Day 9: Santiago de Cuba
I leave Guantanamo around 6:00 am, it's nice to ride in the morning. There is a lot of action in the morning. People get up early to go to work. I meet a Cuban on a bike, he asks me if I carry spare parts for my bike. I tell him yes and that I can't give them now, because I still have two weeks left in Cuba. He asks me for my phone number, I give him my Fast123 business card. He didn't know what to do to join me. In the parks at night I see Cubans with smart phones chatting with friends via video messaging. People who have tablets and computers, but obviously not all Cubans are lucky enough to be able to use the Internet. Access to the network remains quite limited. Access cards can be purchased for $2 Canadian per hour. It is quite expensive for these people. Today is my birthday, on the road I see a sign that reminds me that I am no longer 42 years old. I'm taking a highway for the first time, it's nice. A beautiful day of cycling, I crossed 85 km quite easily today. I was lucky on the ribs! Santiago de Cuba is a big city. Life is intense. Lots of buses, cars. It's not ideal on a bike. I see the place of the revolution. This is a beautiful city. It's hot!! A storm is looming on the horizon... A great evening discovering new places. A man rents bicycles for children. Parents pay 5 cents for the greatest happiness of the children. I use the services of a resourceful internet provider. The connection is not very good. Nice discovery in the streets after seeing a cat attack a dog. It was very funny!!! A beautiful day. Tomorrow I will go along the coast. Be happy when you cycle up a hill, because sooner or later you're going to come back down. David Beauchesne www.fast123.ca