Steve took me to Heathrow airport to stay at Premier Travel Inn. He stopped to have a coffee with me for about an hour. I felt very sad waving goodbye to him and was feeling incredibly nervous about what was to come.
I went to bed and tried not to worry too much about tomorrow.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Friday 2nd November - Heathrow to Havana
I got up at 6:30am feeling very nervous and took a taxi to the airport to meet the rest of the group at 7:50am. Met Dominic, Ros, Nikki, Jane and Mark initially but the group soon grew bigger as the rest of the team started to arrive.
We all introduced ourselves to each other (and promptly forgot each other's names). We all checked in (Me, Nikki, Ros, Jane, Peter, Andy, Chris, Dave, Chris, Mark, Jeff, Steve and Dominic) and finally went through immigration together and into a cafe to get some breakfast and drinks. This was a good chance to start to get to know everyone. My first impressions were that it was a really nice group of people and I immediately started to feel less nervous.
There are five more people to join us later; Julia, Sharon, Jools and Clare from Brussels will meet us in Madrid and Ken will meet us in Havana.
We flew with Iberia to Madrid, had three hours in Madrid airport, followed by around a 10 hour flight to Havana. I was sat on my own on during the flight, but chatted with different people as we all walked around the plane. I met Clare, Jools, Sharon and Julia (from Brussels) during the flight.
The journey seemed interminable as the inflight entertainment system was rubbish and I didn't manage to get any sleep.
We arrived at Havana at around 9:30pm after what seemed like an eternity. We met Alex, our tour leader for the expedition. He waited whilst we all changed money and then took us to the bus to meet Walter (or La Valla) who was to be our bus driver for the week. We then drove to St. John's hotel in Havana with Alex pointing out several points of interest on the way, such as Havana university and La Coppelia (famous ice cream parlour).
We then had the first of many of Alex's briefings in the hotel, followed by a welcome mojito (also the first of many) at the bar next door. My room mate, Ros and I went to bed after one mojito as we were really tired after the flight.
Our first of many mojitos!
We all introduced ourselves to each other (and promptly forgot each other's names). We all checked in (Me, Nikki, Ros, Jane, Peter, Andy, Chris, Dave, Chris, Mark, Jeff, Steve and Dominic) and finally went through immigration together and into a cafe to get some breakfast and drinks. This was a good chance to start to get to know everyone. My first impressions were that it was a really nice group of people and I immediately started to feel less nervous.
There are five more people to join us later; Julia, Sharon, Jools and Clare from Brussels will meet us in Madrid and Ken will meet us in Havana.
We flew with Iberia to Madrid, had three hours in Madrid airport, followed by around a 10 hour flight to Havana. I was sat on my own on during the flight, but chatted with different people as we all walked around the plane. I met Clare, Jools, Sharon and Julia (from Brussels) during the flight.
The journey seemed interminable as the inflight entertainment system was rubbish and I didn't manage to get any sleep.
We arrived at Havana at around 9:30pm after what seemed like an eternity. We met Alex, our tour leader for the expedition. He waited whilst we all changed money and then took us to the bus to meet Walter (or La Valla) who was to be our bus driver for the week. We then drove to St. John's hotel in Havana with Alex pointing out several points of interest on the way, such as Havana university and La Coppelia (famous ice cream parlour).
We then had the first of many of Alex's briefings in the hotel, followed by a welcome mojito (also the first of many) at the bar next door. My room mate, Ros and I went to bed after one mojito as we were really tired after the flight.
Our first of many mojitos!
Saturday 3rd November - Havana to Playa Jibacoa
Alex and La Valla met us at our hotel early. We checked out and then took the coach into Old Havana via The Malecon (The seafront) and Placa de la Revolucion (Revolution Square). This is a meeting place in Havana where everyone congregates for any big event (carnivals etc., it's also where Pope John II appeared when he visited Cuba a few years ago. Fidel Castro also often gives speeches in this square).
