Travel Story: Egle Gerulaityte - cuba
The Rum and the Octane
Cuba is the size of Italy: even though I wanted to
see as much as possible, I only had three weeks to
explore the island. Travelling in Cuba is easy,
though: finding accommodation is easy, the food is
absolutely glorious, and the rum, absurdly cheap.
flats and rooms for rent, are easy to find; the people
are always happy to help with directions and
recommendations, and traveling around Cuba felt
effortless.
The most scenic roads along the ocean were from
Baracoa to Santiago and Santiago to Bayamo,
whereas the most spectacular mountain vistas were
around Vinales, Santiago and Trinidad. I have to
confess, I often wished I was on a smaller, lighter
bike: going off on dirt and gravel in the mountains
of Cuba must be ridiculous fun! Although the borders are now open and Havana is
ready for business and tourism, I doubt that Cuba
will soon be overrun by Western backpackers,
adventure riders and holidaymakers: there is no
infrastructure to speak of and there will always be
places few tourists dare to venture into. I hope to
come back to Cuba again, explore its off - road
tracks, and maybe even find Fidel – for certain, this
time!
The quality of the roads in Cuba is questionable, and
it’s best to have a fuel range of about 200 miles:
even though petrol is available in most towns and
villages, sometimes it is barely 83 octane – and I
didn’t want to go lower than 94. Casas particulares, “I have come here to bury the last remnant of the
Cold War in the Americas; the future of Cuba must be
in the hands of the Cuban people.” Time will tell if
everything President Obama said will come true.
ENDS