taco's & toucan's travels ~ 2019

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DAY 42

Week 6

CIENFUEGOS (Cienfuegos, CUB) to HAVANA (La Habana, CUB)

Thursday April 25^th, 2019

TODAYS MILEAGE – 193 miles / 311 kilometres

TRIP MILEAGE – 17,723 miles / 28,522 kilometres

Today’s scheduled highlight was a drive out to the area made infamous by the failed CIA backed Cuban exile armed Bay Of Pigs Invasion. More expressly it was the Museo Giron, where the Cubans have created a museum proclaiming the victory over the “CIA supported bandits”.

To be honest, I struggled with the visit due to the seemingly one sided commentary, that lays the blame for the Bay Of Pigs armed action squarely at the feet of the United States. Contrastingly, history has shown the Soviet superpower was pulling strings and supplying arms and intelligence from the shadows, but the only mention of any Russian influence was that of students manning newly delivered Soviet artillery weapons during the action.

The adage of “to the victor goes the spoils” and “the conquerer writes their own history” seems to hold some sway with a few sites I've visited so far, but Cuba is certainly not alone in the that endeavour.

Just after 11 we pulled up at the oceanside facility of Caleta Buena, where for $15 USD you get a buffet lunch and a free drinks selection of 4 cocktails, tap Cristal cervezas, soft drinks and bottled water.

It was looking to be 3 hours of my life I’d love to get back, as I’m so not a big fan of lying out on a sun bed or snorkelling along with numerous busloads of other quickly burning "rock lobster rubber-neckers".

But after updating my blog and partaking in a pretty ordinary buffet lunch, I grabbed my camera and wandered off around the pocket bay, that makes up the site and I’m sure glad I did.

I found a decent sized cenote (sink hole/rock pool) that measured about 20 metres (60 feet) in diameter, where you could swim with a large amount colourful tropical reef fish.

A 3½ hour bus ride into the nation’s capital – Havana, saw us arrive back in my original casa from a fortnight ago - Casa Reyna, but not before stopping at the road sign announcing our arrival in Australia. Why yes, there is a settlement named Australia, which is somewhat unique as all other Cuban towns were named by the Spanish, except for Cienfuegos, which was named by the French Haitian immigrants.

After a quick freshen up and getting some laundry sorted, it was a few drinks at El Chanchullero with my roomie Derek, before dinner at D’Next Bar & Cafeteria with the crew, where I had my first Cuban double meat patty burger, with the lot, including two fried eggs ….. and it was all sorts of ooiest-gooiest awesomeness.