Day 28: Pinar del Rio

I get up and my hosts Yoandry and Elena have prepared a delicious lunch for me. To thank them I give a Fast123 sweater to their little boy named David. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo because he was still sleeping this morning. Yoandry would like to buy my bicycle on my last day. We agreed on a price and he will meet me at the airport in a week to pick up my bike. He will give it to his son for his birthday on January 22. I can't wait to see if he will show up on the agreed date and time because he has to borrow a car to meet me at the airport. I leave Viñales with joy, because I don't like cities crowded with tourists. Viñales is certainly a beautiful little town, but yesterday I ate a sandwich at 50 Cup ($2 Usd) which is very expensive at the prices I'm used to paying, almost 5 times more expensive. The Cuban atmosphere is not there either. I can't wait to get to the town of Pinar del Rio. The road is beautiful....again. I was taking a picture of Che Guevara when a Cuban asks me if I have a light. I take out the package bought two days ago. I chat with him for a bit and we wish each other a happy new year and he kisses me on the cheek. More beautiful landscapes. I visit the Pinar baseball stadium in Rio, it is magnificent. Here is a little 11 second film that I made with the help of my Cuban accomplice. Link https://youtu.be/XkWNlPOhFAs Today is New Year's Eve and it's Sunday. Who says Sunday means that life stops to allow people to rest. A tradition that is lost here with incessant consumption! The streets are deserted. Shops close at noon. I find myself a nice room on the third floor of a house. I rest on my private balcony. Here is my route for the day. Only 34 kilometers. Watch my bike ride on Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1335141602/shareable_images/map_based?hl=fr-FR&v=1514749315 In the evening, I enjoy the most popular attraction of all Cuban cities : the Coppelia creamery. This is the place where you can enjoy a good ice cream at a ridiculous price. Here is my gigantic portion. How much do you think I paid??? Only 9 Cup or 45 Canadian cents. Then I'm going to go to a video game center. I take a small juice of fruta bomba at 1 cup or 5 cents. The prices here are really very low. I asked my hosts for the day if it was possible to wash my clothes. Of course they said yes. How much is it? It's free see!!! The lady kindly washed my clothes and put them on the clothesline for $0. When I went to get my clothes at the end of the day I gave 3 Cuc. The lady was happy... The evening begins, the streets come alive. I'm going to go for a walk sometime with my mask on. Finally, the streets are quieter than I thought... The countdown is on, the men on fire. For many years in Cuba it has been a tradition to throw gallons of water out the window. A custom that would prevent the arrival of a period of drought in the country. A way to throw the old year out the window and start fresh. Happy New Year 2018 David Beauchesne Www.fast123.ca To follow me on Facebook