Woke up early (due to the time change no doubt) and read a little of the pdf version of our Lonely Planet guide book – definitely not the best way to read a book! Breakfast was booked at the Casa. €4 for fruit, bread, omelette, fruit lassie and coffee – expensive, but cheerily served and a welcome start to the day. As we prepared to go out touring the city for the day, the rain started. Undeterred, we set off to the Malecon (something like a worn, torn Boulevard des Anglais in Cannes). Once there, the heavens opened, so we took refuge under a colonial porch (under reconstruction of course). Thirty minutes later and still no let up, so we scooted back to the Casa for a quick change into dry clothes. Next to the owner of the hostel where we were supposed to be staying who gave us some information on where to go and what to see. The Casa Particular owners here group together to make recommendations, so we had the impression that all the information that he provided was in his best interest and not necessarily ours.
Back again to our Casa before heading out in slightly better weather to find the bus and train stations and information on how to get the Santiago de Cuba. As usual we went the wrong way and found only a city bus station – to make things worse, the waves crashing against sea walls threw spray and worse over us and our bikes. Information gathered, we decided that both options were poor and that we would cycle out of the city tomorrow instead.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in Havana Veija taking in the beautiful colonial buildings of the Unseco protected old quarter. Twenty five kilometres clocked up during the day without us even noticing it. The pollution from the old American and Russian (Ladas mainly) is abhorrent – you feel that it has filled your lungs and can’t remove it however you try. The air will hopefully be more refreshing out of the city.
Good news for Tadek is that we changed some Euros into the Cuban National Peso (instead of the Cuba Convertible Peso) and managed to get some rather cheap food. Small, acceptable, if slightly bland pizzas for 10 peso (less than 50 pence each). I fear that this is what we will be living on for the whole month now.
Back again to our Casa before heading out in slightly better weather to find the bus and train stations and information on how to get the Santiago de Cuba. As usual we went the wrong way and found only a city bus station – to make things worse, the waves crashing against sea walls threw spray and worse over us and our bikes. Information gathered, we decided that both options were poor and that we would cycle out of the city tomorrow instead.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in Havana Veija taking in the beautiful colonial buildings of the Unseco protected old quarter. Twenty five kilometres clocked up during the day without us even noticing it. The pollution from the old American and Russian (Ladas mainly) is abhorrent – you feel that it has filled your lungs and can’t remove it however you try. The air will hopefully be more refreshing out of the city.
Good news for Tadek is that we changed some Euros into the Cuban National Peso (instead of the Cuba Convertible Peso) and managed to get some rather cheap food. Small, acceptable, if slightly bland pizzas for 10 peso (less than 50 pence each). I fear that this is what we will be living on for the whole month now.