A fantastic travel from the fascinating Havana to the charming Santiago de Cuba

We left Italy with 4 nights in Havana, rent a car and fly from Santiago to Havana, everything else we have "built" on-site day after day, also because we had no idea what we could find.
All in all it was an interesting experience, the travel book to read if it is, as we have in mind an alternative holiday and do not usually stay in the whole sea.
2200 kilometers covered, not without difficulty, on the (bumpy) roads in Cuba

 

Departure!

Departing from Venice at 13.00, about 1 hour late than scheduled time, landing in Madrid at 15.45, in heavy traffic on the airport must do a few laps before landing. Good start!
We have to move from Terminal 4 to Terminal 4S, fortunately in the journal line IBERIA plane was an indication of an electric train that connects the two terminals, otherwise it would become even more difficult to find it had just over 50 minutes to move from one another and embark on the plane to Havana.
The intercontinental air party on time at 17.00 and after a flight of about 9 hours and 30 minutes landed in Havana at 20.30 (local time - 6 compared to Italy).
Wow! The heat is suffocating even at this time!
Fortunately, there are waiting at the airport for transport to the hotel: 2 taxi will take us to, at least we hope, the departure is not the best. The taxi that would lead me, and Nicholas is not even running! We keep well!
The journey to the hotel is shocking: the fleet is something indescribable, there are no rules but to move at all costs, is rotating at least two runs in the car take place all that is possible to load. Along the sidewalks remain for hundreds of people in the dark waiting for a ride. The bicycles without lights are a danger to the traveling by car then passes into the left-most lane and overtake on the right.
The smell of exhaust is indescribable!
We arrive at the Hotel O 'Farril around 10.00 pm, which will also be a 4-star hotel for Cuban standards, but it really leaves much to be desired: some of the rooms, including our two, have no windows, it seems to live walled in the room!
At around midnight, after doing a quick walk around the hotel re-enter and try to take a shower but SURPRISE! There is no hot water and the air conditioning set at - 10 degrees does not allow us to take a cold shower, we dried and go to bed!
As already mentioned, the air conditioning is deadly! There are at least 20 degrees difference between inside and outside the room. When I leave the room I fog up the lenses of his glasses! That this corresponds to the Cubans for luxury?
We woke up at 4 in the morning at our house are 10,00. Now the hot water flows at will, then we would like a nice shower, but how do we do get time for breakfast as they are about 5.00 and the breakfast can be made from 7.00?

La Habana

Before breakfast we do a tour of the city as the sun rises, the first light of day the city is even worse than the darkness, approaching the channel that enters the port is beginning to notice signs of decay that pervades the island .
The structures that once had to make it a jewel of the Caribbean are now in full decline, the canal water is full of waste and odors in the air are not always pleasant. At the end of the channel, that is where he started the Malecon waterfront in Havana, a group of fifteen people fishing, when I try to photograph one of them gets angry, and then turn back (but I have taken some photos too).



We walk to the Malecon that if a superficial glance, it is pleasant, but most look to follow it and you walk the more you aware that the great Havana is literally going to pieces. Remain the pomp and splendor of an ancient remnants of a recent and relentless decline. Some buildings appear about to collapse, but if you look there are clothes hanging in the windows and the lights are on. It 's amazing, but someone has the courage to live in these places.
Let's go back to the hotel with the understanding that the situation is even worse than we thought.
We have breakfast in the hotel, when we enter and Nicholas I there are only two tables occupied, we expect about 5 minutes and served with bread, ham, cheese, salami reddish with a bad taste, an egg (boiled or not we never have the courage to check) that does not inspire much confidence, jam produced in Spain and a fruit cup with watermelon, pineapple and Guay, we also serve coffee and mango juice luuungooo and Guay (the fruit, so far unknown to us, take us constantly throughout the trip, proving that as excellent as fresh fruit juice).
A Tiziana and Maurizio touch instead wait long enough for all hotel guests are up but because the concept is time for the Cubans always relative.
€ 200 at the reception change for us is equivalent to 210 CUC (convertible pesos), in Mauritius half an hour later it always gives 215 200 €! Again, this is Cuba! With the passage of time we realize that all round the island as best they can their salaries!
Ramon comes to 10.00 by the travel office, who tells us about some initiatives Press Tour offers to tourists, then, at about 10.45 we start with the discovery of the HabanaVieja Ariadna.
The guide is very nice and speaks perfect Italian who says he learned in school, he describes the city in a very professional, but makes us see things almost exclusively the best in the area, avoiding places that may very well give a negative of the city ..
It leads us to visit a store that sells cigars (probably receives a commission for every purchase made by tourists), we take you to the Bodeguita del Medio where we can not enter because it proves to be very small and crammed with people singing and drinking Mojitos .
Then go on to different streets and squares sunny and warm to get a club where we squeeze the sugar cane mixed with lime juice and rum and serve it to customers.