It was a warm day, but a bit overcast with a breeze so it wasn't too oppressive. Alex gave us a guided tour of old Havana in the morning. We walked through lots of old squares and saw many beautiful, Colonial style buildings, some in good condition, many in total disrepair. We went and had mojito's on the roof terrace of Ambos Mundos Hotel (which was where Ernest Hemingway liked to stay). We had our first taste of live music in Cuba with a band playing on the roof terrace.
At around 1pm we went to Cafe Taverna for lunch which consisted of rice and chicken. There was also live music and a couple dancing in this restaurant whilst we ate lunch.
After lunch we visited more old squares, one of which was full of second-hand bookstores predominantly selling books relating to Che Guevara. Alex pointed out men playing dominoes which is the 2nd national 'sport' of Cuba afer baseball.
After lunch we visited more old squares, one of which was full of second-hand bookstores predominantly selling books relating to Che Guevara. Alex pointed out men playing dominoes which is the 2nd national 'sport' of Cuba afer baseball.
We visited a cathedral where the remains of Christopher Columbus are said to be. We then met back at the bus and drove to La Triada cigar shop at San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress just on the outskirts of Havana. I bought some Habanos, Romeo y Julieta's and Monte Cristo cigars for Steve and my dad. I also bought some light and dark Havana Club rum (which I was to acquire a taste for during the following week). The longest cigar in the world was on show in La Triada, and I had the pleasure of meeting the man who rolled it, Jose Castelar Cairo and took his photograph (above).
We then drove to the campsite at Playa Jibacoa where we stayed in basic chalet accomodation and where we had our first introduction to cockroaches. We dropped off our luggage and then met Alex by the pool for a briefing. We had dinner which consisted of rice, beans and plantain chips followed by a plate of mango sauce!
I went to bed quite early feeling slightly apprehensive about our first day of cycling tomorrow. Ros and I had some trouble getting to sleep worrying about the inordinate amount of cockroaches in our bedroom.
We then drove to the campsite at Playa Jibacoa where we stayed in basic chalet accomodation and where we had our first introduction to cockroaches. We dropped off our luggage and then met Alex by the pool for a briefing. We had dinner which consisted of rice, beans and plantain chips followed by a plate of mango sauce!
I went to bed quite early feeling slightly apprehensive about our first day of cycling tomorrow. Ros and I had some trouble getting to sleep worrying about the inordinate amount of cockroaches in our bedroom.
Sunday 4th November - Playa Jibacoa to Varadero (60km)
I woke up at 4am due to jetlag which wasn't a great start for the first day's cycling. We met at reception with our luggage at 7am and collected our bikes for the trip. We also met the rest of the support team; Alfredo (the route-master), Ariel (the mechanic), Orlando (the doctor, AKA Dr. George) and Vladimir (the truck-driver).
We had breakfast which consisted of a strange egg concotion and ham which resembled Spam. We were to become very accustomed to this meat during the trip. Didn't really eat much as the food wasn't very appetising and was covered in flies. Managed a couple of pieces of bread and a cup of excellent Cuban coffee.
Shortly after breakfast (or lack of) we had a briefing by Alex and Alfredo about what to expect today. Alfredo explained that there were undulations (not hills) in the early part of the ride.
We then set off on our bikes on a dirt track which was in terrible condition and full of potholes. We passed lots of animals; pigs, cows and horse & carts. We had our first taste of the friendliness of the Cuban people, with all the children we passed shouting 'Hola!' and waving at us. Most adults also did the same. There were lots of vultures circling above us which we thought was slightly ominous.
The route was quite hilly (although Alfredo still insisted that they were undulations not hills). We soon began to see the difference between hills and undulations though and what we first thought of as hills, we soon began to see in Alfredo's terms and realised 'Eez no so bad'!
Our first stop was for a snack-break in a small village square in Arcos de Canasi where we sat in the shade and ate fresh pineapple, guava, papaya and bananas which were all delicious. The square was full of people sitting about chatting and looking very relaxed. A few children were playing basketball in the square. We had our first taste of Cuban toilets in a pharmacy in this village - Nice!
We set off again towards the city of Matanzas where we were to have lunch. The route was definitely HILLY on the way to Matanzas and the heat made it pretty demanding.
