BIKE CUBA

January 16 - 31, 2000

January 16, 2000 Sunday Fly to Toronto

Got up at 5:15 as Anne was taking Patti and Johnny to Baltimore Washington International (BWI) airport to fly to Puerto Rico. Ran 5.1 miles. Drank some orange juice. Showered and shaved. At 7:30 drove to Spanglers for breakfast of fruit salad, keish and blueberry muffins with Bill and Barbara Spangler, Jimmy and Pat Huelskamp, Bill Sneeringer, Anne and I. Drove to BWI arriving at 9:00. Said goodbye to Anne, checked in and walked around the airport with Bill Spangler, Bill Sneeringer and Jimmy Huelskamp. Bill Tashlick, Herman Heyn, Jim Pickett and Les Ansel showed up. Took off about 11:30 in a twin engine prop plane with 10 rows of 4 seats. Arrived in Toronto at 1:30 with 3 degrees celsius (26.6F), 50 mph winds and snow cover. Jim Smith and Maureen from Indiana were in front of us going through customs. Caught a curtesy shuttle to the Carlingview Airport Inn. Jimmy Huelskamp and I are roommates in 206 with my half at C$49.84 ($34.69). Watched NFL playoff game and drank some wine. Went to the bar and had a couple of Waterloo Dark beers and a pita feta cheese tomato for $10. Ate dinner of wine, kalamari, salad, rice, potatoes and baklava in Mr Greek restaurant in the hotel for $21. Tried to take a walk but it was too cold. Watched NFL playoff and 60 Minutes on TV. Went to bed at 9:00.

January 17, 2000 Monday Fly Toronto to Havana to Santiago

Got up at 5:45. Wind chill is -41C. Breakfast of Greek omellette, orange juice and milk for $6 at 7:15. Met Connie in the hotel lobby and got a MacQueen T-shirt. Took a shuttle at 10:00 to the airport. Met Bill Sears a wheat farmer and Trudy Mizibrocky from Alberta, Canada. Checked in at 11:00. Cubana leases planes and some crew from Transair an Irish company. Met Nick and Vickie Blaisdell from Durango, Colorado and then Mike Shields a Scot pub owner of the Plow and Harrow in Burlington, Ontario. Took off late at about 2:00 in an Airbus 320 seat 1F. Flew down the east coast of the US to Cienfuego. Dave Skup, ½ Cuban and ½ American sat next to me and owns a travel company in Cuba. Our large group plus Manuel a Portugese Canadian had a riotous time. I drank 3 Cristal beers and 2 red wines with dinner of shrimp, salad, cheese, crackers, chicken, rice, green beans, cream tart and lots of great Swiss chocolate (Lintz). Flew from Cienfuego to Havana. We shuttled to another terminal and tried to check in. They said our trip was cancelled. We were in a tizzy for over an hour trying to arrange buses, other flights, contact MacQueens, etc. Suddenly everything was okay asnd we were hustled on the flight to Santiago. I sat between a drunk black Cuban drinking rum and who lit up a cigar which caused a minor furor and a Danish music teacher named Anker Rasmussen. We exchanged Email and Web addresses. He writes music and sells it from his site. We arrived about 11:00 pm and were met by Kristen and Danny MacQueen. Bused about 40 minutes outside Santiago to the east along the coast to our cottage hotel Hacienda del Indio on a small bay. Jimmy and I are in cabin #1 which is very nice. We had a beer and sandwich on the beach then went to bed at 1:30 am.

January 18, 2000 Tuesday Bike towards Guantanamo Bay

Got up at 6:35 and started sorting out my gear. 7:15 breakfast of ham omellette, orange and grapefruit slices, bread, butter and hot milk. Our hotel is beautiful located on a small coastal bay with a beach, pool, cabins and several other buildings. At 8:00 I got outfitted with my bike a Rocky Mountain hybrid Canadian bike by Danny. At 10:00 we biked about 3 miles to the main road and then right mostly along the coast about 35 km to near Guantanamo Bay. We turned around and biked back to the Coastal Moreno Hotel for a buffet lunch. Very nice. Bill Spangler, Bill Sneeringer, Danny MacQueen, Abigail Moralles (a Cuban professional cyclist) and I biked back from lunch. Everyone else bused back. I totaled 72 km (44.1 miles) because I did some back tracking and side trips. We stopped at an art colony where Sneeringer bought an oil painting for $30. We were climbing a long steep hill when Danny raised his front wheel and continued up as fast as the rest of us. I would see him do this many times during the next two weeks. Had a beer then showered and did laundry by hand. Going to a baseball game





