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Tuesday 30 January: Manzanillo to Bayamo 60 km: In spite of my cold the pedaling was fine today. First off we left at 8 am when it was a cool 75 degrees Farenheit. We rode 1 and a half hours to Yara where we saw a statue of Hatuey who rebelled against the conquistadors in 1512. He was burned at the stake in the place where this statue stood. There was also a statue of Cespedes the first president in 1868 of the Cuban Republic. He freed his 12 slaves and started the first Cuban revolution. He was the president for 10 years before the Spanish killed him. This town had a video theatre and a movie theatre too. It was then another 2 and a half hours of riding 42 kilometers to Bayamo which is another big city. I rode the whole time with a Swiss Italian Tony who was touring self contained (carrying all his own stuff). We had nice conversations. I took a walk to the central square in Bayamo where there is another statue of Cespedes. I saw a nice church where the national anthem of Cuba was composed. There is a real nice 4 block pedestrian zone shopping street here. A man named Demeuris who is studying English befriended me. We saw a store: 'Tienda de Estimulacion' in this street. This was for workers who were rewarded by fellow workers, who voted them the best worker. They then got coupons to buy nice things at this store consisting of shirts, shoes, and nice bicycles, a cut above the 200 peso variety. After dinner we searched in vain for ice cream. All the shops that sell it were closed by 8 pm. I retired early then back to my Casa Particular (Private house).