We arrived at Hotel Acauzul in Varadero at about 6pm just as the sun was setting. The accomodation was in small houses on the beach. We were all very excited to jump straight into the sea and play in the big waves to soothe our aching limbs and sore bottoms. The water was beautifully warm and we stayed in the sea until well after it was dark until about 7pm.
We met at 8pm in the main lobby of the hotel for a drink and briefing about tomorrow's cycling. We then had a buffet style dinner in the restaurant upstairs. There was a pretty good choice of food and I'd built up quite an apetite so I enjoyed dinner. We came down and had a few drinks and watched the synchronised swimming group getting ready for their display. A few people stayed up drinking and watched the display, but I was very tired after having woken up at 4am so Ros and I went to bed at about 10:30pm.
We had breakfast which consisted of a strange egg concotion and ham which resembled Spam. We were to become very accustomed to this meat during the trip. Didn't really eat much as the food wasn't very appetising and was covered in flies. Managed a couple of pieces of bread and a cup of excellent Cuban coffee.
Shortly after breakfast (or lack of) we had a briefing by Alex and Alfredo about what to expect today. Alfredo explained that there were undulations (not hills) in the early part of the ride.
We then set off on our bikes on a dirt track which was in terrible condition and full of potholes. We passed lots of animals; pigs, cows and horse & carts. We had our first taste of the friendliness of the Cuban people, with all the children we passed shouting 'Hola!' and waving at us. Most adults also did the same. There were lots of vultures circling above us which we thought was slightly ominous. 
The route was quite hilly (although Alfredo still insisted that they were undulations not hills). We soon began to see the difference between hills and undulations though and what we first thought of as hills, we soon began to see in Alfredo's terms and realised 'Eez no so bad'!
Our first stop was for a snack-break in a small village square in Arcos de Canasi where we sat in the shade and ate fresh pineapple, guava, papaya and bananas which were all delicious. The square was full of people sitting about chatting and looking very relaxed. A few children were playing basketball in the square. We had our first taste of Cuban toilets in a pharmacy in this village - Nice!
We set off again towards the city of Matanzas where we were to have lunch. The route was definitely HILLY on the way to Matanzas and the heat made it pretty demanding.
We had to cycle single file through the city and then cycled up a huge hill to a lovely park area overlooking the bay of Matanzas to have our lunch. This was our first taste of lunch served from plastic buckets. The food was great though; chicken, rice, beans and plantain chips (there's a bit of a theme developing here).
I felt really exhausted by lunch time and had a much-needed rest in the shade. I felt a bit better after having eaten and rested for an hour. We then cycled back down the huge hill which we had climbed before lunch into the city of Matanzas. We cycled single file through the city and over a swing bridge and along the seafront (Malecon). We cycled in single file over the pot-holed pavement, constantly shouting 'HOLE!' to warn each other of imminent holes (some of which could have caused an incredibly nasty accident). This was quite hard-going as the wind was against us and it was a long, gradual uphill for many miles. I coped OK with this though as I felt refreshed after lunch.
We met the bus and truck about ten miles outside Matanzas and transferred to Varadero. I felt slightly worried about the rest of the week's cycling after today as the heat made it very hard-going.
We met the bus and truck about ten miles outside Matanzas and transferred to Varadero. I felt slightly worried about the rest of the week's cycling after today as the heat made it very hard-going.
We arrived at Hotel Acauzul in Varadero at about 6pm just as the sun was setting. The accomodation was in small houses on the beach. We were all very excited to jump straight into the sea and play in the big waves to soothe our aching limbs and sore bottoms. The water was beautifully warm and we stayed in the sea until well after it was dark until about 7pm.
