The 5-hour
Viazul bus from Cienfiegos travels along the interior spine of Cuba, eastward.
Rural scenery emphasizes the primitive conditions of everyday Cuban life. Dusty
train tracks, sugar cane harvested by machete, and cowboys with their herds in
the streets. A Soviet-era gas station called “Sputnik” --- do you remember that
word, my fellow traveler??
Camaguey is
yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site: colonial-era Cuba has a lot of them!
The streets wind and curve and dead-end, from the days when raiding pirates had
to be discouraged. But the main pedestrian-only avenue is a delight that should
be copied by any congested modern city. Bike taxis wait outside the zone. Wifi
is elusive (that’s why this is posted from Mexico days later!). Side streets
show their age but are swept clean. The river is sadly more like an open sewer.
Huge park space but with weird statues and public art.
Camaguey is
noted for hundreds of clay jars scattered throughout. Originally from 17th
century Spain and up to 6 feet tall, they are now used to store water --- or
play in! Cuba is proud of its Olympic champions --- but what did this guy medal
in?? Classic veggie cart meets modern consumers.
We met a guy
who claimed to have lived in Dallas. He had a cool Suzuki 250 and hundreds of
licence plates from many states, provinces, and countries. Can you find Quebec?
But how did all of this stuff get to Cuba? We stayed with a family again and
were served by Rayno. Taught English in Bahamas but would rather experiment in
the kitchen. New tastes for us but again the portions are huge even though we
ask for less. Are they showing that Cuba is prospering or just being generous
hosts??
The next
morning we learned that Fidel Castro, Cuba’s modern-day liberator and
Commandante, had died at 90. You could sense a strange quiet calm, as if the
whole country had slept in on this Sunday morning…
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