In the Wake of Cristobel
Our four kid-boats are sailing south to Cuba, downwind in
15-20 knots, riding left-over swell from earlier gales. Rollick, Water Lilly, Makana, and us on Dream Catcher, left well before dawn
from the Southside Bay anchorage below Duncan Town (the only town on Ragged
Island). We wanted to time our arrival at Cuba’s Puerto de Vita while there was still
daylight. We had seventy miles to cover before darkness brought unknown
dangers. None of us had made the trip before, so we were apprehensive. The cruising guides warned not to enter Puerto de Vita on
a north wind; would the expected northeast winds be okay? We’d already seen what
happens when big swells push into rapidly shallowing water - breaking waves endangering
all who trespass.
We are the lead boat of four.
There are seventeen of us scattered across four catamarans; ten adults and seven kids. We’re a
self-contained chaos of fun wherever we anchor. We’ve been told American boats
are rare in Puerto de Vita - kid boats practically nonexistent. We’re not sure
if the marina is ready for this particular American invasion.
Midway into our voyage, I notice dark shadows lurking on the
horizon. The day is overcast, nothing but bruised grey clouds and distant
shafts of darker rain linking cloud to sea. At first, I can’t believe it’s land.
With thirty miles to go, that’s a long way to see land from a boat. I’m so used
to the Bahamas which disappear from view ten to fifteen miles offshore. Cuba
presents a much more forbidding silhouette. I don’t know if it’s the tension
between our two countries or the mood of sea and sky.
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| Land Ho! Christopher Columbus experienced this? |
I wonder if Columbus saw this silhouette when he landed in
Cuba on October 28th, 1492. He sailed into a bay next to the one we're headed
to. He must have been excited to see such a grand expanse of tall hills and mountains, all covered in a dark, tropical forest. So different than the
dry, scrubby, low-lying Bahamian islands he left in his wake.
As we sail closer, faint outlines of distant hills emerge
from the grey horizon, stacked vertically behind nearer and shorter hills. The
tumbled terrain stretches away from east to west, as far as the eye can see. The
northern coast of Cuba is more than six hundred miles long. We're headed to the
lower sixth of it - hundreds of miles from Havana. The bulking immensity of the island is impressive. It
presents a looming barrier, built of rounded hills, some rising thousands of
feet into the sky. After years of sailing the eastern USA seaboard, where flat
land meets water, this is truly an impressive sight.
Cuban Waters
At 12 miles, we’ve made our call to the Cuban marina to
report in. They want to know the name of the boat, how many people are on board
and other details. They speak English well enough for us to make sense of it. Our
Spanish is, unfortunately, much degraded since our high school years. We have
officially entered Cuban waters. We continue towards the obvious landmark of a
white light tower marking the entrance. The seas are still four to six feet; we
wonder what the entrance will be like.
At three PM, we’re just a mile from the entrance. White,
crashing surf surrounds the light tower to the east and further away to the
west, but there’s a gap in-between; the channel entrance. We tentatively ask
the marina if the inlet is “satisfactory”. They tell us it’s okay, sounding a
little puzzled by our question.
The ocean’s depth ascends from a thousand feet to just forty
in less than a quarter-mile. When we turn into the swells to drop our mainsail,
the boat pitches dramatically as it tries to climb four to six foot faces
before sliding down the other side. Not fun. We’re happier when we’ve turned
downwind again and have throttled up the engines toward calmer waters. As we head to the entrance, I suddenly see a dozen Mahi leaping from the water in twenty-foot bounds. In a tight school, they bound across the waters, pursued by something even bigger. Unfortunately, they ignore the two lines I'm dragging behind me. No fresh fish tonight...
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| The entrance to Puerto De Vita |
Despite our fears, the winds diminish at the entrance along
with most of the swell. Navigation is straightforward as the Cubans maintain
their buoys (unlike Bahamian waters, where buoys routinely go missing) and they
follow the red-right-returning rule. We’re soon in placid waters, following odd-looking
(to our eyes) buoys into the main anchorage next to the marina. We’re told to
anchor until the next morning.
We’ve done it! We’re in Cuba with the anchor down and a cool
wind blowing the bugs away and ruffling our bright yellow quarantine flag.
Clearing In
Early the next morning, a small powerboat brings the doctor,
Rolando, out to our boats. He’s an epidemiologist by training. He gives us a
friendly smile and requests to board our boat. He fills in some forms and
answers our questions while taking our temperatures. He clears us to drop our
quarantine flag and head into the marina for a bigger dose of paperwork. While
he heads to the next boat, we leave for the marina.