We met at 8pm in the main lobby of the hotel for a drink and briefing about tomorrow's cycling. We then had a buffet style dinner in the restaurant upstairs. There was a pretty good choice of food and I'd built up quite an apetite so I enjoyed dinner. We came down and had a few drinks and watched the synchronised swimming group getting ready for their display. A few people stayed up drinking and watched the display, but I was very tired after having woken up at 4am so Ros and I went to bed at about 10:30pm. Monday 5th November - Varadero to Cienfuegos (90km)
We brought our luggage to the bus at 7:30am, had breakfast, then set off in the bus to visit Al Capone's house which was a couple of miles down the road from our hotel. We all got out and took a few photographs for 10 minutes, before getting back onto the bus and going back to where we finished last night to be reunited with the truck and our bikes. 
I felt nervous this morning as today's ride is to be 90km's and yesterday was much harder than I had imagined. However, I actually really enjoyed today. The route was reasonably flat, but there was a strong headwind with open fields either side of the road, making the going quite tough.
We passed lots of fields of sugar cane, bananas and coconuts. We cycled past the small electric train tracks which go through a large part of Cuba to transport sugar cane.
A few km's before the snack break I managed to fall off my bike in rather spectacular fashion by falling off the road! Managed to knock Chris off his bike as he was right behind me. There were a few of us cycling close together so it's lucky that only one other person fell off. Chris didn't hurt himself luckily. Everyone was laughing at how 'British' I was because as I was falling, I kept shouting, 'Sorry, Sorry!' (I was worried that I was going to cause a huge pile-up). I hit my elbow quite hard on the road and had scrapes and bruises on my knees and left arm. My elbow swelled up quite quickly and I had pain in my neck and shoulder so I was worried that it might stop me cycling later if it seized up. Luckily Dr. Pete was at hand and quickly adminstered creams and potions. I sat down for a few minutes as I was a bit shaken up. Alex and Ariel waited with us and then we cycled the last few km's to the snack break at Union de Reyes. I had some pineapple and bananas and Clare gave my neck and shoulder a massage on the bus with some ibuprofen gel. This made me feel much better.
We all went to use the toilet in the clinic over the road (which wasn't much better than the other lovely toilets we had the fortune to frequent). Unfortunately my chain guard got damaged when I fell off so Ariel had to find another bike for me whilst we were having our snack. When we set off, I discovered that my new bike wasn't working properly as the chain kept falling between the cogs. Pete and Clare waited with me while Alex and Ariel tried to fix the bike. Unfortunately it wasn't possible so I had to get a 3rd bike (Dr. George's) which was a heavy raleigh with no suspension. By this time the rest of the group had been gone for about 15-20 minutes and Chris arrived back shortly as he'd been positioned at the next corner waiting to tell us where to turn off. It was great that Pete, Clare and Chris had waited with me. This summed up the whole team spirit which was present on the whole trip. Everyone really looked out for each other.
The four of us set off and cycled the next 20km's or so as fast as we could in order to try to make up some ground to catch up with the rest of the group. We cycled through Bolondron, Guira de Macurijes and then stopped for lunch in Pedro Betancourt, a small village where we ate in a small, shaded square. Ros was desperate for the loo and went down the side of a building as we couldn't find a hedge. This was also the town with the worst toilet yet, which poor Nikki had no choice but to use. I decided to hang on, so after lunch I cycled quickly at the front of the group for about 10 minutes, then went for a wee in a field (by far the best place to go). I then caught up with the guys at the front and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon's cycling tremendously.
We stopped in Jaguey Grande, the first of us arriving at around 5pm, the last few people coming in at about 5:40pm. We put all of our bikes on the back of the truck and had a 2 hour truck transfer to our next hotel, Hotel Rancho Luna in Cienfuegos. This was on the south coast, so it was our first taste of the Caribbean sea. We were to spend two nights in this all-inclusive hotel. 
Ros and I discovered a huge cockroach in our shower, so did the only honourable thing and went next door in true girly style and got one of the men to remove it for us! Thanks Andy. 
We all met for dinner and then Alex gave us a briefing in the lobby over the noise of the Butlins-style entertainment. Had a couple of mojito's then went to bed feeling very tired.