in Santiago who plays Havanna. It cost $20 for food, drinks and everything. We bused to the game in a stadium of about 30,000 people. We were right on the field by 1st base. We were talking to the players, coaches and umpires. They were getting a kick out of us. The play was very high caliber. Havana squeezed out a run in the 3rd inning and the score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the 8th when the Santiago 3rd baseman from the national team hit a line shot 2 run home run to left field. That was the ballgame. At the end of the 5th inning a small young lady with a silver tray came out and served the umpires what looked like bottles of beer and shots of rum. There was a large band that rang cow bells, beat a drum and something that made a ringing sound. Jimmy broke the back of his seat. We had unlimited beer, rum and mix. Quite a happening. Found out later that we were on TV. Got back to our hotel late and went to bed about 12:15.

January 19, 2000 Wednesday Bike Santiago to Chivirico

Got up at 6:20. Breakfast of vegetable omellette and hot milk at 7:30. We bused through Santiago and stopped at a square where the Pope spoke and Fidel Castro often gives speeches. The area is really big on Castro as it is where the revolution started. Everything in Cuba is rationed. Children and old people get beef rations but others don't get any. You need a permit to stay in Havana for more than 15 days. Started biking at the top of a hill that dropped down to the sea where we followed the shore all day. The mountains come right down to the sea. We had a picnic lunch of chicken, salad, gatorade and bananas on the beach. Although it was chilly in the morning, it got pretty hot biking with a warm head wind. Biked into the Hotel Galleonis in Chivirico room 401 at 2:00 after 65 km (40.5 miles). The hotel is beautiful setting on top of a hill with a harbor on one side and the sea on the other 3 sides. Climbing up the hill to the hotel must have been a 20% grade because my front wheel wanted to come off the ground. I had to lean over the handlebars. The hotel is all inclusive including drinks. When our luggage arrived, I changed into shorts and took a dip in the pool. About 4:30 snacks of meatballs, sandwiches, cookies and other desserts were served. Showered and did laundry by hand. 7:30 supper of seafood, vegetables, rice, soup, salad, ice cream, coconut custard pie and wine. Had some Irish Cream after dinner then to bed at 10:30. The group is coming together and personalities emerging. There are our guides Kristen MacQueen and brother Danny MacQueen from Prince Edward Island in Canada. Cuban guides Jesus M Garcia from Havanna and Brian aka Yaroslav Delgado from Santiago. Cuban drivers Papayu with 5 kids with 5 women from Santiago and Norje from Havana. Riders are:

1.	Dan McQueen	60	Retired
2.	Jimmy Huelskamp	64	Retired
3.	Bill Sneeringer	67	Retired
4.	Bill Spangler	64	Retired
5.	Jim Smith	65	Retired
6.	Les Ansel	55	Psychologist
7.	Bill Tashlick	72	Retired
8.	Jim Pickett		Spanish Teacher
9.	Herman Heyn	62	Astronomer
10.	Bill Kennedy	68	Anestheologist
11.	Jan Taft *
12.	Nick Blaisdell *	56	Potter
13.	Vickie Blaisdell	42	Pottery Painter
14.	Don Keith	68	Retired
15.	Doug Perkins	78	Ret Hospital Admin
16.	Sean Sleeth	35	Doctor
17.	Lisa Douglas	37	Attorney
18.	Connie Camp	28	Lawyer
19.	Nancy Klitsner	about 40	Fitness Director
20.	Mike Shields	late 60s	Plow & Harrow Pub
21.	Bill Sears	about 50	Wheat Farmer
22.	Trudy Mizibrocky	late 40s
	* Sister and brother