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| The doctor motors over to Makana to inspect her crew |
The marina is at the foot of a tall hill with a long
concrete dock. There are no dock fingers or accessible slips (like every dock
we’ve ever been to). Instead, we're to “med-moor” which means picking up a
mooring buoy and then backing into a space between two other boats and setting
the stern against the dock without actually damaging the boat. This is our
first time trying this technique. We execute it perfectly up to the point a
dockhand starts yelling at us in broken English to use two buoys instead of the
one we grabbed. That proves impossible without someone
helping us to tie off to the low mooring buoy rings. We’re saved when one of
the dockhands motors over to help. That was our most stressful moment in
getting to Cuba and it was quickly over.
A steady procession of officials visits one by one. A veterinarian
to check out our cat, an Agricultural official to inspect our food, then the
Cuban coast guard with a drug-sniffing dog and finally a couple from Customs to
finish up with us. They were all entirely professional and pleasant to work
with. They don’t expect anything, nor did we offer anything beyond soft drinks.
After a couple hours, we are cleared to get off the boat and wander the marina.
There is a lot of mystery about what you can and cannot
bring into Cuba. The cruising guides tell you different things than sailors who
have visited Cuba. I think it depends on which ports and which officials you
deal with. We were told to eat all our Bahamian-caught lobster before Cuba,
which we did in a grand feast of curried lobster and fish on our boat with all
the other kid-boats participating. We read other advice to eat all your meat,
eggs, fruits and vegetables. We ignored
that advice and we’re glad we did. They asked about those things, but as long
as we consumed them on the boat, they were fine with it. They never asked about
the lobsters.
Finally, we climbed the hill to the marina office and the
ever-smiling Jani welcomed us. A brisk bout of yet more paperwork and we had
temporary health insurance (because US-based plans don’t work here) and the
answers to many questions about how to get around.
Double the Currency, Double the Fun
First, we need to get some Cuban money. Cuba has two
national currencies, one for tourists (the CUC, or Convertible Peso) and one
for locals (the CUP, or the National Peso). Most tourist-related goods and
services are priced in CUCs which is pegged to the US dollar. Since you can’t
use USA-based credit cards here (European cards will work at some places), we
brought cash. If you bring US dollars to Cuba, you’ll wind up paying a
“penalty” of 10-15% versus bringing Canadian dollars or anything else (the
penalty seems to vary with where you go to exchange your money, a bank is best).
We’re semi-prepared with a mix of Canadian, USA and Euro currency. It’s all a
little confusing. If you only have CUCs, you wind up overpaying for small
things that are cheaper if you have CUPs. You have to be careful that if you do
pay in CUCs, you don’t receive CUPs for change. Since 1 CUC equals about 24
CUPs, that transaction does not favor you. Unfortunately, the bank notes are
all too similar looking.
NOTE: There are many of these 360 degree photographs in this blog. The best way to experience them is to go full screen and then use your cursor to move the view around for a complete 360 experience - just like you're there! :)
NOTE: There are many of these 360 degree photographs in this blog. The best way to experience them is to go full screen and then use your cursor to move the view around for a complete 360 experience - just like you're there! :)
Eventually, we’re done with Jani. She’s arranged a taxi for
our first Cuban experience the next morning. Nothing left to do but check out
the marina. Which doesn’t take long, as there isn’t much to it. The marina sits
on a hill within a secured, guarded area. Bathrooms are clean and impressive
until you realize there is no TP and no toilet seat. Oh, that’s right,
we’ve been told to carry TP wherever we go as you can’t count on it. Welcome to
Cuba!
Puerto de Vita Details:
If you're planning a trip to Cuba, read these details. If not, you can skip it.
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Electricity: Both 220 and 110. Included in your
marina fee. The electricity was reliable while we were there.
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Water: Chlorinated and of good quality. You can
drink it. This may not be true of places outside of the marina. There were times when the water was turned off, but it was on 80% of the time.
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Internet: The marina now has a couple computers
that get you on-line after you buy an access card ($2CUC per hour). There is no
WIFI at the marina (yet), you have to go to the Brisas resort and use their
WIFI to get online (again, with the aid of an access card). There is no “free”
WIFI.
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Phone: You can purchase a SIM for an unlocked
phone, but this requires waiting in line at a major Telefonica store in Holquin (or other major
town). The marina has a telephone, but you have to purchase an access card in
Guardalavaca to use it.
