February 17, Gibara to Playa Herradura

This morning we left Gibara, ready to move on, but still somewhat reluctant to go. We said goodby to Suzanna, and to Dago and Babi and some of their friendly family.

On the way out of town, we met Sasha and Dora, who were cycling back to Holguin. Dago caught up to us on his bicycle because we had left a bike helmet behind. We stayed more-or-less together until we reached the turn for Playa Herradura. And we said goodbye again.

On the way out of Gibara                                 Goodbye to Sasha and Dora
 

This was the first time on this trip that we cycled on roads we had never seen before. The road we took to the west, which connects with Velasco, was largely unpaved, though there were a few paved sections. Very little traffic, but enough once in a while to stir up the dust.

The road to Velasco
 

When we reached Velasco, we were ready for super-cold guarapo (sugar cane juice) and also some fish sandwiches that cost about 20 cents but were really good with a spicy salsa. Playa Herradura, when we finally found it, is a little scattering of houses, barely a village, around a small, sandy beach. We weren't able to find a room right away — each of the few casas we found was full — but "the system" went to work for us, and we were finally shown to a room that was available. We're quite sure that the casa is unlicensed, but the room is spacious, airy, and immaculate, and we were just served a very good seafood dinner — shrimp and fresh fish fillets — so we won't worry about the legalities too much. The duena, Janiela if I've got it right — is super nice.

  Below from left: The grim exterior; the surprising comfortable and immaculate room; Janiela, our friendly host
 

 

We "tested" the little beach for a while in late afternoon. The water was clear and neither too warm nor too cold, the sand was soft, and the sun was warm, so we may stay another day.

February 19, Las Tunas, late afternoon

We did stay another day at Playa la Herradura. Yesterday morning, the 18th, we cycled out to see the other beaches on this bit of the coast -- Playa las Llanitas (I think) and Playa la Boca. In the late morning we returned to Playa Herradura and hung out on the beach. It was a Saturday afternoon, so there were quite a few people around — mainly Cubans with only a smattering of tourists. The water and the beach were both good, but without waves there never seems to be much to do! On top of that, the food situation was fairly grim. There was, however, all the rum and beer that anyone could drink.
 

The village of Playa la Boca, at the mouth of a river                    A well-loaded lancha ferries people back and forth     
 

We decided to go to a little restaurant in Playa la Herradura in the evening, just for a change, and it was good. Friendly folks, a nice patio in back of the house, and a meal of chicken and lobster with congris, fried platanos and a good salad — all that, with two beers for me, $13. So Cuba isn't always expensive!

This morning, Sunday the 19th, we got an early start from Playa la Herradura. We were both bummed by the fact that we had lost our best map of this province somewhere along the way. It had either fallen out of the pannier — I was keeping it in an unzipped pocket for easy access — or we may have simply left it somewhere by mistake.

We were making fairly good time, for us, but somewhere along the line my rear brake was failing, and I stopped to put in new pads. It held us up and also pissed me off because I realized later that I could have solved the problem without going through the hassle of installing new pads.

Here's one of today's highlights: On the way to Las Tunas, an old Ford honked a couple of times and pulled up beside me as I rode along. I don't like that — it makes me nervous — so I waved the car past, but one of the men in the car shouted, "Your map!" and as they passed, he handed me the map that had disappeared a day or two before! How he found it, or how he found us, will forever be a mystery, but we appreciated it, and it brightened the day!

We arrived in Las Tunas before 2:00 — though we'd hoped to arrive before 1:00 — and found a casa without much difficulty. (The first we tried was full, but the owner, typically, jumped on her bike and led us to a relative's place.) It's quite nice.
After showering and cooling down for a while, we cycled around Las Tunas a little. It's a nice city, but it's certainly not a tourist mecca. There are an amazing number of casas renting rooms, by the way, for a city that sees few tourists.
 

The casa particular where we stayed in Las Tunas                 Street view at sunset from second-floor balcony

We cycled around the town several times, looking for the bus station and simply exploring. We came across some interesting public art, below.
 

 
While dithering around in the afternoon, we decided to change our plans. If all goes as we now expect, we'll take a bus to Havana tomorrow morning, arriving about 11 hours later, at 9:30 p.m. We don't aim to stay in Havana for all six days remaining in our time in Cuba; we'll cycle out to Playa Jibacoa for a couple of days. More about this later.

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