Cuba Day 12 Matanzas

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Day 12 Matanzas. 1 February 2019

36 miles of flat roads today.
But what a night. Awoke at 4am with severe stomach cramps which continued on and off until 7am. Here we go again. John is the same. I have never been almost all over the world and never experienced the quantity of people falling ill like this. Three more days and back to our own food and water should settle it.
The riding was heading north west to Matanzas through arable country with some newish big tractors and machinery mixed in with the old. The crops were vegetables, sugar cane, grain and acres of fruit trees. Lunch was at an Eco Farm, which was the same standard of loads of vegetables, rice, beans, salad and a variety of meats. Great but much too much food for lunch. I ate little today but drank plenty of water. The farm had a couple of Russian tractors and a small, old tracklayer in bits. The farmer said he also had a 1940 John Deere twin cyclinder tractor somewhere around due for restoration. The buildings also housed a pottery making all manner of small items and large decorative plant pots. The coach was used to take us into Matanzas, which is quite a big place with the sea coming into the outside of town. Our hotel Velasco is a grand affair with high decorated ceilings of the old style and the bed was good. The shower was in need of a new head as it spurted water in all directions but where needed and the drain was slow and almost flooded the room. Apart from that it was perfect. Still no window, I am beginning to think there must be a tax on them. The WiFi is as usual 1 CUC (90p) for 1 hr. It would not work in the hotel but ok if you went into the park opposite. I am glad it is not raining whilst I answered/deleted the 58 Emails since I was last on. One more days riding and it will be all over and back to Havana and old Blighty, assuming the snow has cleared. Manchester cancelled 95 flights today, I hear.

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