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Security: Excellent, locals are not even allowed
in to visit.
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Bugs: Yes, and they are vicious! You can expect them 24/7 unless a decent wind
is blowing the nosee-ums away.
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Protection: Excellent, 360 degrees.
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Laundry: a woman at the marina will do it for
you based on the weight of your clothes
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Restaurant: Yes, limited, but great Cuban
coffee!
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Provisions: Very limited. Expect some eggs and
other basics at the marina, but no produce. You have to taxi or walk a long way on
the road to Holquin to get to produce stands (that have limited greens). Market Day is universally on Saturday at local towns where you might find more of what
you’re looking for.
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Propane: Supposedly possible, but requires a
taxi ride to Holquin.
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Taxis: Pretty much required to get access to
many things. Rates are negotiable, but expect to pay at least $20 CUC to get
anywhere.
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Buses: The locals have both government-run and
ad-hoc trucks/vans that function as buses. Tourists are expected to use only
Viazul busses (AC, reclining seats) and they run between all the major
designations. The closest stop is Holquin (about $30-40 CUC from the marina.)
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Rental cars: Depends on availability. It can be
difficult to find one locally. They roughly cost between $60 and $90CUC per day
and may take hours to secure.
Guide Books
We used Lonely Planet Guides to figure out where to go and how to do it. If you're seriously interested in Cuba, I suggest you invest in a copy. Instead of duplicating what they laboriously collected on Cuba, the rest of this blog is focused on some of our learnings and adventures.
Taximania
There are two types of taxis in Cuba: modern, expensive,
official taxis, and; crazed cars of days long gone (known as taxi particulars).
Nothing quite prepares you for the experience of taxi particulars. Our first ride
was in a thirty-year old, fluorescent green, Russian-made Lada that had been
seriously tweaked by Victor, the ebullient owner. Inside, the car was actually
held together by tape. You could see careful attempts to patch holes, repair
tears and generally present an acceptable riding experience. Despite the many hard
decades of use the Chevys, Oldsmobiles, Fords and Ladas have experienced, the
vehicles are treated as highly valuable goods and maintained with pride and
parts from anything that will fit or work. It’s common to see diesel-powered Chevy’s –
an option never presented by the manufacturer. They are Frankenstein cars, but
with better natures.
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| Victor and his amazing Lada with Ladies |
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| It's a vintage lineup! |
Cars share the road with an eclectic mix of human-powered
bicycle taxis, horse and ox-driven carts, dump-trucks converted into passenger
vehicles, and just about everything in between. They all travel at different
speeds, so picking the right time and place to pass is a survival skill best
learned quickly. Also don’t expect a shoulder to escape onto. In some
cases, the road just stops at an edge and drops into a culvert. Did I mention
the dogs, cows, chickens and goats that aimlessly wander near or on the road? Forget
about traveling at night. You don’t want to be bouncing along at fifty miles
per hour in the dark only to come up on an unlit ox-cart slowly plodding along
with oncoming traffic blocking you. Deaths are routine from night-time driving.
There were multiple fatal accidents near the marina while we were staying
there. Don’t let this prevent you from
renting a car. For the most part, there isn’t much traffic on the roads between
the cities, and taking your time will ensure your safety. All of us rented cars and drove many hours on roads all over the island without anything more than a transmission failure. Unfortunately, it happened to us. More about that later.
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| You share the road with all manner of traffic |
It is a little confusing how taxi particulars work, and I’m
still not sure I have it completely figured out. One day, we hired Victor to take us to
Gibara, a trip that is roughly 50 miles because the only decent roads required
us to go into Holquin before heading north to Gibara. The price was $85CUC
(negotiated down from $100CUC). For this price, Victor took us wherever we
wanted along the way and spent the entire day with us. If we had wanted to go
one-way to Gibara, the price would have still been $85CUC. That seemed true for
our various trips. You pay at the end of your trip based on a negotiation of
your furthest destination. The amount of time the driver spends with you,
doesn’t seem to be a major factor in the price. The going rate for a round trip
to Holquin is $40CUC while Guadalavaca is $30. This will all vary depending on
the car, the driver and what else is going on.
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| They take good care of their ancient vehicles |
Another thing you need to understand about taxi particulars
is that they often receive “inducements” to take you to a particular restaurant
or casa particular (a lodging in someone’s home). Now, this isn’t necessarily a
bad thing as some of the places they’ll take you are excellent. Again, it
depends on the driver and other factors. You need to be aware it’s going on and
maneuver it as you see fit. Victor was never pushy about it with us.