All in all the 2 hours we spend with Ariadna are nice, it leaves us around 12.40 and we continue moving towards the Capitol, and, unintentionally we are facing at the Florida.
How can we not take advantage to enter and taste the famous Hemingway Daiquiri!
Then we sit at the counter and ordered 4! We witness the execution in the front row of the famous cocktail, the technology now is the host also to Florida! 3 blenders replace the shaker! The head barman fills the mixer with the ingredients: ice, sugar, lemon juice, maraschino and rum (I think Maurice was right saying that the rum was watered down because I drank half daiquiri without getting drunk, I was just a little 'hot but I do not dizzy!) and presses the power button, all the rest is done by machine.
In this restaurant the atmosphere is different from many others who frequently reported, professionalism married modernity while maintaining the atmosphere in the room that must have been so passionate Hemnigway.



Let's take a walk around the city with a frightfully hot, we sweat from every pore, luckily Tiziana comes to mind to try the Tour Bus, the search leads us away a bit 'of time, but eventually, after asking directions to two stops on the street, we stop, we arrived and the bus arrives (what luck!)
The tour is worth doing in about 2 hours (including the many stops) briefly visit the city until you reach the beach area, so we see all the areas, degraded or not, the capital. At the end of running down and we walked toward the hotel through a large walkway turned into almost an art gallery in the open air, various local artists display their paintings, some of which are very well made, pleasing to the eye and with all vivid and bright.
Stop at the hotel where we can make a very pleasant warm shower and then, at 20.00, at the Hotel St. Miguel dinner on the terrace with great views and great food: lobster, shrimp, rice and a fish fillet unknown.
All very good but the price is good? 100 CUC for four (dinner will be the most expensive ever in our entire stay there).
Back to the hotel while also seeing the fireworks but I'm so tired from not being able to keep my eyes open. Touch the bed as I fall into a coma!

Again at La Habana

Wake up at 5.00 (good strength, in Italy are the 11,00), walk through the streets of the old city. Cathedral Square is almost deserted, only slowly through the streets of Havana will be populated.
Today we leave the path that the guide showed us yesterday morning, we discover that the situation is quite different, the streets are shattered and the dirt is the host. The streets are full of dogs that roam in search of a piece of bread and a bit 'of the company, one of which will be with us for as long as the walk following discreetly and quietly.
Let's go back to the hotel for breakfast and shortly after it starts raining, the rain does not cool in Cuba, only increases the humidity!
After breakfast, armed with proof, we start, the goal is the Museum of the Revolution, Nicholas wants to see the beret of Che and Fidel Castro's horse, only half will be satisfied only because Basque is exposed.
The building that houses the museum was the home of Fulgencio Batista, the dictator deposed by Castro's revolution.

From Habana to Varadero

woke up at 5.00.
Walk on the Malecon with heavy traffic that makes the air breathable, fortunately that in Cuba there are few cars and petrol is scarce!
Let's go back to the hotel for breakfast and again we must arm ourselves with holy pazienzaperché the service is slow, with us at our own pace we have some difficulties to accept but we have to adjust ...
Our next stop is the Hotel AmbosMundosdove visit the room where he stayed at 511 lungoHamingway, then we try to give us the car we rented in Italy.


