I awoke after another great night's sleep in my tent. Packed up and was biking by 7:30. That's early for me considering I'm usually on the road after 9 am:)
Another lovely day of lots of sun and blasting winds. Just makes my legs that much stronger. I refer to the winds as "air conditioning" and believe me I'm glad to have it. It would be unbearable without the wind.
I wandered down an old broken road passing lots of carts and farmers all smiling and waving. I got a great photo of a wagon pulled by oxen with the weathered farmer driving, his wife sitting in the back and the little dog trotting underneath. Their smiles are priceless.
I wandered on down past their nuclear power plant to the coast and the mouth of the Bay of Jagua. Here is a castle or actually a fort in excellent condition. It was built by a Spaniard. I'd have to Google the rest of the history. I just know the moat was never filled and that this fort protected the city of Cienfuegos from pirates.
I had just left Blaze sitting outside the castle while I toured around. She's hard to steal. When I came out some young folks were admiring her. Then the guy asked if I was interested in a restaurant for later. I said Now:). And followed him and a woman down the street. We parked Blaze out on the terrace and the assured me she'd be fine.
Hunger has gotten me into a tourist restaurant in a beautiful spot. Spending $12 for a small portion of their dinner which was $18 for a full one.
My take out box!
I'm tired of struggling to find food. I stopped at a gas station that had stuff for sale. Nothing like crackers or cookies. Candy, pasta, mayo, and lots of liquor and soap...a whole case of bar soap. I must say they are clean and always smell so nice! They must live on alcohol but I've never met anyone who seemed drunk. Got my orange soda...another new food group:)
Where I am is the mouth of the Bay of Jagua that Cienfuegos sits at the head of it. I figured out today I can take a ferry up to the city so I'm going to cut out about 15 miles this afternoon...yippee. I also learned that March brings the wind. So I guess they may be here to stay. Fun pedaling ahead with these headwinds!!
As I sit in this lovely spot awaiting FOOD I realize the ambience is worth the price. And I got ferry info from the waiter who speaks English. What a beautiful spot!!
This lovely German lad who spoke many languages fluently was so kind to help me negotiate getting on and off the ferry. My only regret was not taking my ginger pill before getting on the ferry. You knew it was going to be rough. But I must say even though I was inside and had a plastic bag out just in case, the ginger kicked in about the same time the nausea did and the ginger won!! I even sat on my bike and fell asleep the last 10 minutes or so.
Landing in a new city and getting grounded is getting easier. Head to the main square. So I circled the square and beyond looking for a Casa particulare for the night. And as luck would have it, one found me!
Elio was in the street with cardboard and the symbol of a sideways H and a laminated sheet about his Casa. I said great! How much? $20. OK! Follow me. And he took me a few blocks to a less pretty neighborhood. Real Cuba.
These casa owners have to work hard every day to find their guests. It's a significant source of income for their family. I usually don't liked to be hawked on the street, but I understand their situation a bit better. And looking for a place isn't easy either.
But behind the front is a beautiful little house and Blaze is sitting in the living room. We had to unload her and tip her sideways to get her in the door. I have a lovely room with a private bathroom.
The shower water was a bit of a disappointment. After 4 dusty hot days I was looking forward to a great shower. This was not it. Barely any spray. Spitting would have been more water. And only cold. (Because I hadn't yet learned to turn on that electrical box at the shower head ...more later). But I managed. Just had to stand under it longer to get wet. The cold water actually felt good. I like experiencing the challenges Cubans face every day. Water pressure may be one of them. And I'm glad to pay directly to the host for the night. I decided to stay another night. This city is so beautiful! (You'll see tomorrow:))
So after my shower I was off to dinner. Elio told me about a pizza place. There I met 2 lovely American young ladies and we joined up for dinner sharing stories of our travels and what we've learned about Cuba, putting the pieces together. Was so nice to be able to speak English for a whole evening! And they were witty and well educated. I learned a lot!! And I had an evening out with company!!!!!
To bed. It's late. I'm tired!
Live YOUR dream,
BagLady