January 20, 2000 Thusday Bike Chivirico to Portillo

Got up at 7:06. Ate breakfast of orange juice and vegetable omellette. Decided to ride through so I threw my stuff together and was ready by 9:30. Danny MacQueen wanted my photo on his bike. Biked out about 9:40 with Bill Sears. We rode together for about an hour and a half. I stopped at noon on a nice beach under a shade tree for lunch of pineapple, guava and ham and cheese sandwich. Took off and soon passed Bill having lunch under a tree. Got into some mountains after riding the shore for many miles. Passed a roadblock and a huge bull right next to the road. When I came out of the mountains to the beach, I met a man with 3 sons 3, 10 and 12 who were fishing. I bought a conch shell from the 10 year old. The 12 year old wanted to sell me some fish. I gave each boy a power bar. I talked with them for about 15 minutes and some Spanish came back to me. Biked into the Hotel Carillo del Caribe room 419 in Portillo about 3:15 after 110 km (68.2 miles). All inclusive, very big and nice overlooking the water. Drank several beers by the pool until everyone arrived about 5:10. Showered and went back to the bar by the pool with everyone until 8:00 buffet supper with red wine $1.75. Went below the pool for music and dancing. Came up about 10:00 by the pool to watch the lunar eclipse. Looked at Saturn and the moon through Herman Heyn's telescope. Went to bed at 11:15.

January 21, 2000 Friday Bike to Manzanillo

Got up at 6:25 for another beautiful day. Buffet breakfast at 7:30. At 8:30 bused down the beach to Pilon then over the mountain where we unloaded. Biked to the water and followed the coastline with some headwind. Bill Spangler, Nancy Kitsner and I got lost in Media Luna (Half Moon) and ended up meeting everyone coming the other way. Stopped in Campechuela for lunch in a stadium. Lunch was grapefruit, pineapple, tangerine, chicken sandwich and mango juice. About a hundred kids 12 - 14 showed up and were waiting for Danny MacQueen. He went out on the baseball diamond and jumped over Kristen and a kid. He then did a few stands and flips on front and back wheels. I talked to the kids who were very nice. Cycled on to Manzanillo where we stoped and loaded on the bus to Guayamo. Cycled about 82 km (50.8 miles). Arrived at Hotel Sierra Maestra (same name as the mountain range) room 430 at 3:30 in Guayamo. Had a Cristal beer for $.95. Our luggage arrived about 4:10. Showered, shaved and washed clothes in the sink. Had another $.95 Cristal beer in the lobby. Bused to Casa de Trova for Cuban music and dance. Bought a tape $6 and a beer $1.50 plus $1 tip for the band. Walked to pelidar Sagttaris for supper of pork steak, rice and beans, bananas and wine for $10. Bused back to hotel and bed at 10:35.

January 22, 2000 Saturday Bike Bayamo to Las Tunas

Got up at 6:30. 7:15 breakfast of orange juice, and vegetable omellette (pickles and lettuce?) . Bused out of town. Biked along flat farmland with rice, sugarcane, vegetables, etc. Slight wind but basically easy riding.Rode with Sean Sleeth most of the way. Started biking about 9:05 and got into Las Tunas and lunch about 12:05 after 82 km (50.8 miles). Lunch of orange soda, tomatoes and beef sandwich. Bused into Camaguay and the Horizontes Hotel Camaguay room 105 about 3:30. Ate an ice cream in Las Tunas which was delicious and drank 2 Bucanero beers on the bus for $2. Showered and did laundry by hand. Had a ham and cheese sandwich $3 and Mayabe beer $1. 7:00 dinner of salad, beans and rice, fish, bread, cake and rice pudding. Band playing $1. Cuba is about 1000 miles long. Sheep with no wool look like goats. Papayu has 4 kids by 4 different women. The weather is warm. Comfortable in short sleeve shirts. The wind tends to dry you out and the sun is hot. Went to bed at 10:00.

