Stage 2: Guantanamo-Santiago, 89 K, June 29, 2006.
Waking up early this morning I loved the fact that the sun does really rise in the East cuz that meant I could get an early start and be in Santiago well before noon. I also wanted to get out of the casa particular ASAP; the owner didn't impress me much and I didn't want to see her in the morning. I mean, come on, she took offense to me wanting to take my bike, my mode of transport on this journe,y into my room instead of leaving it in the courtyard. She swore it was safe and that she's had lots of other cyclists over the years, but I guess she didn't really get that I was on my own now and only had my bike to get me where I wanted to go.
Leaving Guantanamo part of me wondered if I should try to ride down to the military base. I didn't think much about it, the whole US in Cuba thing makes me sad and I thought it would be too eeiry. I did do a SUPER fast tour of 'downtown' Guantanamo before I headed to the highway. Interestingly enough, there is an 18 K highway that suddenly ends and takes you onto rolling sideroads which are actually the main roadway through Cuba. This first 18 K was PERFECT...it was still cool and I could literally have counted the # of vehicles using it if I had wanted to. I got sidetracked cuz I preferred to count the # of 'near decapitations' by machete. The workers clearing the grass at the side of the highway use machetes and they take such big swings I often worried the blade would fly in the air and chop my helmet off! So I would whistle (not the loud Cuban way, I STILL can't do it!) or say, 'Cuidado!' (Careful!) as I rode by.
Coming off the quiet highway I headed into quiet sideroads full of endless rolling hills and long and steady inclines. There are also lots of fun stretches where you can whiz downhill and enjoy the lush tropical air of coffee country on your face. Luckily for me I was on one of these declines when a VERY persistent and rather angry little dog came after me...and he was going FAST cuz at the point I was traveling about 45K/hr...I had to pedal hard and fast to get away from the little guy...the hard part was that I was going into a sharp turn and the panniers tend to throw off your sense of balance...but I made it, I wasn't going to let the little dog at kilometre 32 get in the way of me getting to Santiago for lunch. Shortly after I took a side of the road break and ate one of the sandwiches I bought the night before. I rested by bike by the steps to the tinyest and perhaps poorest house I have ever seen in Cuba or anywhere for that matter...it reminded me of the houses in Mexico on the way to Chichen Itza. I thought for a second about taking a picture, but decided against it when I heard a mom and her child inside. I got up quickly so I wouldn't disturb them and continued on.
This whole part of the ride was quite a contrast to yesterday's oceanside riding and Richard's neverending jokes and banter. Today was quiet and I spent a lot of time thinking of many things on my 'list of life things to do'. Just when I was needing a pick me up, I spotted a guy selling candy and stopped him. The candy turned out to be mint as opposed to something really fruity, but it was totally worth the stop just to talk to the guy. He had suffered some kind of work accident in Havana so he moved back home and was now selling candy for a peso to earn a living. In Cuba vendors can often make more than an engineer or computer programer. The guy was totally freaked out that I had ridden from Baracoa the day before so when I told him I was crossing Cuba, he didn't want to charge me for the candy...as if! I told him it would be bad luck (I made up some kind of Canadian tradition) if he didn't let me pay for it, I took a picture of him and was on my way.
A little further ahead I stopped for 'refresco' (juice made from crystals) and found out I had less then 45 K to go. I was also really looking for coffee cuz I hadn't had any yet given that I left the casa in Guantanamo in flash. 27 K before Santiago in the town of Alto Songo I was weaving through some traffic when I was hit with the beautiful aroma of freshly brewed espresso. Following my nose and looking for the line-up, I headed to the vendor and bought 3, yes 3, coffees. The men leaning over the counter kept eyeing my bike and telling me to keep an eye on it. I guess the guy didn't notice that my toes were in the back wheel! I was SOOOO happy to be drinking coffee that I almost bought more for one of my water bottles. Almost.
Last stretch into Santiago went by in a blur of narrow roads, BUMPY patches, shade, another stop to refuel (guarapo -sugar cane juice-this time) and then finally the highway leading into Santiago. This last 12 K is the ABSOLUTE MOST FUN ride I have EVER had on my own on a bike in my life. The ONLY snag was some kind of problem with my crank (which I would later find out was really a problem with my chain). I had to stop right at the beginning of the highway to check my pedals and crank arms just to make sure they were secure. But after that, there was 12 perfect kilometres of SMOOTH sailing on an almost constant and steady decline. Even with the panniers playing with the balance of the bike, my speed didn't drop below 35 K/hr on this stretch. It was a BLAST. Then suddenly you start to see the city and the signs. There were 3 exits, I didn't really know which one to get off at so I took the one that said, "Monumento Antonio Maceo" because I knew where the monument was in relation to the rest of the city.
Once in town I had to find "Reparto Santa Barbara" because that is where Antonio and Richard had found me a place to stay. Seeing TONNES and TONNES of motorcycles in the city, I asked the houseowner, Daisy, upon arriving what the deal was. She said it was Santiago's solution to transportation...they were taxies. Having arrived earlier than expected, Daisy quickly went about setting up my room. I drank about 3 litres of water, chatted with her son and when my room was ready, arranged my gear and jumped into the shower. Between the water I drank and the number of showers I took each day in Cuba, I was so thankful that water is free there!!
After showering, I quickly washed my clothes from this ride (and the day before), had a fantastic lunch and headed out to do some exploring in the city. Seeing as this blog is about the cycling, I'll leave my city tales for some other time.
Stage 3 (and 4!) Santiago-Las Tunas, 215 K, coming soon.
