Montego Bay, Jamaica – Havana, Cuba - By plane
The most apparent next destination was Cuba, barely 400 kilometres
north of Jamaica. The most economical flight to Havana, Cuba, was
via Panama, a relatively long 2000-kilometre detour.
The taxi ride to Montego Bay airport couldn’t have been more than
five kilometres from the hotel. Mercifully, the airport had a wrapping
service as I doubted whether my homemade bike box, held together
by duct tape, would last.
From the start, it was clear Cuba was a different cup of tea. The first
thing I noticed was the abundance of space on the plane, which is
quite a rarity today. One could even spread out to snooze before
descending into Cuba. Next, we witnessed a most unusual sunset,
revealing well-organised farmlands below (I guess they were tobacco
fields).
Clearing customs and immigration was exceptionally easy. Then, with
the formalities done, I excitedly hailed a taxi to Hostal Peregrino,
situated in an old building in Centro Havana. You can imagine my
surprise when I rang the bell and a key tied to a string was lowered
from the window above. This marked the start of a remarkable visit
to fascinating Cuba.