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| They don't make them like that anymore |
Gibara
Like much of Cuba, it seems a place of faded glories. Money
to restore or simply maintain buildings seems to have cut off post-revolution.
It isn’t all faded, paint is used where concrete, mortar and steel might be
necessary, but it lends a fresh face to what otherwise would be a ruin.
Gibara Swordfish plaza, Cuba
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| Welcome to Gibara |
Gibara Swordfish plaza, Cuba
Gibara warehouse, Cuba
Gibara’s claim to fame is that it is the only “walled-city,” (other than Havana) in Cuba. Oddly, we never did see the wall and we're not sure why. The town reaches up a hill to an ancient Spanish fort that presents sweeping views of the large bay and many small boats at anchor near the town. We had lunch on a terrace up near the fort with spectacular views while a someone serenaded us on a guitar. A good start to our Cuban experience!
Holquin
A bustling town spread out in a valley between hills. Near the edge of the town is a hill with 465 steps leading up to it. For some touristy reason, we decided to go up them. Not approved for temperatures in the 80s with high humidity. You've been warned.
Escalinata de la Loma, Holquin, Cuba
Holquin also has a nice plaza that we visited and relaxed from our climb in an open-air cafe with some cold water. It was interesting to note there weren't ashtrays on any of the tables, but most people smoked, so they were constantly dropping cigarettes and other related trash on the ground - keeping a sweeper constantly employed. In front of the bathrooms, people would pay a lady permanently stationed there a peso for some toilet paper before going in to do their business. It gives you an idea of just how cheap labor is and how expensive something as basic as toilet paper can be.
Parque Calixto García, Holquin, Cuba
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| 465 stairs. We climbed every painful one of them... |
Escalinata de la Loma, Holquin, Cuba
Holquin also has a nice plaza that we visited and relaxed from our climb in an open-air cafe with some cold water. It was interesting to note there weren't ashtrays on any of the tables, but most people smoked, so they were constantly dropping cigarettes and other related trash on the ground - keeping a sweeper constantly employed. In front of the bathrooms, people would pay a lady permanently stationed there a peso for some toilet paper before going in to do their business. It gives you an idea of just how cheap labor is and how expensive something as basic as toilet paper can be.
Parque Calixto García, Holquin, Cuba
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| We needed to cool off after those stairs... |
Santiago de Cuba
If you go to the bus depot in Holquin, there will be taxi drivers willing to take you to most anywhere for a negotiable fee (80CUC). We had our taxi driver, Victor, help us select one for the 3-4 hour ride to Santiago. It was more expensive than taking a bus, but significantly shorter in time. We spent three days in Santiago and enjoyed walking the town from our casa particular - Roy's Terrace Inn (highly recommended).
Roys Terrace Inn, Santiago de Cuba
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| View of Santiago de Cuba looking west towards the port |
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| Students touring the museum gawk at the gringos |
Roy has a PhD in English, so of course he was easy to talk to. He couldn't afford to work as a professor of English because the pay is roughly 40CUC a month. That's not a misprint. Instead, he rents out rooms in his house for 30-40CUC a day to non-Cubans. Another lesson in Cuban economics. We enjoyed eating breakfast and dinner on his garden terrace. For the three of us, a 8-9 course dinner was roughly 40CUC, plenty of food, but not a lot of menu options. It's the same all over Cuba. Once Roy discovered it was Beth's birthday, we wound up with a cake and shots of rum accompanied by singing from the entire household.
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| Roy presents the birthday cake to Beth! |
Santiago Handlers
Santiago is infamous for pushy guys who seek out tourists to become their "buddies" or unspecting targets. Generally, they do provide a service of bridging the gap between language and local knowledge, but some do take advantage of tourists. I met one who offered to sell me 15 year Cuban rum for half price ($25/bottle). Wisely, I said I would need to taste the rum first. He agreed and surprisingly, it was excellent. I bought two bottles and then saw it in a store for $60. It was only later in the week when I ran into the guy who must have been his source, he offered me the same bottles for only $10! Cuban economics strikes again...
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| My rum supplier and our taxi ride to El Morro |
A Visit to Santiago's Rock
Our handler arranged a taxi ride in a 50-year-old Chevy (diesel) to Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca del Morro. It's a fifteen minute ride back into history. The castle is perched on a promontory overlooking the entrance to the harbor of Santiago. The view is stupendous and well worth the effort. The ride in the Chevy was a bonus.
