The next morning I sat down (Delicately) for breakfast, and was quite relieved that today was going to be no cycling. Having never really cycled for more than an hour or two at a time, I was feeling rather saw. Even though our itinerary had today down as a rest day, it would be anything but.
 Once we finished breakfast we were to be treated to an example of how Cuban coffee is traditionally made. We walked a short distance down the road to a small house by the side of the lodge complex. When I say house, most people wouldn’t recognise this as a house, made from a mismatch of wooden planks with a corrugated iron roof and raised dirt floor. However this was home to a small family, who were inviting us in. This was the first time I truly saw how poor some of the Cuban people lived, which I must admit, was quite an eye opener. We watched while the grandmother ground the coffee beans, roasted and drained them, finally handing us small cups of the concentrated coffee to try. Not being a coffee drinker myself, I abstained, but my fellow travellers remarked on how sweet and full of rich flavour it was.
 After returning to the lodge for a black bean soup lunch, we waited outside for the transport that would take us to the top of the surrounding Sierra Maestra, for our walk to Fidel Castro’s old secret headquarters at ‘La Plata’. What arrived was a very large ex-military truck, supposedly the only thing powerful enough to make it up the steep road. Just how steep was this road going to be? We climbed on the back of this truck and held on tight as it drove up the road. Standing on the back of an open top moving vehicle is an interesting experience, but just as we were getting used to it, we reached the point where the road got a little steeper.
 This road was verging on the impassable, nearing a 45 degree angle in most places. No wonder we needed a powerful truck to get us up here. I was just glad we didn’t have to cycle. Holding on tight as the truck climbed, we enjoyed the spectacular views of the Sierra Maestra Mountains. It really is amazing how mountainous scenery such as this can look so green.
 We finally reached the top, and after absorbing some more of the views, we began our trek into the jungle. It was quite difficult to keep my eyes on the path as I caught glimpses of jungle covered peaks through the trees. After stopping a few times as our guide pointed out some of the wildlife, we reached a platform, where apparently a building had stood only a few weeks ago until a hurricane had whisked it away. A short rest and we were on the move again, further into the jungle, all the while being told the history of how Fidel Castro and his army of Guerrillas hid and fought off whole battalions.
Finally we reached his headquarters. I must admit, I was expecting something out of a James Bond film with the way it had been hyped up, but instead it was a rather plain looking wooden hut. Although it did come complete with secret entrance and escape route through a trap door.
 After investigating a few more huts, we made the trek back to the truck, and down the steep road to the lodge. A few of the guys took a dip in the nearby river while we waited for the evening’s feast. All day there had been two pigs roasting slowly on a giant spit, and so the evening was spent eating pig, drinking rum, and enjoying live Cuban music. A great way to end such an interesting day.
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Back to day 2 - Bayamo |
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Forward to day 4 - Salton |
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