Here begins the tragicomedy!
We are told that the car is there but can not bear to deliver because it lacks the handle of the right rear door. We insist a little 'saying that we are not interested and do without.
The clerk, with a slow fill out a form from AIS everything by hand by providing instructions that seem to us somewhat superfluous.
The delay between operation and recording takes us about 2 hours away.
The impression reported by this method is that the employee is basically a dishonest person and that you put in your pocket at the expense of customers, what can (in our case about 5 CUC for gasoline).
Meanwhile, in Havana's raining!
The "Chico" brings us to the "machine", a Kia Carens scassatissima! It makes us go around the car to see what works and what is not damaged.
It would mark the first thing to work!
Tiziana rightly points out that the receipt shows the amount of gasoline but we paid 55 CUC 60.50 CUC for gasoline so the difference where it's over??
The "Chico" (which will have at least 50/55 years) gets very upset and offended does the saying "to me is to give the thief!"
Perhaps (in fact without any doubt, as we shall see later) Tiziana has hit the mark!
By the way, all the way we do without the handle of the right rear door (the one Tiziana, so to speak) thing that upsets us is not life but only a bit complicated '.
I wonder what it would end if we had not decided to take the car as it was and had demanded the repair, we might be still waiting for the spare part, a suspect has touched: the failure to handle really went back to the last hours or (more likely) missing for some time already?
Exit from Havana, for more rain, is not an unimportant, when we finally despairing (and after several reversals and changes of course) arrive on the 'autopista', is not what we wanted do, but at least we are moving from town:
The road signs are nonexistent, are hardly the signs to Matanzas, the city that we have set ourselves the goal.
The way we do it all in the rain. When we get to Matanzas and Nicholas approaches the right to know what to do, a man approaches and begins to "blunder" on Caligula and Roman history.
Maureen asks him if he knows where we can find two rooms for the night, he now tells us that there were more than twenty Matanzas hotels that are all but closed because of the Castro regime, but he has the right person, an engineer which has 2 rooms with air conditioning.
In the car (next to me telling me to move!?) And begins to send the right and left home in search of the phantom.
We'll find out quickly that it is difficult to get rid of a Cuban how to get rid of fleas,!
Fortunately, we do not find free rooms in the houses that we hear and we take our leave from the "guy" insistent, saying that given the difficulty in finding accommodation we decide to change the city and closer to the coast.
Matanzas is in complete decay, the streets are full of debris carried by rain and maybe holes in the road are more numerous and profound than ever.
We decide to go to Varadero to find a decent hotel to stay.
To enter you have to pay to Varadero 2 CUC then the people of Cuba can not afford to enter it so often and so the peninsula is populated almost entirely by tourists.
We find a hotel All Inclusive 154.00 CUC - including dinner, breakfast and lunch. By paying with a credit card but there is an increase of 11, 75% (further theft).
We accept the pay and conditions, we have the all-inclusive service for all, we put a wrist bracelet that identifies us as guests and we can take advantage of it immediately, so ask a coffee (blah!) and a fruit juice.
The rooms are clean and spacious and we finally have the windows and even a balcony!
The dinner at the self service we like a little taste of everything '.
Usufruiamo still bar services and we take a stroll around the town in search of the sea, we can find, but the darkness does not let us see anything, only the almost phosphorescent white foam (but that's normal?) Waves can be seen in the dark total. We decide to go for a swim tomorrow morning and we return to the hotel to sleep (before another stop at the bar).

From Varadero to Playa Larga

Wake up at 5.40.
We are in Varadero!


Let's take a walk around the hotel. Wow! It is an entire village with pool, bars, restaurants and walkways, but the whole is enclosed.
Breakfast buffet where we ate to our liking ... then swim in the ocean!
Water is a beautiful transparent green, but there are no algae on the other hand there are ocean waves, with one of these Maurizio loses his glasses. For about an hour tried to find water. The result was that Nicholas took a deep pink color and glasses, of course, have not been found.



Reluctantly we leave the research room and go back to the 12.00 because now we are close and leave the room. In 15 minutes take a shower and your bags!
Drive to the Bay of Pigs.
Varadero, the landscape changes as we leave, we are looking for a gas station, as we cross the country become aware of what must be the everyday life of Cuba: a poverty that is difficult to describe in words, small and even not so small countries that we are experiencing are crumbling, the means of transport used is the chariot with horses or a dump truck that people in charge!
The Pursuit of petrol goes well, in a distributor does not have the petrol "especial", in the current one is not and can not supply us, following us into the nearest gas station but did not say that we announce that we were wrong track and that if we want to go to the Bay of Pigs, we must go back. Ugh, hard to fill up and find the right way!
Finally we can refuel. Now we feel better! We also find directions to the Bahia de Cochinos it's destination.
Cross country straight out of a nightmare, only the main road is passable, secondary roads are in poor condition, holes, rocks and waste.
Cross miles and miles of land that maybe 50 years ago were a splendor of crops, now it seems, and is in a state of total abandonment.
We approach the bay, stopping to drink some juice we learn that these are areas where the crocodiles live, for tomorrow's visit to the marshes with their inhabitants (visit then we will not do) and we are looking for a hotel is on the way to the Bay of Pigs. The guide are an indication that seems to make our case: hotel Playa Grande, composed of concrete bungalows, which all in all not too bad either (apart from the ants that will sleep with us), spending a night plus breakfast is 48 CUC.
The guy who shows us the accommodations we also offers dinner, with 15 CUC will give us lobster, fillet of fish and crocodile! Also booked for this dinner and we leave the Bay.
To get through a marshy area, sometimes on the sides of the road there are stones in cement that carry a label with the name of a Cuban who died in three days of 1961 where there was the landing of the 2000 Bay of Pigs mercenary paratroopers. We arrive at the end of the road and visit the Museum of Giron.


156 Cubans died in the landing, their photos are on display in this museum in which there is a lethal temperature (perhaps exceeding 40 degrees).
Then we go in search of the place of landing, but as often happens now we have a big disappointment because a concrete barrier that makes the area's horrible! We move a little 'and find a better landscape, the beach is made up of coral, pebbles are pieces of dead coral, wonderful!
Let's go back to the hotel under a deluge shower (one of many).
Ah! I forgot along the way must be adept at dodging crabs crossing the road. Are many and some are even quite large.
The dinner on the beach are great, the crocodile is not bad, looks good lobster and filet of fish as well, the outline is made up of yellow rice and fried bananas. All good. Let's go to bed at 10.00 (almost with the chickens).

