WEDNESDAY 2nd

Another fabulous morning and once again the rowers are out in the bay taking advantage of the calm sea. A lot of guests are departing today, some like us heading for Santa Clara a village set in the sugar cane fields, before we head north to the beach resort of Varadero. Santa Clara is also the resting place of Che Guevara so no doubt the day will be dedicated to him.

Humberto is not feeling very well today and we cheered him up by having a karaoke session at 9.30 in the morning, all of us completely out of tune. I went to put a bag of toiletries on Mary Jane’s seat and observed Enrique rocking with laughter. I warned everyone that he was having hysterics and doubted he would be able to drive if we continued singing. As Mary Jane boarded the coach she too lost it!

As we moved off Mary Jane taught us a new war cry 'Hasta La Victoria Siempre' a phrase we would come across later in the day.

Normality returned after our chant and we made our first stop by a railway line to visit an armoured car, a sort of museum place. Using several wagons that had allegedly been derailed along with a flat truck wagon holding a machine gun we were able to look at photographs and information concerning this event. The person responsible for the display had used his imagination by using concrete posts instead of rails and assembling them in the form of a modern sculpture to depict the blown up track. Personally I was more interested in the street life as I watched horses pulling carts of different shapes and sizes full of local people and classic cars passing by the colourful houses.

Next stop on a hillside on the outskirts of Santa Clara was Che's Mausoleum. It took Enrique a couple of turns around the roundabout before he remembered which turn off to take. We were not allowed to take any personal belongings with us and silence was asked for as we entered the vault where the remains of Che Guevara and his close fellow fighters were laid to rest. Beautifully presented with a wall of round plaques of their faces and names along with single orange gladioli stems hanging between the plaques and at the end of the room in front of an indoor garden an eternal flame.

Across the marble entrance was a museum again with signs in English so it made it more interesting for us. Cabinets held lots of his personal items including watch, pistol and Zenit camera. We saw black and white photos of his life in the Congo as well as Bolivia. We learnt his wife was still alive and living in Havana along with some of his surviving children, all now leading normal lives.
I retrieved my camera from the coach and returned to an area outside the Mausoleum where two bright red trees were in bloom. Among the crowd waiting to visit the shrine was Castro’s double which Mary Jane found very spooky.

Lunch stop was again in the countryside at a complex of small thatched rooms and a swimming pool currently being used by a family where the young children were have a whale of a time. As the dining room was busy we all adjourned to the bar, Mary Jane settling down on a sunbed whilst we let the men queue for our cocktails. Excellent Pina Coladas and Mojitos but before we could finish them Humberto called us in for lunch, still it saved ordering another drink with our meal. We got quite excited at seeing bananas on display for the first time despite the number of banana trees we have seen on our travels.

On the move again it was suggested we have a siesta as the countryside is a little boring. Christine had trouble reclining her seat so as I pressed the button for her she leant back. A lot of laughter as she shot backwards and her little legs flew into the air. (I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t let me help her again.) So many laughs and inuendos again especially about our drinking habits I said we were becoming SAGA louts, a new phrase to everyone except Keith and I. Even Mary Jane had not heard it used before. The scenery was far from boring as we passed a camel bus and more horse drawn carriages, not to mention a sugar cane factory with steam pouring out of it at ground level, the middle and out of the huge chimney. What a pity we couldn’t make a stop to see it in operation. In one village it was really stepping back in time as most of the taxies were horses pulling black hooded carriages large enough to carry two people.

Time for another Pina Colada stop by the ‘great wall of Cuba’, but nothing like China just a low continuous orange/yellow rock wall going on for some distance. Absolutely amazing Monica was on the ball today stating in Santa Clara that there should be a Che cocktail and that it should pack a punch but only after a struggle. (I later looked in my book and there is a 'Rebel Daiqui'i the extra ingredient being Creme de Menthe to give it the olive green hue of the Cuban Armed Force’s uniform and was created in 1959.) We found this PP stop was the zoo - thought it looked familiar as we pulled into the parking area.

We arrived late afternoon in Varadero which Mary Jane said wasn’t worth visiting. This area isn’t really Cuba but looks nice all the same. Reaching the 'Melia' hotel we all said our farewells to Humberto and Enrique and when it was my turn Humberto hugged me tightly and whispered “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” in my ear. My response was “Once more for luck!” It was nice he remembered the incident in Los Terrazas. They have been such a good team and is hopeful Mary Jane they will all work together very soon, like the next trip leaving Gatwick on the 13th.

We have 4 nights at the ‘Melia Varadero’ all inclusive and hadn’t expected it to be a big as it is. Our room is 3201 with a view to the back and if I lean over the balcony I can see the outdoor games area and the open air theatre with the sea in the distance. The hotel is built in a circle with 7 wings leading off the centre and designed so there are no adjacent rooms however noises do echo around the corridors.

Cocktails in the cafe bar at 6.30pm. 7pm we wandered to the dining room where once again Mary Jane had arranged for us to sit at one large table. (I don’t know how she does it – I do really it’s her charming manner, especially with the men!) Seating was awkward when Ellen came along with only one seat available in the centre so Ken, her husband, went to the empty seat at the end of the table. We offered to shuffle up a place so she could join him but said “No, Ken doesn’t like a fuss!” The setting was lovely and the food delicious but we felt we could be in any large seaside hotel and feel we are no longer in Cuba. When we think of the limited amount of food available to the Cubans and here in front of us is asparagus soup, a good assortment of fresh fish and meats to be freshly cooked on a grill, and containers of braised meat and no end of variety of vegetables, not to mention the gorgeous desserts and fresh crepes soaked in orange liqueur, it makes me feel guilty. Our waiter was very attentive with the red wine thanks again to Mary Jane and before we left he gave her a flower made out of a white paper napkin which she tucked down the front of her dress. Keith asked if he could smell her flower. “At a price” but he was quick to respond with “I thought we were all inclusive!”