Cienfuengos

Photos to be added later. We left Vinales at  7am and even had breakfast,  something we were not expecting. We drove back through the countryside and through Havana to head towards Cienfuegos and the Bay of Pigs. We passed horses and carts, children on their way to school,  men driving oxen in the field. We passed sugar plantations, hence the abundance of cheap rum.
Our guide has got the measure of us and is now making more stops.  At our first stop I decided a coffee was in order and learnt more about the queuing system. Having found who was Ultima, the last in line, I was let in in front of him, as he obviously realised I was short of time, or he was being polite. There was no cafe con leche, so I had a cafe solo, which was very small, but knew I was fine to go to the loo while waiting, and yes, when I returned I was presented with my coffee.  At our second stop I couldn't be bothered with trying again so decided to stick with water,  but did have a look at the books and got a bit of advice  about titles and authors from Andy. I also had a chat about petrol prices with Jorge our driver.  It is between 90 and 150 per litre, expensive for here but similar to UK if my calculations are correct. At this stop I saw the old cars used as taxis and realise this would be a very relaxed way to see the island.
Our guide has been telling us about the island, it's dangerous creatures ( the crocodile, mosquito and Americans!), and the birdlife and the areas that are protected. The Bay of Pigs where we are about to visit is part of the National park. We have just stopped for lunch at a very pleasant  restaurant which catered very well for groups. We had a very tasty toasted sandwich, filled with just about everything,  with fruit juice and a great cappuccino, for under 10 CUC, so about £6.
About 30  minutes further on we stopped at the Playa Giron on the Bay of Pigs for about an hour, the location of the American invasion in 1961.  It is a beautiful tranquil beach although our visit was accompanied by pop music from the local bar. We swam in the turquoise sea, with a white sandy beach, perfect for swimming. What a welcome break this was on a long day of travelling.

Travelling on we passed through many rural communities and a lot of people using animal transport.  The countryside was quite flat but with many tree and the houses looked well built and maintained although there were some  buildings that looked a bit like camps with allotments.  As we approached Cienfuegos I saw a sign saying Forever Fidel. And more were evident in the town.
Cienfuegos is a more modern town built in a neoclassical style with a grid system. Apparently the French from Lousianna were invited to populate and develop town in the 19th century and investors were exempt from taxes. It has a central square and a Malecon, a pedestrian shopping precinct and a pleasant open feeling. We spent a bit of time in the square.

  There was a book festival on and I went and listened to the children performing whilst the others were queuing for the loo.  I got there first, but it was primitive, with no running water,  just a bucket to flush and a lady to mop the floor in between, so very slow. I looked into the local events, chatted with a couple of local people, one who gave me a card to his gallery. I also watched a bit of the children's concert.

The other told me about his experiences of spending time in Glasgow and trying to understand the English! I told him I had the same problem which he thought was very funny. He recommended a waterfall to visit which is one of our optional activities.
From here we walked through the town, stopping to look at local statues and landmarks,  then our guide took us to an ornate building, now a hotel and restaurant with a terrace overlooking the sea. It was very pleasant at sunset but obviously a tourist trap. Our cocktails had little evidence of alcohol and were expensive and I didn't get my change.
By this time it was too late to go to our casas, so we went straight to the restaurant that Andy had booked. This was not ideal given that we had been travelling since 7am and had sat in the sand and swam in the sea, but we had no choice. The restaurant was fine, but as found elsewhere there is not the choice that is offered! I had a shrimp platter in rum with rice which was pleasant, but when I asked for the fried ice cream, they said the chef who did that had left. They had no hot chocolate on offer. Andy said they just accept the lack of choice and availability.


Finally we arrived at our casa and met our hosts. I am with two other in what appears to be a large house with a roof terrace, where breakfast is served tomorrow.  My room is completely OTT with ornaments, flowers, silk pillows and bedspread, ornate everything, but also has fridge, iron, hairdryer, everything I need and more for one night. Apparently the hotels here are more expensive and the company policy is to support local people and the community.

Tomorrow we have a couple of hours of free time, which will be good as yesterday was pretty full on and a long day.  Our trip on to Trinidad is not far and we will be there two nights.

This morning we had another great breakfast on the terrace. But I think  she forgot the juice. We went off to explore the city, looking at the old colonial buildings, visiting an artisan market and a number of art galleries. We also visited the theatre a late 19th century building with a sloping stage which looked like something from the wild West. It was being renovated which was just as well as there were large holes in the ceiling. When I went to walk in the woman jumped right out in front of me and said to my face, that it was 5 pesos.

We explored the street market before returning to the casa, where I bought a necklace and earrings.
We then collected our belongings, said farewell and headed for the coach, but our instructions were wrong so we ended  up in the wrong place.  But a look round the corner revealed where the coach was. We weren't the last!