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Published: January 8th 2006
Hi guys
Just wanted to update you guys on the trip so far. The internet cafe´s have been few and far between and the connections have been super slow. We´ll see if the blog works out. Terrie, I hope your trip back to Oz was good.
We´ve been in Cuba a week now. We spent our first 2.5 days in Havana getting oriented, seeing sights, and riding around the city. We then left Havana on the 5th and road 50 miles west to Las Terrazas a town on a lakeside forest reserve, beautiful spot. The next day we rode southwest to San Diego de los Banos a cuban ¨spa¨ town, the town was beautiful but the spa was old and sulphury smelling. We stayed at a farmhouse 2kms out of town. On the 7th we rode another 50 miles southwest from San Diego to Vinales. Vinales is in the hills and is a tourist oriented down, many germans, danes, canadians around. There are a lot pine trees around this area of the country.
Tomorrow we´re hoping to get a ride east toward the Oriente and Sierra Maestra mountains. We´ve been staying in casa particulares, which are rooms in private homes that are licensed to receive tourists, a form of private business (though heavily regulated) in Cuba. Kristin and i agree that stayin in the casas feels like staying at a grandmothers house. Even though we are paying them a fare sum, they go out of their way to take care of us. We have the choice to eat meals at the casas and have found them to make the best food, typically (pollo y arroz con frijoles negros) chicken with black beans and rice with salad. Not super creative cuisine, but well prepared and served in overly gracious portions.
We have not had any major challenges with the bikes or any other equipment so far. The Cuban people are extraordinarily friendly and happy. They are interested in the U.S. and often know quite a bit about America. Of course many have family in the US, in Miami of course, but also New York, Boston, New Jersey and California. We met some that have travelled to the U.S. and returned to Cuba.
Abraham Lincoln is a minor national idol here, there is a bust of him in the museum of the revolution and a town named after him.
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cameron
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