SUNDAY 30th

The sea looks wonderful and there is a lovely blue sky so it could be a great day. Cases out by 8am and as I zipped mine up I discovered one of the seams has split so this case isn’t going to last – our son said it wouldn’t!

We move on towards the south east today to Cienguegos approximately 256 kms from Havana, to explore an area that includes the resting place of Che Guevara so as our journey begins Mary Jane thinks we should have a change of chant from ‘expect the unexpected’ to a Spanish war cry namely :-

El gruppo unido jamas sera venido! (The united group will never be defeated)

This causes a lot of laughter especially from Humberto as we are now encouraged to shout it at various times throughout our stay.

We must have been travelling for some time before we hit the ‘Zoo’ for a Pina Colada stop. It was a large place with souvenir shops, bars and a restaurant plus accommodation and a swimming pool. Mary Jane informed us this was the only place in Cuba where gambling took place -- apparently an old man ran a roulette wheel where a guinea pig was used as the ‘ball’. So we stood at a large round table filled with a circle of little houses, each one having a number. In the centre was another house on a wheel into which the guinea pig was placed. After a couple of turns the house was removed and the guinea pig encouraged to run into one of the houses. Surprisingly it went to one of the vacant houses so the stall holder took our money and kept the prize of a bottle of rum!

Wandering around the grounds it was hardly a zoo but a collection of birds and animals synonymous to the region. Turkeys, chickens, and their chicks, were allowed to roam free along with a few bulls. In one cage we felt sorry for the little crocodile that had no water in its small pool, but aahed at the tree rats, one of which was eating its way through a pile of fresh leaves. Others oohed and aahed at the rabbits and the number of babies that lazed in the sunshine.

The temperature was now 29C and we were to take lunch in the open air restaurant where once again we were serenaded with Latin American music. The singer was also a great comedian and had us all laughing about famous people he personally knew in the UK. Camilla, David Cameroon (as he called him) had both invited him but he couldn’t go as he was also a friend of Gordon Brown. Asking if anyone came from Wales he ended his repertoire that he was the one who gave the composer the lyrics to the song ‘Green Green Grass of Home.’

Another excellent lunch and leaving the Finca we came to a large Engine Shed. As Enrique slowed down we asked for a photo stop, a few getting out of the coach to take a better look. The man inside the complex invited some of the men to take a closer look, Keith being one of them. The engines appeared to have come from different parts of the world and were undergoing massive renovation when most of them would be used to transport sugar cane from the fields to the factories. Keith was thrilled to have been able to go onboard one of the old engines.

Our journey was across flat land of sugar cane, citrus fruit and potatoes but there was plenty of bird life, egrets and vultures being easily observed. There was allegedly several animals but we only seemed to see horse drawn carts and bulls!

As we reached the Caribbean Sea we caught our first glimpse of the ‘Bay of Pigs’ famous for the unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Castro’s government, an event heralded as the first defeat of imperialism on Latin American soil. The bay actually got its name when Bucaneers used to trade in pigs but became greedy and so started the days of Pirating. The narrow roads in this region being nearly as bad as the roads in our area - full of pot holes!

We made a brief stop at a War Museum with an aeroplane and a couple of tanks standing in the gardens. In the two exhibition halls walls were covered with photos of scenes from the battle with America and in cabinets items of clothing and personal effects from some of those killed were displayed. It was nice to note that the information in the cabinets was also in English. Some of the others lingered in the Museum so Keith and I, along with Tony, went walkabout, the men stopping for a mojito whilst I had hoped to reach the sea. Despite walking quite briskly I could see time was not going to allow me to walk so far from our coach.

Back on the coach for the final leg of our journey to the ‘Hotel Jagua’ in Ciengfuegos, but unfortunately some distance from the city centre, although it was on the waterfront. Once again Mary Jane warned us of the sub standard of the hotel, doors and cupboards could be falling off, lights may or may not work and once again should we have a sink plug could she have it? She would also like us to sit together in the restaurant but that depended on who was in charge. If it was the man – no problem, but if it was the woman – no chance! She suggested we had cocktails at 6.30 on the jetty just past the swimming pool. Bring your own rum if you have any and coke and the plastic cup that we were currently having our welcome drink in! Oh and by the way there was no guarantee there would be water in the pool.

Room keys handed out we were in 208 which again was clean and comfortable. We had a lovely sunset tonight with a view of the unfinished and abandoned nuclear reactor on the horizon which the locals refer to as the ‘Mosque’. The cocktail party went really well but as 7pm approached we headed for the restaurant leaving Mary Jane in charge of the left over bottles of rum – we had drunk all the coke!

Already a big queue had formed in front of the glass doors but when they were opened everyone had to stand aside to let the SAGA group in first. Well done Mary Jane who joined us tonight at our table for 4! We hadn’t finished our meal or cocktails so she left us and a French couple living just outside Paris asked if they may sit at our table. We chatted whilst I finished my drink the lady asking if we had been the party by the jetty and stating that her group would never do anything like that unfortunately. I had already noted that they were not welcome to sit at the table set for 8 people.Their group are staying for 2 nights so perhaps we could dine together tomorrow they asked.

Mary Jane had told us about the 90 year old lady, Carmen ? who wears a turban and very heavy makeup, especially lipstick, whilst playing the piano and singing in a building across the road. We should really go and hear her so we did! Both she and the piano were totally out of tune and she hopes to sell her CD! However she loves men so be warned. We couldn't linger as she was entertaining guests in the dining room so made our way up the marble staircase before climbing the outside spiral staircase leading to the roof top bar still laughing at Carmen. It was a cold blustery wind and although some people were huddled in a few of the sheltered places we felt it was far too cold to stay.

Returning to our hotel lobby bar we were in time to take a seat to watch 6 guitarists of all ages perform some wonderful music, and would have happily paid good money to listen to a concert by them, but by 9pm they were on their way out of the hotel. As usual we stayed and chatted to John and Esme who are the youngest in our group and still have a few years to go before they retire.