mostly flat (but for the potholes) and populated with horses, cattle, chickens and dogs. After some near misses with a couple of runaway chickens, it becomes apparent we'll have to pay a bit more attention as they seem to come flapping out of nowhere, especially when we're gawking at the scenery.
Front Suspension – Invented for Cuban Roads
Our lunch stop is at the beautiful Ranchón Gaviota. We earn our lunch by cycling up a long steep climb (with potholes) to this hilltop ranch, but it was well worth the effort. Cold beer is waiting! Aside from providing great meals, the ranch, located in a state park, offers other activities including horseback riding and kayaking in the nearby reservoir. Satiated and hydrated we wander around the ranch. Up the road from the restaurant is a small but tidy farmhouse where we are treated to robust Cuban coffee sweetened with local sugar cane grown right in the park. Our host invites us to relax on the front porch and savour our coffee overlooking the vast sugar cane fields.
Thus ends the cycling portion of the day, and what a pleasant way to begin our Cuban adventure. After a short bus transfer, we arrive at our hotel for the night, the "least comfortable" accommodation for the whole trip. At first glance, the Hotel Canimao, outside the City of Matanzas, looks pleasant, but as they say, looks can be deceiving. We are all looking forward to sitting at the poolside bar for a cocktail, maybe even a dip in the pool. Forewarned is forearmed!
Sleepless in Matanzas
I walk across the courtyard to check out the pool. Instantly, I'm reminded of those crime scenes on TV with the "police line,do not cross" tape across it. Sadly, it's closed for repairs and for how long is anyone's guess, so no need for a poolside bar to be open then either, right? Oh well, maybe we could have a cocktail on the little balcony off our room?
Our dark and gloomy room is unremarkable except for the balcony, but the window is broken and masking tape is literally holding it together. Another part of the imagined crime scene perhaps? But on the bright side, there is a little bar in the lobby where eventually our group gathers after mostly cold showers. Over cocktails we compare (albeit jovially) the shortcomings of our accommodation before a dinner of rice and beans, pork and fruit.
One small,very important detail about this particular accommodation is that it is frequented by baseball teams, and with baseball season well underway in Cuba, it is very likely that the rest of the Hotel Caminao will be occupied by baseball players. While they take their baseball very seriously in Cuba, they do like to party, as we are about to discover!
After an almost sleepless night with exuberant baseball athletes warming up for tomorrow's game, the deafening roar of what sounds like a jet landing in the hotel pool jars me awake. It isn't far from the truth, since the Varadero airport is almost right next door to the hotel. Another small detail to remember when booking accommodation in Matanzas.
But things are on the up and up and after a breakfast of rice and beans, pork and eggs, we set off on a glorious sunny morning from the "Bates Motel" (as my husband aptly nicknamed the Hotel Canimao) for our 65 km ride. This is going to be an eventful day, a great day, cycling through Matanzas Province (flat with potholes) with some fascinating stops along the way, including the infamous Bay of Pigs.
Paula Webber - I've been a communications professional all of working career; took on the project of a lifetime and worked for VANOC, the organizing ...
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