Waking up early this morning I loved the fact that the sun does really rise in the East cuz that meant I could get an early start and be in Santiago well before noon. I also wanted to get out of the casa particular ASAP; the owner didn't impress me much and I didn't want to see her in the morning. I mean, come on, she took offense to me wanting to take my bike, my mode of transport on this journe,y into my room instead of leaving it in the courtyard. She swore it was safe and that she's had lots of other cyclists over the years, but I guess she didn't really get that I was on my own now and only had my bike to get me where I wanted to go.
Leaving Guantanamo part of me wondered if I should try to ride down to the military base. I didn't think much about it, the whole US in Cuba thing makes me sad and I thought it would be too eeiry. I did do a SUPER fast tour of 'downtown' Guantanamo before I headed to the highway. Interestingly enough, there is an 18 K highway that suddenly ends and takes you onto rolling sideroads which are actually the main roadway through Cuba. This first 18 K was PERFECT...it was still cool and I could literally have counted the # of vehicles using it if I had wanted to. I got sidetracked cuz I preferred to count the # of 'near decapitations' by machete. The workers clearing the grass at the side of the highway use machetes and they take such big swings I often worried the blade would fly in the air and chop my helmet off! So I would whistle (not the loud Cuban way, I STILL can't do it!) or say, 'Cuidado!' (Careful!) as I rode by.
Coming off the quiet highway I headed into quiet sideroads full of endless rolling hills and long and steady inclines. There are also lots of fun stretches where you can whiz downhill and enjoy the lush tropical air of coffee country on your face. Luckily for me I was on one of these declines when a VERY persistent and rather angry little dog came after me...and he was going FAST cuz at the point I was traveling about 45K/hr...I had to pedal hard and fast to get away from the little guy...the hard part was that I was going into a sharp turn and the panniers tend to throw off your sense of balance...but I made it, I wasn't going to let the little dog at kilometre 32 get in the way of me getting to Santiago for lunch. Shortly after I took a side of the road break and ate one of the sandwiches I bought the night before. I rested by bike by the steps to the tinyest and perhaps poorest house I have ever seen in Cuba or anywhere for that matter...it reminded me of the houses in Mexico on the way to Chichen Itza. I thought for a second about taking a picture, but decided against it when I heard a mom and her child inside. I got up quickly so I wouldn't disturb them and continued on.
This whole part of the ride was quite a contrast to yesterday's oceanside riding and Richard's neverending jokes and banter. Today was quiet and I spent a lot of time thinking of many things on my 'list of life things to do'. Just when I was needing a pick me up, I spotted a guy selling candy and stopped him. The candy turned out to be mint as opposed to something really fruity, but it was totally worth the stop just to talk to the guy. He had suffered some kind of work accident in Havana so he moved back home and was now selling candy for a peso to earn a living. In Cuba vendors can often make more than an engineer or computer programer. The guy was totally freaked out that I had ridden from Baracoa the day before so when I told him I was crossing Cuba, he didn't want to charge me for the candy...as if! I told him it would be bad luck (I made up some kind of Canadian tradition) if he didn't let me pay for it, I took a picture of him and was on my way.
A little further ahead I stopped for 'refresco' (juice made from crystals) and found out I had less then 45 K to go. I was also really looking for coffee cuz I hadn't had any yet given that I left the casa in Guantanamo in flash. 27 K before Santiago in the town of Alto Songo I was weaving through some traffic when I was hit with the beautiful aroma of freshly brewed espresso. Following my nose and looking for the line-up, I headed to the vendor and bought 3, yes 3, coffees. The men leaning over the counter kept eyeing my bike and telling me to keep an eye on it. I guess the guy didn't notice that my toes were in the back wheel! I was SOOOO happy to be drinking coffee that I almost bought more for one of my water bottles. Almost.
Last stretch into Santiago went by in a blur of narrow roads, BUMPY patches, shade, another stop to refuel (guarapo -sugar cane juice-this time) and then finally the highway leading into Santiago. This last 12 K is the ABSOLUTE MOST FUN ride I have EVER had on my own on a bike in my life. The ONLY snag was some kind of problem with my crank (which I would later find out was really a problem with my chain). I had to stop right at the beginning of the highway to check my pedals and crank arms just to make sure they were secure. But after that, there was 12 perfect kilometres of SMOOTH sailing on an almost constant and steady decline. Even with the panniers playing with the balance of the bike, my speed didn't drop below 35 K/hr on this stretch. It was a BLAST. Then suddenly you start to see the city and the signs. There were 3 exits, I didn't really know which one to get off at so I took the one that said, "Monumento Antonio Maceo" because I knew where the monument was in relation to the rest of the city.
Once in town I had to find "Reparto Santa Barbara" because that is where Antonio and Richard had found me a place to stay. Seeing TONNES and TONNES of motorcycles in the city, I asked the houseowner, Daisy, upon arriving what the deal was. She said it was Santiago's solution to transportation...they were taxies. Having arrived earlier than expected, Daisy quickly went about setting up my room. I drank about 3 litres of water, chatted with her son and when my room was ready, arranged my gear and jumped into the shower. Between the water I drank and the number of showers I took each day in Cuba, I was so thankful that water is free there!!
After showering, I quickly washed my clothes from this ride (and the day before), had a fantastic lunch and headed out to do some exploring in the city. Seeing as this blog is about the cycling, I'll leave my city tales for some other time.
Stage 3 (and 4!) Santiago-Las Tunas, 215 K, coming soon.
posted by Cuba Cyclist @ 7:33 AM
1 Comments:
At 3:11 PM ,
village mama said...
Great reading material for a Friday afternoon! 3 whole Cuban coffees! That's so-o-o cute, because ounce wise it's not even ONE Starbucks. Being the food lover I am, I'm dying love to know what you were consuming...ie what was in the sandwich? what did you eat for lunch in Santiago?
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