Through the Zapata peninsula

After breakfast at around 8.30 we decided to go swimming at Playa Larga, the water is warm but it is less beautiful than that of Varadero (but this is the Caribbean Sea!), There is even a wave pay.
While water disturbances within a crab that pinches me a foot (luckily had to be small), apart from the shock but does not carry any consequences. Wallow for a bit 'and then go back at this point do an unpleasant encounter with a jellyfish, damn she bad!
Misfortune to leave at 9.30 we start with destination Cienfuegos - Trinidad along what on paper looks like a coastal road, this will prove to be the wrong choice in the world.
If you start the road is unpaved and potholed but passable, continuing will shrink even more. After several kilometers into nothingness ask directions to a Cuban passing a bicycle, he tells us that the road ahead is making very bad and we should take an alternative route. Will prove to be a disaster!



Meanwhile, the crossing has shown us that we can not find the path to take, then, having asked an old man who was sleeping in the shade of the trees on the street signs are going to do this tells us that the road is there, but he never runs for about 20 years and therefore can not tell us under what conditions either.
The precise information we give it then a guy that brings us to the point where the trail begins. Tragic Error!
We begin to delve into what will prove to be a path worthy of Camel Trophy did with a Crock of stain for each hole or rock rubs and indescribable noises, little by little to me and Tiziana is missing the word, there speechless.
The situation is tragic, we wandered into thin air for about 2 hours without meeting a soul (not even a strange encounter goats to the ends of civilization), covering the three of us on foot (Tiziana and Maurice and I), not burdening them with our weight on the machine, three times the same piece of road in return (maybe we were not sure of the route?) at some point there is an insurmountable obstacle, fortunately in Mauritius is an intuition, perhaps there is a road that bypassing the critical point. Nicholas of course does not have the patience to wait and try to go too, what has caused this we'll find out later.
Around the obstacle and continue the journey. At one point Maureen sighted something in the distance: A Truck! Finally we meet a human being! We ask how far it is the first country and tells us that these are missing about six kilometers and moving on the road improves. You do not turn out to be true!
We get more and more heartened in a narrow dirt road but not as compact as the one just left, composed of coral and rock, but the red earth full of potholes and puddles, whenever we see one we get to test the depth with a stick. Finally, some human presence is revealed, we meet some tractor in the fields on either side of the road, and when we are at about 100 meters from the road at this point it seems a highway and that should be our salvation, a pit full of water it stands in the way!
Nicholas, alone on the Kia deal puddle at full speed and get out of the Zapata Peninsula with a dirty car that can not be dirtier.
Our machine is reduced so bad that no one asks us a ride!

We arrived at Cienfuegos a bit 'more raised and decide to get gas, visit the town and go to Trinidad.
The distributor a "Mecanico" notes that we have a flat tire, then we discover that the tire is punctured by two screws. The mechanism we repair the tire but he points out that the tire is very poorly developed and is being replaced. This concerns us and not a little.
Still the same guy there system the protective plastic oil pan hanging under the hood of the car and that we must have broken the most critical point of the Camel Trophy. Maurizio system instead of the rear bumper that was (or was it already) off.



For 10 CUC is also offered to wash the car, we accept and collect the car after about half an hour, washed with mop and bucket of water, much more presentable than before.
We approach the Rent a car for our problem to the rubber but do not find anyone.
Taking off in two rooms at the Hotel Jagua for 105 CUC.
The lobby looks great, shame that the rooms are not as beautiful.
Under the umpteenth time since the end of the world we are looking for a restaurant, Nicholas found the guide a name that inspires him: the cryolite, a company will reach the end thanks to one of the guys who used to surround the car to propose everything, we find the restaurant: a private home that takes up the entire family to serve dinner. The food is simple but discreet, lobster with rice and beans, fried bananas and vegetables, all for 67 CUC in four including drinks.
We end the evening at 10.30 am dead tired.

