A Hundred Fires by the Caribbean Sea

Our time in Havana at the Hotel Nacional was certainly memorable, however all things must eventually come to an end and it was time for us to now move on to our next location. We were planning to check out of the hotel at 8.15 am and be on our way, however we soon discovered that leaving the hotel is nowhere near as easy as checking into it.

In order to get permission to leave the lobby for the final time you must first be issued with an exit ticket from the cashier. This can only be issued once the mini bar contents have been examined by a security expert and the report relayed back to the management. A simple infringement such as an unaccounted bottle of water can mean that you would be bound and held indefinitely.

This process held us up for a considerable amount of time as each person's room was checked and signed off. If I was being entirely honest I would admit that the final felon was actually myself. When I handed my room card back to the cashier, they simply said "Thank You" and waved me away. I assumed that I was free and clear. I assumed wrong. It was only when I was seated on the bus that a stern faced security guard escorted me back to the cashier. There was not one, but TWO, bottles of water missing from my mini bar. I guess that means I will never be able to regain entry to Cuba at any time in the future.

Eventually all accounts were paid in full and our bus was given permission to leave. Our first destination was the notorious "Bay of Pigs" . This was the location of the ill fated invasion of Cuba by a group of Cuban exiles. The entire debacle was orchestrated by the CIA with the assumption that the local population would quickly side with the invaders to overthrow the government. It never went that way. Within two days the invasion had failed and the invaders were all either killed or captured.

Standing by the blue waters of the Caribbean it was hard to imagine the bloodshed that had taken place on this sport almost 60 years ago. That location also marked the spot where we began the day's ride. The route was simple - just keep the sea on our right hand sides and follow the coast to the resort of Caleta Buena.

The ride was not long but the difficulty was increased by the heat and humidity and the deplorable state of the road. It was impossible to dodge the pot holes, as they vastly outnumbered the bitumen. The vibrations made my hands and backside ache in complaint.

The resort itself is a playground of the privileged where the entry fee entitles you to lunch and unlimited drinks from the many bars. It is the place where overtanned men and women in far too small swimsuits wobble about with pina coladas, trying their best to look cool. I suspect that very few real Cubans would ever set foot in the front door.

We then returned to the bus for a short drive to Cienfuegos. This is a relatively modern town situated in an impossibly beautiful location. The name means "One Hundred Fires", although these must have now all been extinguished because I didn't see a single one.

Our home for the next two nights is the Hotel Jagua. The entrance certainly is impressive, the lifts are the most hideously decorated I have ever seen and the rooms are an exercise in contrasts. While the view from the room is absolutely breathtaking, when you look closer the standard of workmanship leaves a lot to be desired. My shower door fell off, the water was only slightly warm, the light was hanging off the roof and my patio door needed both hands to drag it open. When I washed my cycling jersey I noticed that the water from the tap was about the colour of a cup of tea and it added several new stains to the front and back of the jersey. At least there can be no repeat of the grand larceny from the minibar that happened in Havana. The minibar here looks like it has not been used for a long time. But the air conditioning worked extremely well and the view really was incredible. The bed is huge. In fact I really like it here.

Our dinner was at a nearby restaurant where the ambiance far exceeded the quality of the food. They somehow missed serving the four people at our table. We complained and were eventually served but it appeared that the supply of food had just about run out by that time. Each plate had a meager portion spread around to make it look like there was a genuine dinner. A bit disappointing to say the least. At the end of the meal a blackout threw the place into darkness. Apparently these are common in Cuba where all the power comes from oil powered generators.

As we walked back to the hotel Venus shone brightly over the water while the huge moon shone down from the opposite direction. It had been quite a day.Read more