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Friday February 2: End of the biking part. The trip is now over. Tonight at 6 PM we take a 900 km bus ride to Habana. I wrote my last 2 postcards today. This afternoon we walk around downtown before boarding the bus. Saturday we will hang out in Habana for the day and pack up the bikes. Sunday morning at 10 am we return to Cancun, Mexico. This trip was hotter than the last two I did in Cuba. However with 5 liters of water a day, it is quite manageable. My most favorite parts were going through the countryside and small towns, where I befriended Cubans cycling next to me. I will also always remember the baseball game we saw in Holguim. The one thing , I wished we had done, was to actually go into the Sierra Maestra Mountains. With the last one and a quarter hours in Holguim before we boarded the bus, I took a Bici-Taxi (Bicycle Taxi) up to 'La Lloma de Cruz', a big hill overlooking the entire city on one side, and the countryside on the other. My driver's name was Roberto and he has incredibly strong legs. He goes with his wife in the Bici-Taxi in 3 hours to the beach 55 km away. We climbed the 300 stairs to the top of 'La Lloma de Cruz' and I saw the most incredible views. We then walked back down the stairs and Roberto drove me back to the hotel through the town. We stopped at a Dollar Store and I bought a Helado (ice cream) for each of us. The cars and trucks miraculously at the last moment always yielded to us, but they were quite aggressive on the busier streets. Roberto took it all in stride, not batting an eye. At the end of the ride, I had my picture taken with Roberto in the Bici-Taxi. As I write this we are boarding the bus for Habana. I look forward to returning home. I had a great meal at the end in Habana, at the same Chinese restaurant. It was lobster tail again, and just as yummy! I then went on to the Museum of the Revolution and took a Bici-Taxi again home. He worked hard, but I gave him a big tip, and at least I was not polluting. I look forward to returning to Cuba again, possibly with some friends next year on a self contained bicycle tour with Veradero beach. Sightseeing pictures in Habana follow.