January 23, 2000 Sunday Bike Florida to Ciego de Avila

CDR - Communist Defense of the Revolution an organization on every street. Got up at 6:10. 7:00 breakfast of bread, butter, pineapple juice, vegetable omellette, potato, grapefruit, orange and cold milk. Bused out about 8:30 to Florida. Got on bikes at 9:37. Had a slight tailwind, smooth road and flat so we flew. Bill Spangler and I rode together most of the day. Stopped at a roadside restaurant for 2 orange drinks for $1. It was the 1st we had seen in Cuba. 1 km down the road we stopped after 75 km (46.5 miles) for lunch of red snapper, rice, cake and orange drink. Bused to the Zaza Hotel outside Sancti Spiritus but it was full. Had a Mayabe beer $1 then bused into town and the Los Laureles Hotel cottage 21. Had a Tinima beer $.85 in a bottle. Not bad. Showered and did laundry by hand. Sat by the pool until 7:00 supper of tomatoes , carrots, beets, orange, banana, lamb stew, rice, strawberry ice cream and Cristal beer. Came back to room about 9:15. I am collecting names, addresses, phone numbers and Email addresses. Bread, meat and other staples are rationed. Went to bed at 9:35.

January 23, 2000 Monday Bus Sancti Spiritus to Santa Clara

Woke up at 6:15 to rain. It rained all day off and on, sometimes heavily. 8:15 breakfast of pineapple juice, cold milk, hot butter bread and omellette with ham. Loaded on buses and drove to downtown Sancti Spiritus and an old arched bridge built in 1522. Went into a ration (we thought Brian was saying Russian) store where 5 lbs of rice was 24 centavos ($.01) and sugar was 8 centavos per pound. Actually they had none and wouldn't until the 29th of the month when everyone lines up to get their monthly rations. Brian our guide gets 5 pounds of rice, 3 eggs, no beef, etc per month. All food is rationed. Obviously it is not enough to live on so there is a thriving black market. It is run by the people responsible for distributing the rationed food. Cuba has 3 currencies. The Cuban peso officially valued at 21 pesos per US dollar. The Cuban dollar officially valued at $1 per US dollar and the US dollar. Only persos can be spent at the ration stores. Only Cuban and US dollars can be spent in tourist stores. All tourists must get US dollars to spend in Cuba. Cubans have to buy on the large black market at much higher prices to survive. A Cuban saying: "Cuba has no trash because it has no trash". Bused to Santa Clara and the Horizontes Las Canayes Hotel room F1. The hotel is a series of thatched roof round huts with six rooms per hut in a circle. 12:15 lunch of water, fish, rice, French fries and chocolate ice cream. Walked around downtown Santa Clara. Pretty prosperous city. Bought a 3 peso coin with Che Guevara on it for $1. Bought it from a deaf mute man, while a lady vehemently protested that I was being cheated. Went to the bar by the pool and had 2 Mayabe beers for $2 and a ham and cheese sandwich for $2. 7:30 dinner buffet of cheese soup, salad, fish and lamb, rice, and beans, Cristal beer and desserts. Tocayo (toe ki' you) means same name.

January 25, 2000 Tuesday Bike Santa Clara to Remedio

Got up at 6:45. 7:30 breakfast of pineapple juice, 2 eggs, fish sticks, pancakes, sticks?, orange, grapefruit and cold milk. Took pictures of the whole group. Biked from the hotel through Santa Clara and into the coun try. Rode with Danny MacQueen and Jesus Garcia out front of everyone. We were playing and having fun. Biked into Remedio after 55 km (34.1 miles). It's a nice town of 20,000 that is painted and well maintained. We hung around and bought soft ice cream cone for 1.50 pesos (about 7 ½ ; cents). Waited until everyone was in. Loaded buses and bused the 40 km causeway to Cayo Santa Maria. Ate lunch of pork, fries, rice, Bruja (witch) beer $1 and Lagarta (lizard) beer $1. Took pictures from restaurant tower and one with Kristen and Danny (tocayo). Walked along the beach. Herman Heyn went swimming in his underwear. He took them off and put them on his head. Some of the ladies got them and played keep away. The shorts then got lost in the surf and finally showed up about 5 minutes later. Everyone got a big kick ouy of it. Bused back to Santa Clara and Che's memorial which was closed. Took pictures and returned to the hotel about 5:40. Showered, shaved and washed clothes by hand. As I got out of the shower, a maid insisted on coming in to put decorative towels on the beds. I had to wait for her to arrange the towel in a swan shape with a towel around my waist until she finished. 7:00 supper of salad, soup, pork, chicken, beans and rice, Cristal beer and vanilla pudding. Gave $1 to musicians. Went to the bar for a Mayabe beer $1. Every restaurant had musicians and they usually played "Guantanamara" and "Black Tears".

