Journal continues:
As I think I've mentioned I've been sharing my space "sort of" with two young guys from France. They occupy one area of the second floor and I've got a bed in the other and the bathroom is off of my room. As expected they come in quite early in the morning the other night it was 2:30 AM and I think Adrian said this morning they got in at six or seven. I didn't realize till I walk through their space to take my bags downstairs to leave that "they" was him and a girl!
Saying goodbye to my host in Trinidad and his mama.
I also met a Frenchman last night ...after dinner he came over to my table and asked me for a drink. We wanted the streets of Trinidad found a place to have a drink shared stories and he walked be home. Thank you, Pascal, for a lovely evening. Maybe I'll see you in Bordeaux:)
I met some fellow touring cyclist today on the road that we're headed into Trinidad.
They were also French and we stopped and shared a few stories and contact information. They had cycled from Santiago with the wind at their backs. They got the memo! And later I met a man from Brussels who had rented a bike in Trinidad and bike up the road to a little town where there is a big slave tower.
Supposedly this concrete tower with the staircase up the middle and many places to look out was used to watch the slaves working on the sugar plantations. I've never seen anything like it!
Today a guy with a horse and cart passed me and he handed me a rope to grab so he could tow me a long:))
Everybody hitchhikes around Cuba. I'm not sure if they pay a fee to the driver or not but I just saw mom and her toddler daughter picked up after she waved the car down. It's common practice and most intersections have quite a few people trying to get rides or picked up by a taxi. Most people don't have cars and Cuba is rural. There are buses too. Foreigners cannot ride the local buses only the Viazul, tourist bus. So most tourists don't see the small villages I see. They miss a lot.
What's with the little birds in the cages people carry them around? In town sometimes I see them hanging outside a house but I don't know what that's about.
Cuba is teaching me to make do with what I have. If all I have is warm water, at least I have water. If I feel sticky after I've washed up at the end of the day, at least my skin is clean. And if I have some food to eat,…at least I have some food to eat. And the place I put my tent may not be the prettiest spot but it's almost flat and I'll be able to sleep. I'm realizing now how spoiled I've become even in this simplified life I lead.
Today's ride was through a beautiful valley. It had plantations down at the base of the valley with the mountains behind it and I'm not going to be able to tell you the names without looking them up hold on. Valle de los Ingenios and Sierra del Escambrey. Stunning. There also was a market at the Torres Iznaga with this special pulled thread needlework the woman do that creates a pattern of holes in the design. Tablecloths. Runners. Bedspreads.
They take several months to make. Sometimes I find it challenging no longer consuming but I can appreciate what they do without owning it. There are enough tourists who will buy, I'm sure. But it's a struggle with this sense of possession...to what?...to have to disburse later? Deep thoughts, I know;)
Life is hard here. A lot of animals are starving. I can see the ribs, I can see them trying to find grass where it doesn't look like there is any. The grass is brown and the earth is hard, and the sun is hot! The rainy season hasn't started yet. It's been hard to find a camp spot. Tonight I'm down side road on the edge up against the pasture fence. It's almost flat :-)
and Blaze is locked up to the fence. Everything else I bring inside the tent. It's what people told me I should do camping here. But I've never seen anyone come up to my tent so I think it's OK.
I think daylight savings was last night because it appears my phone has a different time on it today even though it never connected to the Internet. Hmmm? For me I don't know if that's a good thing, it's more hours of hot sun. I look forward to the cool of the evening.
Dinner tonight is a 15 ounce can of artichoke hearts packed in water and cracker from last night's dinner...Yum! I also have some pastries that were left over from breakfast so I should be good. Last night I wasn't very hungry and I found a sweet little restaurant where they had the best vegetable soup. It was just what I wanted.! And a plate of french fries!! Cubans don't seem to eat a lot of potatoes. I did stop today at a little village and get a little ham sandwich and a couple of pastries. That cost $0.40. No tourist markup there.
Live YOUR dream,
BagLady
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