Tuesday 6th November - around Cienfuegos (60km)
We had a decent buffet style breakfast. The omelettes here were good (complete, of course with spam)! We then set off on the 27km ride into Cienfuegos. It was a pleasant cycle into town even though the terrain was quite hilly and it was very hot. We all re-grouped on the outskirts of Cienfuegos opposite the Tomas Acea cemetery to fill up with water and re-apply sun cream, overtaking lots of horse and carts on
our way. We all cycled into the city in single file and cycled through the city streets for around half an hour before stopping in the plaza mayor. We had 15 minutes to get a drink and wander around, then Alex gave us a talk about the city in the square.
We then had 20 minutes before getting back on our bikes. During this time, Alex took those of us who were interested to a local market. On the way we saw a baker's where people could pick up their bread rations. The local market was very vibrant and had paintings of Che Guevara on the walls. I took a photograph of a pig's head hanging on a hook and the butcher posed with his arm round the pig's head for me!
We then met everyone else back in the square and got back on our bikes and followed Alfredo through the streets of the city, before cycling along the seafront for a while, passing some majestic houses which were built for the wealthy in the 1920's. Some of these were crumbling, but some had been restored to their original splendour.
We left the city and cycled the 27km's back to the hotel at our own pace. We all set off pretty fast so that we could have a late lunch at the hotel and spend the afternoon relaxing. The ride back was much harder than the morning's cycle due to the intense afternoon heat. I ran out of water after about 20km's and felt really weak. Luckily Clare came along with one of her famous snack bars and some water and we stopped in the shade for a few minutes. I felt much better after this snack and we cycled the remining few kilometres back to the hotel together.
A few of us had pizza for lunch by the pool bar. It was delicious (complete with onions, peppers, cheese and NO spam) - very tasty. I went back to my room to rest for a couple of hours as I felt a bit sunburned (even after applying copious amounts of sun-tan cream all day).
I met up with everyone on the beach at around 4 o'clock and had my first swim in the Caribbean sea. We all stayed there to watch the sun go down at around 6pm. It was really beautiful. Had dinner and briefing before going to bed.
A few of us had pizza for lunch by the pool bar. It was delicious (complete with onions, peppers, cheese and NO spam) - very tasty. I went back to my room to rest for a couple of hours as I felt a bit sunburned (even after applying copious amounts of sun-tan cream all day).
I met up with everyone on the beach at around 4 o'clock and had my first swim in the Caribbean sea. We all stayed there to watch the sun go down at around 6pm. It was really beautiful. Had dinner and briefing before going to bed.
Wednesday 7th November - Cienfuegos to Hanabanilla (70km)
We started to cycle the same route as yesterday towards Cienfuegos, but stopped after 12km's at the petrol station to fill up with water. We then branched off right onto a very hilly road where my chain came off whilst I was going up the first very steep hill. Glad no one was near me to witness my outburst!
Today's scenery was the most spectacular so far, as we started to cycle into the Escambray mountains. We passed by the Cienfuegos botanical gardens and through the small village of Guaos. We carried on cycling through the hilly terrain through small villages such as Dolores and Codicia before stopping for a snack after 38km's at Cumanayagua town. There was a petrol station here so we all stopped and bought cokes (tu Kola) and ice creams from the garage. We also had a chance to use another lovely toilet (and Jane's magic kiss cream - well done Jane)! Pete and I had a bit of a history lesson from Alex about Batista and the revolution. We asked him about the Bay of Pigs, but he said he would tell us more about that ..... Later!
The cycling today was very hard, but I really enjoyed it as the scenery was so beautiful. We stopped for lunch in a family home in the village of La Macagua where we were served pork, rice, beans and plantain chips. The house was very basic, but the people seemed pretty self-sufficient with their own pigs, chickens, fruit and vegetables. The family slaughtered a pig whilst we were there and put it over a pit-fire to cook for us for dinner at night as we were invited to join them for dinner. One of the men cut down a coconut for me and I drank the milk which was delicious.
We rested in the shade for a while before undertaking the last 8kms which were all to be uphill. Even Alex and Alfredo warned that these were very steep hills and Alfredo didn't say 'eez no so bad' so this didn't bode well.
