I
got up with my alarm but was not a willing participant. I hadn't slept well but
hey that's what busses are for. I gathered my things together and went to say
bye to Hernan before grabbing a cab to the bus terminal.

When
I got there it was as I expected. I joined a queue (of 1 person) to basically
be on standby for when they know how many seats they have available to sell. I
am still trying to figure out the system but it really just seems like they
don't like selling tickets until the last minute.

Fortunately
the ticket sales started earlier than I expected and I managed to get one. Once
on the bus I started reading in the hope that I would catch some sleep but
before the sleep came another book was completed and the bus had pulled over to
the side of the road. As is normal, the drivers had decided to stop to grab
some food from a guy in the side of the road. I decided to brave it and grab
some myself in the hope that I don't regret it later. They were also selling homemade
yogurt but I didn't try any of that.

The
landscape around Santiago was full of great mountains with palm trees all over
and this continued until Guantánamo (as much as I saw as I slept a little).
Guantánamo didn’t seem to have much to offer tourists and is actually not very
close to Guantánamo Bay and even if I did get there I doubt I would be able to
see much. I managed to get some more sleep once we left Guantánamo and when I
woke up I had a look out the window and saw a beautifully deep blue ocean and
across it were mountains. There were even a few locals having a swim. The
vegetation had also changed and was now a lot less green and more yellow but
there were still plenty of trees and bushes around. The road made its way
inland and back to the coast a few times providing me with amazing views each
time. When the bus did turn inland to head towards Baracoa we started climbing
some mountains and with that the vegetation changed again. We were again
surrounded by green from trees and shrubs but there were very few palm trees
around this time. The closer we got to Baracoa the more palm trees appeared and
the further into the mountains we got. On a few occasions the drivers got out
for a smoke break and once we even stopped for them to get some fresh fruit
from the people on the side of the road.

Once
in Baracoa the mad house began. Everyone is trying to get you to go to their
casa and use their taxi even if you already have a Casa and its only 2 blocks
away. I found out about bus tickets back to Santiago and then started walking
to my casa. When I got there they gave me some fresh juice and we chatted a bit
before I realised that I'm not actually staying there but rather at a friend's
casa just down the road. I followed them to Casa Isabel where I got a room and
bathroom and another juice (guava this time... I like guava).

Once
settled I went walking around the pueblo and I felt so much more at home and
comfortable here than I did in Santiago de Cuba. I definitely do prefer these
small little places. On my walks I went looking for the Cruz de la Para which
was erected by Christopher Columbus. After passing the point several times and
not seeing it I decided it had been moved and found some back gravel roads to
walk along. These gave me a great view of the port within the bay where I even
found a shipwreck. From here I carried on walking around the point and along
the Malicon and up to Castillo de Seboruco. This used to be a fort overlooking
the city of Baracoa but is now a hotel. After all that walking (actually not
that much) I had a beer next to the pool before heading back down into the
town.

I
walked through the main square and to the Malicon and ended up at the beach.
It's not the greatest looking with grey sand but in the distance the trees seem
to flow onto the beach and the ocean so I think that is where I will go walking
tomorrow. I then returned to the casa for a nap and a shower before grabbing a
beer before dinner.

During
my nap there was a street party for the kids (and lots of music) so I didn't
sleep very well and when I got up I met some other people staying at my casa
and the one next door. They were two German couples travelling together. I
joined them for dinner and plenty of conversation before they went to bed to
prepare for a long day of hiking tomorrow. I grabbed myself a cigar and some
whisky to end my night off on the terrace.

One
thing that I have noticed amongst all the locals is their kindness and
generosity towards each other. For example, when approached by a beggar they
always greet them with a warm smile and have something to give them. It makes
me wonder if this is due to the socialist system or is it just that they have
been brought up in a different way.