From Cienfuegos to Cayo Coco

At 6.00 am there is no water! We will give back to the 6:30! Again, this is Cuba! The receptionist said to have a problem with the plumbing, I think it's an endemic problem and not temporary as they want us to believe.
We have breakfast between the smell of fried eggs and we start up early to rent a car to try to solve the problem of the rubber. We come to the office of CubanaCar 8.30: CLOSED. The sign indicates the working time from 8.00 to 20.00. Telephone service to which happens to be in the capital, the service agent assures us that he must return as soon as the staff to replace the rubber rata sick. When the prolonged waiting seems a bit 'too long, and Nicholas and Mauritius have already begun to remove the gum with the spare wheel here comes the emergency response team, incredible but true! In 15 minutes we change the tire so that we can share. By the way, you also unlock the windows that Nicholas had stopped (when you open the door of supply has pushed all the buttons possible except the right one). We can now restart to Trinidad, crossing beautiful parks to the seaside, the coast here is rocky and only a few areas have a small sheltered beach.
We get to Trinidad that welcomes us with a warm, sticky and people who are the same. As soon as we stop all approach to propose all sorts of things: parking, restaurant, cigars, homes and Particular, if we did not Tiziana and I a couple of Cuban girls.


Trinidad has a well-preserved center, but certainly not so tidy as the guide says.
The heat is suffocating.
All in all, the city is pleasant, light but maybe we were expecting something more.
We set out to SanctiSpiritus, several kilometers after another storm, the clouds suddenly dump a ton of ground water.
The town seems to us that we find ultra civilized when compared with those visited until now.
The main street is pedestrian only, no holes or pits, the road is full of shops and banks in Mauritius even manages to take the credit card!
Incredible, looks like another world. We parked in the street where there is even a cigar factory.
The church is simple but dignified. A group of young church is doing in rehearsals for the show that will make the night at a fundraiser.
Let's do some 'of the situation to fit into the roadmap and we proceed to Cayo Coco.
Along the way, a downpour forces us to stop. After a few meters from where we stopped the road is dry!
We finally find the entrance (of course a fee of 2 CUC) to Cayo Coco and we venture after passport control (???), to the island.
We walk along an embankment with a road that runs into the lagoon about 30 km. We arrive finally at the end of the road and stopped to watch the sea on one side is a cliff overlooking the sea, on the other hand, there is a small cove with white sand. The smell is not the best, it seems that the mangroves there is a corpse.
The search of the hotel will take us a long time away, not because there was no place, but rather because Nicholas has the ideas a bit 'confused and makes us go back and forth several times between the island's roads. Where we are now beginning to despair and gasoline scarce, we arrive at Villa Gaviota, an all inclusive hotel where very few tourists stay. The price is reasonable, all-inclusive 100 CUC. The dinner will not be anything that is edible, but the rooms seem clean (the air conditioner is however quite noisy).

Arrival in Guardalavaca

Stage of transfer, we must go to Cayo Coco (full of Mosquitos, and then in the morning we decided not to swim) to Guardalavaca.
As usual we start a good hour. Cross the embankment connecting the island to the mainland and we are moving, or perhaps the first paesone Moron town we meet is full of carriages and bicycles, we stopped only to take a picture at the "Rooster of Moron" statue commemorating the Governor that dominates the village of farmers and had been nicknamed "Rooster" to the arrogant attitude, they were punished with a good dose of wood and driven by people angry, the statue is placed almost incicare: "Be careful not to make the rooster cone Moron, who lost even with the crest feathers. "



We continue our journey through Ciego de Avila, another town full of carts and bicycles and we continue to Camaguey.


In this town we stopped for a brief visit, but since Saturday afternoon, the churches are all closed, and then we just walk, we try also to taste a coconut. The taste of coconut water is very different from what I expected as well as the flesh of fresh coconut is very different look and taste of the one purchased in our supermarkets, it is a little 'slimy and not very flavorful, and taste the I think the result "we hope at least there is a stomach ache," the guy who sells him to a 1 CUC assures us that's good for everything, including the prostate! We take some photos with the seller and the cart of coconuts and we continue our journey through green plains and always a little grown, only cows, little sugar cane, banana trees and some grass, lots of grass!
After several miles we pass through Las Tunas and around 5 o'clock in the afternoon we arrive to Holguin, which, it says the guide should be the "garden city" seems to us the usual paesone decadent.
In a square Tiziana and I are approached by some old (or maybe just old apparently) barefoot and visibly drunk alcohol that we send kisses, one of these to the attention of Tiziana laying a hand on his shoulder, the expression Tiziana will be unforgettable for me: the eyes have it struck down, but it served to silence the speech of Mauritius. Poor people!



Not being quiet for luggage left in the car and the storm approaching, we share for Guardalavaca which is 54 km and we arrived around 7 pm and we start to look for a hotel to sleep, some structures seem to be closed (we are out of season ). After an attempt to arrive at the Hotel Brisas empty, the usual tower block on the beach All Inclusive (100 CUC) where they make us suffer a little bit to allow us two rooms, one of which turned out to be still washed up, we will change the room but the key not work and finally after many ups and downs in the elevator, after about half an hour we will enter finally in our room awaited!
Dinner at the hotel restaurant and evening walk on the waterfront (where he comes up to the light) and then to bed because we're pretty tired, especially Nicholas who led all day.