After a long lunch break we started off on the long, strenuous uphill journey to the hotel in Hanabanilla. This was the hardest part so far, but I coped with it OK. I walked for about 1km with Nikki then decided to try to brave the rest of the 7km's on my bike which I managed OK. I stopped to catch my breath about 1km from the top, but managed to cycle the rest of the way. There were two small children waiting at the side of the road, waving. When I got to the top, the people who were already there were clapping. We then all did the same for the remaining people.
We all sat on the terrace and had a beer before going back to our rooms to shower and get ready to go back to the house where we had lunch.
We met at 8pm after showering to take the coach down to the house. Alex encouraged us to try to mix with the family, which we all did to the best of our ability (given our lack of Spanish). I gave the hostess some books and colouring pencils for the children which were gratefully received and managed to have some basic conversations with some of the family with my limited Spanish knowledge. We then all ate together. Dinner was delicious and consisted of the pig which had been cooking slowly all afternoon. It was the best pork I've ever had and the crackling was to die for. This came with, you guessed it... the obligatory rice, beans and plantain chips. There were also tomatoes, cucumber and yucca which were incredibly tasty and came as a welcome addition.
Rum and coke (Cuba Libre's) were flowing freely and I have to admit to being just a little bit drunk! Probably a good thing, seeing as I kept being asked to dance by teenage boys and Cuban men and felt it would be rude to turn them down even with my horrendous lack of rhythm. The rum definitely helped to relax and I had a fantastic evening which I will remember for the rest of my life.
When Alex said it was time to leave (at about midnight) Steve, our resident-Scot suggested that we all link arms in a circle and sing Auld Lang Syne. The family all joined in and it was an amazingly surreal experience, singing Auld Lang Syne with about 40 people in a remote garden in the mountains in Cuba. We said our sad goodbyes and then took the coach back to the hotel.
When we arrived back at the hotel, the bar was empty, but we decided that we didn't want the partying to end so we all bought more drinks. The band, who had just packed up to go home struck up again and started playing for us. Many of us from the group danced for hours with each other and with Alex, Alfredo and Orlando (I seem to remember Guantanamera in there somewhere).
We met at 8pm after showering to take the coach down to the house. Alex encouraged us to try to mix with the family, which we all did to the best of our ability (given our lack of Spanish). I gave the hostess some books and colouring pencils for the children which were gratefully received and managed to have some basic conversations with some of the family with my limited Spanish knowledge. We then all ate together. Dinner was delicious and consisted of the pig which had been cooking slowly all afternoon. It was the best pork I've ever had and the crackling was to die for. This came with, you guessed it... the obligatory rice, beans and plantain chips. There were also tomatoes, cucumber and yucca which were incredibly tasty and came as a welcome addition.
Rum and coke (Cuba Libre's) were flowing freely and I have to admit to being just a little bit drunk! Probably a good thing, seeing as I kept being asked to dance by teenage boys and Cuban men and felt it would be rude to turn them down even with my horrendous lack of rhythm. The rum definitely helped to relax and I had a fantastic evening which I will remember for the rest of my life.
When Alex said it was time to leave (at about midnight) Steve, our resident-Scot suggested that we all link arms in a circle and sing Auld Lang Syne. The family all joined in and it was an amazingly surreal experience, singing Auld Lang Syne with about 40 people in a remote garden in the mountains in Cuba. We said our sad goodbyes and then took the coach back to the hotel.
When we arrived back at the hotel, the bar was empty, but we decided that we didn't want the partying to end so we all bought more drinks. The band, who had just packed up to go home struck up again and started playing for us. Many of us from the group danced for hours with each other and with Alex, Alfredo and Orlando (I seem to remember Guantanamera in there somewhere).
I had an interesting conversation with Alex about life in Cuba and how different it is to our lives. Although we have so much more in material terms, I feel that we are missing out on some of the more important things in life. The Cuban people seem to be incredibly happy overall even given the poverty in which they live and some of the everyday hardships which they face. I went to bed very late and feeling very drunk, but incredibly happy, having fallen completely and utterly in love with Cuba and its people.
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