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| Riding Cuban-style! |
View1, Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca del Morro, Santiago de Cuba
Santiago Central: Parque Céspedes
The plaza comes to life in the late afternoon as people start wandering away from work. Santiago is also known for its musical culture, and soon a small jazz band was setting up nearby. You can sip iced coffee from the terrace of the Hotel Casa Granda that overlooks the plaza while getting connected with wifi (requires you've purchased and access card from the telephone company).
Cespedes plaza, Santiago De Cuba
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| Early morning at Plaza Céspedes |
Cespedes plaza, Santiago De Cuba
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| Music in Plaza Céspedes |
While wandering the local market, we did have a rickety, old woman attempt to sell us cake for a few pesos. Her sales technique was to offer us a crumbled mess of cake in a non-sanitized hand and ask for some pesos. We smiled and politely declined. It was rare to run into anyone that overt asking for money. I'd say we had a couple uncomfortable experiences in Santiago, but everyone else was so nice it completely offset our stay there.
Balcón de Velázquez, Santiago de Cuba
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| Prices are in Cuban Pesos, 1/24th of a US$ |
Balcón de Velázquez, Santiago de Cuba
Santiago Market Economy
The local markets are very limited, even in a big city like Santiago, another consequence of a controlled market economy. There is limited private enterprise and the government attempts to control everything. It's obviously not working well. Cuba is a rich and fertile land, but the people struggle with obtaining food they can afford. All the Cubans we talked to looked forward to change. They were tired of bureaucracy and an over-abundance of "overseers".
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| Friendly merchant - he is signaling thumbs up for change |
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| Clandestine Museum - Viva la Revolution! |
Terrace view, Museo de La Clandestinidad, Santiago de Cuba
Eventually, we headed back to the boat via an antique Willie's jeep. It usually functioned as a taxi for a dozen people, but we were the only ones headed back on the 4 hour trip to the marina. This is where I learned the lesson of, "if it's too cheap, there's probably a problem," or, "don't schedule a taxi without confirming what it looks like beforehand." I paid the price by riding in the back, the ladies were in the cushioned front...
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| The bigger towns have produce stands on the major roads |
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| Our ride back to the marina |
R-rated: Museo Aborigen Chorro de Maita
I've been researching a book I'm working on, which involves learning about the pre-Columbian Taino cultures that inhabited the various islands. I was excited to realize Cuba had several museums dedicated to these people, one of the best was a mere 30 minutes away. They had recreated a Taino village with several huts and lifelike manikins depicting the clothing and behaviors of village life. Since Taino women didn't wear much more than a simple skirt and the children were naked, we were surrounded by manikins showing a lot of skin. Surprising for such a conservative Cuban culture.
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| Life in a Taino village - with authentic manikins |
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| Performance for the tourists |
Museo chorro de Maita, Guardalavaca, Cuba
Hut2, Museo chorro de Maita, Guardalavaca, Cuba
We were just in time for a performance depicting a healing ceremony, so we gathered around inside the hut, along with a dozen bused-in tourists. In the dimly lit hut, there were posed manikins doing various things and some human actors dressed up as natives gathered around a table with a young woman manikin laid out on her back, again, semi-naked. It seemed remarkably life-like, then the manikin moved and various body parts jiggled. I knew this was no ordinary depiction like you'd find somewhere in the US. They were seriously staying true to the cultural mores of the Tainos. After the ceremony was over, which was clearly intended to entertain tourists, with audience participation thrown-in, we wandered the site and took pictures. Later, when we returned to the boat and mentioned our encounter, the museum visit moved to the top of some men's agendas...
Baracoa and Beyond!
Our second week, we felt adventurous enough to rent a car and set off on a multi-day trip towards Baracoa - the coffee and chocolate capitol of Cuba. The essentials of life! Our first stop was an old Cuban retreat up in the mountains.
Villa la Gran Piedra
Looking a bit like an abandoned set of Lost, or Jurassic Park, the retreat was concieved by Castro after visiting Soviet-era daschas. He decreed that a resort would be built in the cool highlands on land his father once owned. |
| The supports are falling apart... |
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| Alpine cabins in Cuba? |
Getting there involved a hazardous trip up steep roads that had seen much better days. We saw the worst roads on our travels on this trip. To our great surprise, our fellow boaters (Water Lily - we don't use last names, we just use boat names) showed up at the resort, despite their original plans to go in a totally different direction.
