<< Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Next >>
Wednesday 31 January: Hangout in Bayamo . Today was a nice day. First off, we saw the museum of the Cespedes House. He was the first president of Cuba in 1868, who started a revolution by freeing 12 of his slaves. To prevent the Spanish from taking Bayamo he burnt it to the ground except for his house and the church (where the national anthem was composed). He had two wives and children by several affairs. As the guide said: 'We Cubans are hot blooded'. There also was a newspaper written at this time called 'Cuba Libre' (not a brand of rum) to spread word about the Cuban revolution. Cespedes came from a very wealthy family and studied law in Habana. We then headed towards Guisa , where there is a nice restaurant inthe low foothills of the Sierra Maestra. Unfortunately these 300 meters are as high as we got the whole trip. It was a bit of a climb and somewhat hot but not bad. We passed the organic and botanical gardens but because of the heat did not stop. I was fine with the heat because I drank 4 liters of water on the way up. I always carry at least 5 liters of water on my bike at all times. Some of the others got a little overheated. The restaurant El Mirador (lookout) had a beautiful view of Bayamo in the distance and the foothills of the Sierra Maestra. We watched kids flying home made kites. The meal was excellent. I had 2 helpings of Milango , a great root vegetable, a plain omlette, rice , cucumbers, and water. On the way back we took a nice 20 km, not too bumpy ride on a dirt road. Almost no smelly trucks passed us. There were lots of little farms and people walking and biking along the road. The others left me behind, but the way was clear, and they told the locals to point me in the right direction, which they did! I found a young secondary school boy student who was going to Bayamo too and he brought me right to my door! He also knew the man studying English that I mentioned earlier. That is the one who befriended me yesterday. Just before we reached the center of Bayamo I bought my young guide an ice cream and one for myself too. I then showered at my Casa Particular and treated myself to a mini meal at the Chinese Restaurant 'Ching Jui' 20 m from my place. For four Cuban Pesos I got soup with spaghetti and vegetables, a plate of cabbage, and real ice cream! I left them a 100 percent tip totaling 9 Pesos in all (45 cents). After looking all over for ice cream yesterday and there it was 20 meters away from my door. I met again the Swiss Italian Tony who rode with me yesterday. He stopped by to chat. I gave him my German bread I was carrying for 12 days which he was happy to take. This was real German bread from Germany, the kind you can hammer nails with. Now it's time for dinner and bed. Tony went to dinner with us and we surprised him with some cookies with a candle on them, and sung happy birthday to him. He was really touched by this. He had told us 2 days before that his birthday was coming so we had to do something, and I know he wanted us too. Nobody wants to be alone on their birthday, even if they are a solo cycle tourist. On the walk home, I saw people singing nice hymns in a church. It felt like a gospel sing along Cuban style. Anybody could walk in from the street and join in. I almost did.
