El Nicho

We started the day going to the bus station to get our tickets to Playa Larga, our next destination. This ended up being quite a waste of time because Viazul was a total mess. We "reserved" our tickets but we didn't get to pay for them (they cost 7CUC each), and the next day we were told we would only be able to ride the bus if there were open seats.

From there we headed to El Nicho. By then we had learned it wouldn't take us too long to find someone who would drive us. A very friendly guy did it for 50CUC both ways.

Entry to the park cost 10CUC per person. The park is lovely, with a lot of plants and areas where one can swim, but the hikes are fairly short.

After the hike, the driver took us to a touristy and fairly expensive place. The food was good, but Dean got grumpy because he wanted something more simple and "authentic." I just can't say "no" when people are nice!

We went back to Cienfuegos but I was feeling exhausted. That same morning I had got news that one of the students at my circus school, back in New York, had committed suicide. I barely knew him, but he had been the first person to be nice to me when I started going to that place. He was enthusiastic, loving, and always looked full of energy. The news were devastating and my mind kept going back to them.

In the afternoon we went to Punta Gorda for a walk. We stopped for a mojito at a place that was about to host a Quinceañera celebration - or something like that - that same evening. We didn't see the party, of course, but took a look at the decoration.

We were trying to find a place with live music called El Cubanisimo, but it seemed to be under construction, so we took a pedicab for 3CUC that took us to a restaurant called Paladar Aché. The place wasn't particularly memorable but the staff was very nice.

I went to sleep very early and Dean went for a walk by himself. We had planned to get up very early the following morning to take the bus to Playa Larga.Read more