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| This was the restaurant |
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| Obstacles and what passes for a road in Cuba |
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| The highlands were a cool relief from the Cuban heat |
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| Highland waterfalls |
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| The Cuban botanist was a fantastic guide |
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| Team Water Lily gets Wet |
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| The kids cool off |
We headed off on the north route which has roads with major potholes and ruts. Going slow is the only option. We took a break at one particularly scenic spot.
North road to Baracoa, Cuba
Baracoa and Chocolate
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| Viva el Chocolate! |
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| Chocolate starts out like this... |
Once we found a casa particular we could stay at for a few days, we settled in and enjoyed Cuban coffee with our chocolate every morning for breakfast. What a treat! The town is one of the oldest and was completely isolated for hundreds of years before Castro had a major highway built to it in the '60's. This was to be a problem later in our journey...
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| Baracoa at sun rise |
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| Our morning breakfast on the terrace |
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| The sun rises over Baracoa |
Casa Particular in Baracoa, Cuba
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| Hanging out with team Water Lily at the Fuerta la Punta in Baracoa |
Looking into the bay at Fuerte La Punta, Baracoa, Cuba
Restaurant in Fuerte La Punta, Baracoa, Cuba
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| Chilling Cuban-style |
Plaza Independencia cathedral, Baracoa, Cuba
Museo Arqueológico ‘La cueva del paraíso’
Another Taino museum! Sure enough, Baracoa had a "new" museum dedicated to the Tainos. This one was unique in that it was built inside of a local cave that Tainos had used for ceremonies and burials. It was perched up high in the hills surrounding Baracoa, so it had a great view. No naked women at this museum, I had to give it a lower grade because of that...
Chamber1, Museo arqueológico ‘La cueva del paraíso, Baracoa, Cuba
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| Entrance to the museum, easy to miss without the sign |
Chamber1, Museo arqueológico ‘La cueva del paraíso, Baracoa, Cuba
At the top of Museo arqueológico ‘La cueva del paraíso, Baracoa, Cuba
Problems in Paradise
It was time to leave, so we got up early and climbed into the car, headed to Guantanamo on Castro's special highway. We were about half-way into the hills when the rare traffic coming the other way started waving at us and shaking their heads. Eventually, we got the message that the heavy rains earlier had caused a landslide and the road was a no go. Back to Baracoa.
This is where things started to unravel for us. First of all, we had one of the children from Water Lily with us. Second of all, we never encountered them on the road as we returned, so we had no way to tell them what happened to us. They had a cell phone, we didn't. Reception in this part of Cuba was spotty at best, so we were effectively cut off from them.
We decided to wait a day and see if it made matters better. It did and it didn't.
Barfing in Baracoa
The Baracoa Belly struck us that night. Both Beth and I had the whole works. It was most likely the water at the Casa Particular or at a restaurant. Not sure which, doesn't matter. Despite limited sleep that night, we headed out bright and early to go the "other route" to Guantanamo. This involved going a much less-traveled route and dealing with the world's steepest switchback.
The road made a series of short, steep switchbacks that climbed the face of a cliff. The grade must of been something like 30%. Even though we had a mock SUV Suzuki something or other, we still scraped the bottom turning through the switchback. The first steep rise was so steep that I stalled the poor little engine because I simply didn't have enough momentum. Then it was a matter of trying to reengage the manual clutch without wheeling backwards at a high-rate of speed and plunging to our doom. I've driven the streets of San Francisco in a manual so I know what I'm talking about. This was totally insane. God forbid someone would be coming down while we were coming up. The road was so narrow only one car could be on it.
By the time we got to the top, the car had reached its limits too. Within another ten miles, I realized that the transmission was only good for 2nd and 3rd. No other gears available. This was workable enough to get us to a town with a working phone. Hours later, the car was winched onto a trailer and we headed back to Baracoa. Yes, we went down the same road with a trailer and our car on it. I really, really wanted to get out of the other car and just walk down. Somehow, we survived.
After an insane conversation with the rental agent, who didn't speak a word of English, I basically smiled, shook his hand, and walked out of the office. We had abandoned the car. Maybe tomorrow we would escape by bus...
A final night in our Casa, then we were off to the bus depot, but luckily found someone who would drive us all the way back in a decent car. It was a great price too - considering the distance/time.
Adios Amigos
After two weeks in Cuba, it was time to get back on the boat and head back to Bahamas. The trip had been a success, despite our detours. The people of Cuba welcome Americans and have plenty of smiles for them. We had but a small taste of a couple regions of Cuba, and there is much more to discover. Perhaps on a future trip?
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| Leaving Cuba behind on a sunnier day than we arrived |
