Havana – Bahia Honda - 132 km
The stretch of road between Havana and Bahia Honda made for less
exciting cycling. Still, I was delighted to be back on my trusted old
iron horse, or rather iron camel. The mild headwind I encountered
made the going slow but it kept me cool at the same time.
Though the map indicated the road as an ‘autopista’, the surface was
in poor condition and the going slow. The best part of the day was
spent cycling past farmlands where farmers still used oxen to plough
the land, and horse-drawn carts remained in daily use. The aroma
from a ‘panaderia’ lured me in, and the freshly baked rolls made a
good snack while snaking along narrow country lanes. A wave of
gratitude and joy washed over me for the opportunity to cycle in this
fascinating country.
Reaching Bahia Honda, a ‘hospedaje’ owned by Beysi and her family,
was a real treat. They fed me copious amounts of food, and in broken
Spanish, I managed to let them know where I was from and where I
was going – although I wasn’t entirely sure myself.