The splendid Playa Maguana

Another stage of transfer, we have to go to Baracoa. We decide to follow the road that passes near the coast, then we head to and from Banes Mayara.
At first, the streets seem to be viable, then, as usual, there are stretches of road full of potholes. Nicholas perhaps because he was tired from days of driving the phenomenon and decides to get angry with me when I tell him to go slower to try to make the holes less violently. Stop the car and says that he does not drive anymore, that if we want to continue I have to drive me! At this point, Mauritius, even if it offers to drive without glasses, and does so even though the road is in poor condition and limited him in the view. Then proceed between holes and depressions for several kilometers. Transiting Moa, in our fantasy was to be a country to visit, we find instead is formed by a succession of concrete apartment blocks, a port and a dilapidated factory to be a state secret as a sign that prohibits taking photographs; Perhaps the ban on photography comes from the fact that the images taken, may have transmitted to foreign countries, providing a whole island horrible! The surrounding area is polluted so scary in the surrounding area does not grow a blade of grass and soil and rocks seem steeped in polluting waste. The only factory that pollutes as we have seen a hundred of Italian industries, not a bad average! Not to mention the fleet, when I think that in our cities is prohibited transit cars without catalytic converters!
We leave the "wonderful" Moa behind and head towards Baracoa. After many bumps and potholes feel the physiological need to stop for "comb" (as he always says Tiziana).
About 20 miles from Baracoa are the sign of a place that could do for us, so we travel a road that does not bode well, but suddenly we find the place that turns out to be the most beautiful so far visited.



A quiet beach with some bungalows that overlook the sea. We take a fruit juice (good) and try to ask if they have half-heartedly place to sleep: SURPRISE! YES! Have room for this night! We pay 83 CUC for the room for breakfast and spend the afternoon in the water, the storm seems to want to reach us grace and before long the sun shines again. At about 7 pm when the sun is already sinking, reluctantly leave the beach for a shower and the subsequent dinner, nothing special but decent. All in all, a stop at Villa Maguana will be very pleasant.

Transfer to Santiago de Cuba

Breakfast good time (given the biblical times of the waiter) and then bath in the beautiful sea of the little bay. At about 9.00 Departure to Baracoa, about 20 kilometers separate us from this town are yet another ordeal - holes - holes - holes! To finally find a dirty city and without any special appeal, even the House of Chocolate is closed! And the waterfront is depressing: cement and smell!
After unabreve walk under the scorching sun we leave for Guantanamo, which is about 140 km, the road to good fortune is not very popular because it is a mountain road the wagons and carts are not able to get there.
Along the way we buy a pineapple and bananas for about 25 CUC, bananas, small and thick, delicious, the pineapple is also excellent.
We arrived at Guantanamo and the sky looks like almost every day; dark. Begin to fall the first drops of rain.
Finally the directions for the autopista!
We try to get to the highway but we are stuck with a "stream" of water to wade, the rain has gone into the whole in the middle of an intersection and we do not dare cross it. We must go back, do a long tour and find directions to the highway. Finally a bit 'of decent road to reach Santiago! Do not we ever told! First, it sets off a storm that will void the visibility, sea water is poured on the ground, but we are on the highway, we say. ERROR! Suddenly the road leading to Santiago becomes open country. We found among grass and mud and under the replica of Noah's flood! We do not know what to do: go back or continue on one track exists but in the wrong direction? In the meantime, do not pass anyone. The highway is deserted. Finally, a truck passes in the oncoming lane. We decide to go back and then we meet some of the cars that are going in the direction that we would like. Reversal redo and we queued for a Lada that there seems to know the road.
The highway is in fact broken, but, as usual, only an arrow indicates you need to cut across the opposite lane and exit completely from the highways and side roads along! Also in the pouring rain and on a road that looks like a river, proceed for a time that will seem infinite, and the other off-road excursion. When we get to Santiagosotto the car will be all grass, branches and mud!
Finally clears a bit 'and we arrive at our destination, we should stay here for three nights, we had four guys from the Tuscan Villa Maguana met yesterday to address a lady who has a good casa particular. Now the problem is to find it. In the city we immediately approached by people who offer us all. We try to show the ticket of the place where we want to go and we are lucky to find a guy who speaks Italian well enough, we load in the car, here Maurizio almost loses a foot.
We decide to get the guy in front near the driver, Maurice goes and goes back with me and Tiziana, but still has one foot out of the car starts and Nicholas crushing his foot. Okay, to end the day we missed this too!
Fortunately, everything will be resolved with a little 'fear and redness at the left heel.