January 26, 2000 Wednesday Biked Santa Clara to Trinidad

Got up at 6:36. Packed up and went to breakfast of juice, scrambled eggs, several sticks and milk. Bused into the mountains. Biked through the mountains to a killer hill of about 3 miles and fairly steep. We went across some flat and then up a very steep hill about a mile and a quarter. I was in my granny gear the whole way. Probably a 15% grade or more. Biked into Les Presidio for a lunch of chicken, rice, potatoes, bread, butter, grapefruit, oranges and orange drink. It was supposed to be all downhill to Trinidad after lunch but had several steep hills to go over. Stopped at a crossroads once out of the mountains and talked to a Cuban geography teacher who told me all the lakes, rivers and provinces of Canada. Also talked to a Brit from Blackpool. Biked into Trinidad and over about 15 blocks of rough bone jarring cobblestone to the Las Cuevas (The Caves) Hotel room C1 on a hill overlooking town after 51km (32.2 miles). Drank a Cristal for $2. Showered. Bill Sneeringer, Jimmy Huelskamp and I walked downtown. Stopped at a sidewalk cafe near the cathedral for 2 Cristal beers for $3 plus $1 for the band. Walked around town as it got dark looking into many homes. Everyone had color TV and the insides were neat and clean. Got back to the hotel at 7:00 for supper of tomatoes, deviled eggs, bread, butter, grapefruit, orange, goat, pork, mashed potatoes, rice and beans (Christians and Moors), caramel custard, cake and water. Everyone is sick (over half) with throwing up and diahhrea. Sneeringer and I checked on Spangler who was very sick. Washed socks and went to bed at 10:00.

January 27, 2000 Thursday Bike Around Trinidad

Got up at 6:10. 7:30 breakfast of egg omellette, bread, butter, sweet rolls and orange juice. 8:30 bused to a hotel on a peninsula with a white beach (Brian sounds like wet bitch). Biked back to Trinidad against the wind. Biked in a group with Connie. She told me about her mother who hiked Mt Kilimanjaro and Everest to about 25,000'. She owns a fashion consulting business. Biked to a tall tower which we climbed for $1. Biked about 37 km (24.8 miles) against the wind. Bused back to Trinidad and Las Cuevas Hotel for lunch of spaghetti, beer, soup, salad, bread, butter and ham. Bused downtown and walked around. Bill Tashlick was very sick and we stopped at a clinic where he received an IV for about 2 hours. He was feeling better so we got underway about 5:30 for the 200 km drive to the Playa Largo Hotel cabin 27 about 8:40. Supper of bread, butter, salad, soup, chicken, fish, spaghetti, cabbage, rice and caramel cake with Sean Sleeth, Lisa Douglas and Nancy Klitsner. Showered and went to bed at 10:30.

