Cuba Caribbean Flair - Cuba on 2 Wheels 2014 - Bucanero - Baracoa | Monday, March 24 - 7km

Today you will cycle further eastwards. To begin the journey we will hop on the bus for a few kilometres before cycling along the picturesque coast (approximately 40 kilometres). After a break and a bus transfer through the mountains of Sierra de Guntanámo you will continue cycling for a further 30 kilometres to Baracoa, the oldest colonial city in Latin America. City tour included. You will have lunch or a picnic during the trip. Overnight at the Hotel Porto Santo. (incl. breakfast, lunch/picnic) - Trip Notes

What an ill planned day! We bussed out at 9am all the way back to Santiago and then on to Guantanamo where we stopped at the bus depot for half an hour so the driver could get approval to buy petrol for the remaining days!

 

 

 

 We then headed to the lookout to check out Guantanamo Bay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was not much to see but they had a folder with pictures of the US base in a Disney folder!!

For more details of the US Base click this link: Guantanamo_Bay_Naval_Base. I would be tempted to make a dash for the McDonalds..

 
We stopped 48km out of Guantanamo en route to Baracoa and started what was supposed to be a 25km cycle. At around 7km the piece of scrapmetal laughingly called a "trusty bicycle" tried to kill me – the front wheel wobbled erratically and the chain kept slipping off the sole front ring. I tried to adjust after the chain slipped off and that resulted in the rear derailleur jamming. So in the end the piece of junk committed bike suicide and, with no tools on board (not even a pump), cycling by me was abandoned for the day. No doubt the Sprachcaffe mechanics in Holguin will get it working again. I think Fidel used this bike in the 1958 revolution..

 

 

 

 

I got on the bus thinking I would swap to the spare bike after the lunch stop – only there was no lunch stop! At 3.15pm we were still tailing Ramon so I broke into the lunch bag and ate my sandwich and had some orange drink. At 38km Ramon was at the Playa stop but no sign of Herbert so Ramon got on the bus and we finally caught Herbert at 47km!

  






Herbert got on the bus and we proceeded up Lal Farola (the lighthouse) - 300 turns up to 700m.We walked up to the lookout but the lookout was chained off so no bloody view.. We had to pull over on the road to get a picture.

 

 

 

We finally got the Baracoa city limit and Herbert set off again. After 2km Ramon decided he would ride as well so we eventually got the hotel around 630. I took my pedals and odometer off the "bike" and tried the spare bike. No gear changes! Not tools! No way! Then Ramon told us that the hotel was full and we would go to another one. We arrived at the Hotel Castle and checked in at 710. The plan was to meet at 8 at the hotel restaurant. There was a large French group buffet dinner so I opted out and walked down to town and had a nice meal at a restaurant. Lobster cooked in coconut milk with white rice. Quite nice but no photo unfortunately as the battery died..