Finally we arrived at Casa Tatic where the Lady Mary, advised by telephone is waiting. He shows decent and comfortable rooms as a hotel or maybe even better, especially clean, which is not always easy to find in Cuba
We allow ourselves a bath and set off in search of Paladar given to us by Amauri, the guy who brought us in the car, barely manage to get there (accompanied by a little girl that will disappear the note she left to us by Amauri to get a commission on customers brought to the restaurant), the Paladar has a nice terrace where to have dinner by candlelight lobster, fish, shrimp, rice and vegetables. Dinner is good and plentiful.
Then we walk to the Cathedral Square, in view of the dark, there seems to be very nice, hopefully it is the same with the sun. The square is also the hotel where we need to return the car tomorrow morning at 13.00. We end our day so heartened by Santiago that although it is an excavation in the open, seems to be better than all the cities visited so far.

Walking in Santiago

Today in Santiago. After breakfast we leave the casa particular with the machine to the Castillo del Morro, a fortress located in the in the bay, home to many iguanas.
The fort is described in the Spanish-Cuban-American who also fought in the waters in front of Santiago in 1898.
Let us return then to the city because we have to return our powerful means of locomotion. On return of course we discover that at the time of delivery do not they told us that taking the car and drop it off in Havana to Santiago would have entailed a further outlay, in addition to the price already paid by Italy, the premium for insurance and for 'Judas authorization to more people and of course the higher price of the "almost full" of gasoline, then we retain from the deposit of 100 CUC 250 left in Havana. This gives us the confirmation that in Cuba, many people are dishonest!
Fortunately, we now know that we must make the best of a bad situation and we console with a stop at the terrace bar of the Hotel Casa Granda where you can sip fruit juice.



In the heat of the day we try to reach the sea, we walk under the scorching sun filled streets and crumbling houses of people who approach us to ask us to give us everything and cigars and a little of everything '. How sad, even the kids approach us asking us chewing gum, do not dare think what would happen if instead of us there was an evil intent!
We spend the rest of the afternoon watching the traffic and the characters that populate the Cathedral Square (the "guardian" of the church also provides us with a private visit to the exorbitant price of 1 CUC) from the terrace of the Hotel, when the sun goes down a little 'do an exploration tour and discover some interesting place, in one of these there are people playing dominoes and chess.
We return from Maria (Tatic) for what will be a good dinner "criolla" with fish, mashed potatoes, rice, fried bananas and vegetables.
We end the evening on the terrace where the heat is less oppressive.

Again in Santiago

At early morning a strange thing attracted my attention, a police car before a fire truck, which, along with a policeman before running to turn a tanker truck from which a dense white smoke that rises for several meters and then fell to the ground leaving a layer of wet and slippery. At first thinking of a fire the tank scares me a bit ', then, because the people on the street are still without the slightest upset, their activities understand that smoking is used to disinfect and / or rid the streets. During the day, will assist the disinfection of houses made with local mobile devices.
Another day in Santiago. After breakfast we start looking for the Rum Factory, ask directions to get to Mrs. Mary, tells us that we must arrive at the port and drive 7 / 8 cuadros to get there.
The port area is very poor, full of people up and down by any means of transport: horse-drawn carts, buses, trucks, and even camelos bicitaxi. The odors are not very pleasant. As always we are approached by people who offer us all. After what seems to be the 7 / 800 meters longer paths never come to see what appears to be the factory that we seek. But we discover that you can not visit it, then enter the tienda where Nicole bought two bottles of rum. Now if scarrozza must for the whole city!



Let's go back to the center through poor areas (outdoor butchers with meat on the table covered with flies).
We approach the city center and welcomes us traffic, both pedestrian and vehicular most intense ever seen in the island. It seems that all the city has poured out on the street.
We head towards the terrace of the Hotel Casa Granda to freshen up a bit 'and rest. Nicholas decides to bring two bottles of rum to the casa particular and then go to the bank to change a bit 'euro: it will disappear for about an hour and a half to worry about making a long, peaceful and happy return with a jar of jam! (There are no words!)
A few clouds gathered in the sky, then we venture through the city, Nicholas takes us through the streets that has traveled in his solo tour at some point as well buy an ice cream along the way (like the risk because repeat the experience during the afternoon).
Let us return to the city center to visit the home of Velasquez that scopriamoessere very nice, really worth the trouble to visit.



Then, driving along, looking for a place to drink, again, the way perhaps the most polluted in the world: it is almost impossible to breathe!
We find a place that seems to go well in Dolores where we get three square coffee and lemonade will be all the more strange lemonade ever do, "powder, sugar, lemon juice, perhaps, so much ice to sink the Titanic and a tuft of Hierbabuena. Tiziana says that after all was not bad.
Then we sit on the benches of the square Dolores where a bird will be sure to remind me on some Bermuda shorts.
Tired and weary we return to the casa particular of Mrs. Maria where we can enjoy an excellent dinner of shrimp, rice, mashed potatoes, vegetables and fried green bananas: all delicious.
Stay at Home Tatic cost us 75 CUC for sleeping and 62 for 3 breakfasts, 2 dinners and drinks more water.