January 28, 2000 Friday Bike Bay of Pigs

Mike Shields' bike bag with money, passport, etc disappeared last night at supper. 12 police interrogated Papayu, Norje, Brian and Jesus for several hours during the night. Bill Tashlick had picked it up but didn't check when Kristen called and asked him if he had it last night. Bill Spangler's 2nd lost camera mysteriously showed up last night after a couple of days missing , delivered by an unknown Cuban. Got up at 6:10. 7:30 breakfast of egg, toast, pancakes, orange juice, grapefruit and oranges. Biked out of hotel about 9:45 along the shore of the Bay of Pigs about 35 km to Buena Caleta where we visited the museum on the battle site. Bill Spangler and I biked back and caught Vickie Blaisdell and lead her into the Pescada Cuevas (Fish Caves) $1. After visiting the caves, Bill and I continued on and caught Mike Shields who biked with us into the hotel about 12:00 after 72 km (44.6 miles). Had a Cristal beer $1.15 on the beach and talked to an Englishman from Bristol scuba diving around Cuba. 1:00 lunch of pork, fries, rice, salad and Cristal beer. Showered. 2:30 luggage pickup and bused to Matanza (home of Elian the Cuban boy in Miami) and the Casa del Valle Hotel (house of Batista's commanding general) arriving about 5:30. We had stopped for gas and I had a Mayabe beer $.85. We were in room 10 but got switched to room 5A sharing a bathroom with Smitty and Les Ansel. Drank 2 Mayabe beers $2 by the pool and ate some garlic corn puffs $1. 7:30 supper of Polar beer, bread and butter, cabbage and tomatoes, fruit cocktail, chicken, fries, rice and sweet coconut with cheese. I have a sinus problem that's starting to cause some congestion. Nick and Vickie Blaisdell's 19 year old son suffered a ruptured pancreas so they are flying out in the morning. Went to bed at 10:15.

January 29, 2000 Saturday Bike Matanza to Santa Cruz del Norte

Got up at 6:34. Packed up and went to 7:30 breakfast of pineapple juice, egg, toast, and butter. Biked out of the hotel about 5 km to the highway and headed west with a good tailwind. Stopped at a roadside stop and Bill Spangler got an ice cream bar. I was riding alone and cruising. Passed Mike Shields and Nancy Klitsner. Linked up with 2 Cuban cyclists and we turned off the highway through Santa Cruz del Norte. Separated from the Cubans in town and talked to 2 Swiss cyclists who directed me along the beach road to the Horizontes Tropicoco Hotel room 417 in Santa Cruz del Norte. Arrived about 11:00 after 70 km (43.4 miles). Had an orange soda $1 with Sean. Walked across the street and had a beer $1 with Nancy and Mike in the hotel bar. Everyone arrived and we had a 12:30 meeting followed by a buffet lunch. Jimmy and others went to Havanna but I stayed because of sinus drainage. Shaved and showered. Buffet supper in the hotel. Bused into Havanna to the Tropicana $65. The show ran from 10:00 - 11:30 with 200 dancers and singers. It was a lot of noise and costumes in a big production. The dancing wasn't that good. 3 guys did acrobatics on a pole that was quite good. The Tropicana is an open air theater in a garden with many lighted fountains. Went to bed about 1:00 am.

January 30, 2000 Sunday Bike to Velodrome in Pan American Village

Got up at 6:10 and packed up. Buffet breakfast at 7:30. Biked out of the hotel as a group at 8:15. Biked into the Pan American Games Village and the velodrome after 20 km (12.4 miles). Made a circuit of the track while a Cuban bicycle team circled us higher on the track. Many kids received us with songs, dances, speeches, etc. Very nice ceremony. I am totally wiped because of a fever. We received sports drinks and flowers and kisses from the kids. Bused around Havanna and to lunch of red snapper, rice and ice cream at D'Giovanni's. Bused around some more and then to the Hotel Pan Americano room 217 in the Pan American Village near Havanna. I slept the whole time on the bus. Ate a buffet supper at 7:00 in the hotel and went to bed at 8:00. Everyone else went to a pelidar in Havanna that was very good.

January 31, 2000 Monday Fly Havanna to Toronto to Baltimore

Got up at 4:00 and packed up. Loaded on buses for the 40 minute ride to the airport. Checked in and paid the airport tax of $20. Took off at 7:25 on Cubana flight 182 seat 3C. Landed in Cienfuego and then off to Toronto. Landed about 12:30 and cleared Canadian customs. Went through American customs and were pulled aside because we had been to Cuba. My guy wasn't bad, detaining me about 10 minutes. He went through my checked bag half heartedly and copied my passport and boarding pass. Sneeringer and Smitty had a rough time with a woman who detained them about an hour. They had all their purchases confiscated. Everyone got a little different treatment. I was told I would receive a letter from the State Department saying not to do it again. Boarded our Air Canada flight 1436 about 4:45 and flew home arriving at BWI at 6:15. Pat Huelskamp broke her shoulder so Anne and I drove Jimmy home. We arrived home about 8:00.