After doing some maintenance to the bikes, we set off into an even stronger headwind for the remaining 45kms to Sancti Spiritus. The hills weren’t really any larger than we have come across before, but with the wind they seemed horrendous. In search of water, we stopped off in a local shop to try to buy some drinks. This is where we found that non-city folk are rationed and we could not actually buy anything in the whole shop, especially not the milk that we desperately needed as we had run out of water (and they had none of the bottled variety). The local ladies who had packed into the shop for its advertised opening hours decided to help. Two of them gave us roles, but at first nobody would help us out with milk. To say thank you for the roles (that they would take no money for) Tadek gave them a French Country Waterways Torch key ring. One of the ladies scuttled off home and bought us back a litre of the best milk that we have tasted for ages. She finally agreed to accept some money for it and we sat on the step drinking milk and eating the roles with marmalade. Slogged the final 25kms into town with only a stop to get water and eat a rather nice papaya that we had bought from a stall at the side of the road (the only places that we have actually seen in Cuba that sell decent quality fruit and veg.) Now sitting in the town square thinking about getting back on the bikes to find the bus station and information about a bus to Santiago de Cuba or Barracoa. The head on wind that we have faced for the last two days means that we are going to have to get the other end of the island and then make our way back to Havana. Reserved a space (we think) on the bus to Santiago for 21:15. 3 hours to kill before the bus so headed back into town to get some food. Easy for Tadek, but not much available other than plain bread for vegetarians. Searched around all areas of town and found nothing although did find a burger bap seller of 60+ who was seriously overeducated for the job! Managed to bump into Brian (from the plane) who had been adopted by 3 loud Cubans for the evening. Shared a couple of beers with him in a cheap bar and totally forgot about the bikes outside. Luckily all that we lost was one hat that was tied in with a bungee to the back of the bike.
At the bus station the bikes were squeezed into a tight space left by the fully occupied bus and we were stuffed into seats at opposite ends of the bus. The air conditioning blasted out all night without adjustment as we careered over potholes and increasingly poorly maintained roads towards the east (looks like south on the map) of the island. When the Russians pulled out in 1990, they left a partly finished motorway with exits and bridges to nowhere and only completed the surface from Havana to just after Sancti Spiritus.
At the bus station the bikes were squeezed into a tight space left by the fully occupied bus and we were stuffed into seats at opposite ends of the bus. The air conditioning blasted out all night without adjustment as we careered over potholes and increasingly poorly maintained roads towards the east (looks like south on the map) of the island. When the Russians pulled out in 1990, they left a partly finished motorway with exits and bridges to nowhere and only completed the surface from Havana to just after Sancti Spiritus.