Back to the Capital again

This morning wake up early.
Hours Breakfast 6.15 - 6.50 pm Particular taxi to airport - 9.55 hour flight from Santiago to Havana.
The taxi arrives with Particular few minutes early (to avoid police checks): This is a car of the year 50/60, to keep open the trunk, the driver uses a piece of iron, the exhaust pipe seem to download directly into ' interior and suspension must still be the original ones. But this is part of Cuba
Arrive in Santiago and then at about 7.05. We are well ahead, fortunately, do not even know why but instead of starting the flight will leave at 9.55 to about 8.35. The Tupolev that will take us to Havana shows that all glia years and maybe a few more.
At the time of the take-off air-conditioning creates a curtain of smoke aerosol type, fortunately just went up to share the fog vanishes.
After an hour and fifteen minutes we landed at the airport in the capital.
To 25 CUC an official taxi takes us to the Hotel Nacional, a beautiful hotel, a little 'decadent but with a unique charm.



When we descend from the taxi in the square is a hive of diplomatic cars (Nicholas seems to have recognized only the flags of African countries).
After taking possession of the rooms we approach the neighborhood of Vedado and do so a further visit to the city after having wandered for a while 'under a scorching sun decided to go to Florida for a Daiquiri, then take the bus tour we download at some point in the historical center, we are moving, always under the blazing sun into the room. When you finally find is full of tourists, but in just five minutes we can find a table and then spend over an hour sitting sipping a daiquiri and observe the comings and goings of tourists entering and leaving, all accompanied by music the usual itinerant groups.
After leaving the Floridita we walk a little 'for the city, but Maurice is quite, says he does not feel too good. The heat is oppressive, it never grants a truce.
Let's continue our tour bus to return to the hotel, but we have to wait in the hot sun on the bus perilous, more than half an hour before you decide to go.
Mauritius will be KO for the whole evening and night, will not be with us for dinner at a restaurant of the hotel, you will not lose anything special, dinner is perhaps the least good, if not poor of the whole trip. Better House dinners Tatic.
We are all tired, bruised and Nicholas is in a bad mood, let's hope tomorrow is a better day, because it will be a long day, the departure of the aircraft is at 22.50 with arrival from Havana to Madrid at 14, 00 (local), and nine hours of flight taking into account the six hour time difference, then take a flight to Venice at 16.10 and arrival at 18.25. Hopefully everything goes smoothly

We are at the finish line..

Breakfast at the Hotel Nacional where we seem to have a Cuban coffee tastes burnt.
We spend the morning and most of the afternoon sitting in chairs in the porch or in the lobby. Nicholas and I also do us a daiquiri. Mauritius seems to have taken a good mood after yesterday's congestion due perhaps to the air conditioning set of the plane a bit 'too low.
Nicholas at some point (about three in the afternoon) can no longer remain inside of the hotel and we are left to one of his excursions. He will return after about two hours after the sweaty wet walk in the sun to visit the tower of Piazza José Martí, the need to more than half an hour to recover.
At about 18.30 n collect your luggage at the hotel and take a taxi depot, Mauritius will be forced to take a suitcase on our knees because the trunk is too small for our luggage.



We pay our 25.00 CUC for the taxi and enter the airport thinking about having to wait a long time, but in the ceck has already begun. Thus, we can deliver your bags and begin the process to go insane security checks. We redeem a picture to see if we are the same as when we arrived, they asked us when we arrived, with whom and other questions. Then to discover the most absurd thing of all: if we want to leave Cuba must pay 25, 00 CUC per person! If we can put ip Ides out of this crazy country I do not think I will get back the urge to come back so soon!
Then spend the last CUC to buy a hot dog in the head and two bottles of water.
I forgot to mention that in addition to those who put the "stamp" from 25.00 CUC is the case for change money! I wonder why? But what happens to those who, now that the airport and is expected to be no longer get to passport control without spending the money provided for the "exit tax"?
Nicholas and Maureen are changed, respectively, polo and pants while we are sitting at the bar of time "This is Cuba!"
Finally at 22.00 boarded the plane to find that as usual the temperature inside is from hibernation. We will wear shirts and sweaters and the clothes came from Iberia, is still a very long night.

Finally at home!

Among the other finally take a nap after a nine-hour flight we landed in Madrid.
We returned to civilization at last! Now we can do is go back to Terminal 4 and J52 find the gate to board the boat to Italy. The departure will be a bit 'late, but given what we experienced in the Caribbean island now everything seems great.
Landing at Venice about 18.45 to about 22.00 and finally at home!