April 30th (Koninginnedag)
In the morning I did some work on the boat. Had a look at the sewage tank, hoping to find a way to empty the tank (since I had left Key West with it about ¼ full). Was not able to come up with a (clean) way to empty it, but I did find out that the vent line was clogged. That can make a lot of difference in the amount of smell it produces. Was able to clean out the vent line and also managed to get the thru hull loose (the toilet outlet had frozen up, in the open position, but still I would rather keep those bronze thru hulls working). Filled up the water tanks and then left for town.
Had to extend my visa (first 30 days in Cuba had been used up). Needed some money so went looking for a bank first. That was harder than expected, and the ones I found were already closed. Apparently banks close early on the last day of the month (I am assuming so they can balance their books or something). When I finally found one open there was a long line. And, there were actually multiple lines (for different kinds of transactions), but here in Cuba nobody really stands in those lines. When you enter you asked who was the last one before you (el ultimo), and you remember who replies. That is the theory, if you don’t speak the language and are not aware of the kinds of lines there are, it is not that simple. After waiting for two hours, I was convinced that I had already let my turn pass, so I took my turn. A lady did not agree with that and let me know in an outburst of angry Spanish. Shrugged my shoulders and took my turn after her. Than I went to the immigrations office. The couple from the Swedish boat had been there all day. They explained I need to buy some kind of stamp (at a bank!) instead of paying the fee in cash. So I had to find the `international’ bank. Found it with help from my Oz neighbors. Of course that one was already closed as well, so I returned to immigration, explained my situation, and they told me to get back on May 2nd (of course May 1st is a big holiday here).
May 1st
May 1st is a big day holiday for the Cubans. In a way I was curious about their celebrations (lots of parades) but I also wanted to go for a bike ride. Decided to take a ride in earlier on the day and maybe do some of the May 1st celebrations in the late afternoon/evening. Left at 9 in the morning, had looked at the map to see what direction to go. But did not bring a map along. Well, direction signs are not widely posted here in Cuba. So I ended up going to Villa Clara, mostly because I ended up to the road in that direction, and it was against the wind (it is always a good idea to leave into the wind). After about 2 ½ hours pushing into wind (already passed through a few small towns, some of them with the streets filled with partying Cubans) I came in a town Ranchuelo. Ran into a pizza seller (5 pesos) and filled my grumbling stomach. Decided to change the direction a little bit, and went what I thought was mostly south east. In the next town the asphalt road ended, I had to choose between 3 different dirt roads or go back the way I came. Decided to take the dirt road that seemed to continue roughly southeast. The road got gradually rougher and narrower, turning into two narrow paths at times. I was really starting to doubt if this was going to lead me anywhere. But, I just kept on pushing through. Came thru a deserted town, where there used to be a sugar mill (I assume). All that was left of it was the smoke stack. Further along I ran into 5 man on horses (caballeros), the first traffic in an hour. At some point I had the feeling the road was widening a little. Maybe I was getting near a bigger road. And suddenly, down a hill, I end up on a black top road. At the corner was an army guy sitting in the sun (guess waiting for a ride). I asked him which direction Cienfuegos was. He pointed to the right and said: all the way, stay on the same road. Did that for hours. Now I was in more mountainous surroundings, some nice views at times. In a bigger town (with lots of people celebrating the holiday) I filled my water bottle again. And checked the directions, I was still going the right way, and it was 36 more kilometers. The roads were of decent quality, had the wind in the back, and it was more downhill than uphill. So it was going ok, but I must admit, I was glad I finally came back into Cienfuegos! I totalled 7 hours, no odometer on the bike (stupid, I have at least 2 sensors sitting in storage in Lafayette), but I assume it was a good 150km.
Went to the Plaza José Marti for a beer (thought I had deserved that) and after that I went to the boat. After some good cleaning up I went to bed early that night. If there was any good partying in town, too bad, I had to miss it.
May 2nd
In the morning I had to take care of my visa extension. Went to the bank, didn’t get too confused with the different lines, go my stamp and went to the immigration office. Things went fine there but one unpleasant surprise, they would keep my passport till 13:00. I was hoping to get on the bus to Havana at that time. Well, not much I could do about that, just had a few hours to kill. Went for a cup of coffee and lingered about. Than I noticed a big barber shop, since the barber in Varadero had not cut it very short, it was about time for a haircut. So I went in, trying to figure out how the system worked here. One hairdresser came up to me and guided me to the chair. Got the shortest buzz cut possible, always feels fresh to get rid of that hair. She charged me 3 CUC, not sure if that was really the going rate (maybe for tourists), but I was in a good mood and paid it without negotiating.
Went sit in a lounge/cafe for a while and got to talk to the local “Izak van Engel” (the recyclable metals guy). Had the usual exchange of information, as far as my Spanish allowed me. That killed enough time to go back to the immigration office. My passport was ready and I walked across town to the bus station. When I got there someone (a driver) was approaching people for a ride to Havana. Negotiated to the price even with a bus ticket, and after some more waiting we got off. In a Fiat there was one more passenger, and the two guys in the front were drivers. Somewhere on the way, on some back roads we turned off into a town. Turned out that they were filling up with gas, at a private residence from a jerry can (through a funnel made from a plastic bottle). Not sure of this is all the Fidel wants it to go, but, always a nice diversion from the paved paths.
We got into Havana past 4 (for a little bit I was hopeful that we could even be there before 4 [closing time of the embassy]) and the driver had promised to find me a place to stay at a casa particolare (private house). This was after they had gone by some places for Fiat auto parts, which they ended up finding at the back door of the local importer. The first stop for a casa particolare was unsuccessful (the driver could not find the address) so went somewhere further west (which was good for me because the embassy is on the west side of Havana: Miramar). With some talking at some residence I think they got it figured out, and a little while later a gentleman came pick me up to bring me to my place to stay. It was on the 6th floor of an apartment complex, once inside it was very nice. I was staying with Onelia and Cholo, a couple in their 60s, who were doing quite well by making money from renting a room (as a bed and breakfast) to tourists. Onelia’s sister also came, and they cooked me an awesome meal. It was really a pleasure staying there, and instead of doing another sightseeing run around the neighborhood I stayed with them for the evening. Attempting to keep a conversation in my limited Spanish (with the little I know, it is easier to talk than to listen….). Next morning I also got a special treat breakfast, with enough food to cover lunch as well. Including some “Breda” butter! Originally yesterdays driver was also supposed to give me a ride to the embassy, and then a ride back. But I guess his plans changed, and they had left for Cienfuegos the night before. So I walked to the embassy (which was even closer than I had expected, not more then 3km). My passport was there and I think I was done there about 9:30. Now I needed a ride to the bus station (terminal Omnibus). Walk to one of the main streets and took a tactical spot on the side the road. Within 5 minutes a Lada stopped and gave me a (paid) ride to the bus station. At the bus station I learned that the bus was leaving at 13:00, so I had a few hours to kill. Went to the bank and then sat in the shade and finished another book. The bus was a Viazul one, so all tourists. Suddenly I was in a complete different part of Cuba: the government organized tourism part. Of course the AC was a little on the cool side, and there was even a movie shown (Spanish subtitled). About 5 we got to Cienfuegos, and I walked back to the boat doing some shopping on the way. This was the first night this year that I spent the night away from the boat, but the boat had dealt with it fine.