Jesus Menéndez to Manati
60 miles (with some of those lost!)
When I am lying in my bed at night, I can get disheartened. My knees ache and I am over tired and I wonder what I am doing this for. It is sometimes really hard.
But, then the morning comes and my despair dissipates. I suppose that happens to everyone.
With the rising of the sun, I remember why I am here and I jump on my bicycle and am on my way, this time with the added inspiration of finding some food.
I bumped along dirt roads heading towards Puente Padre and was swept up into a parade of of horses, bicycles, mopeds, three-wheeled taxis and buggies all jostling alongside each other, politely passing or giving way, as we pranced around the potholes like a bunch of young fillies.
I was struck by how hard the Cuban people work. Everywhere around me, people were toting heavy bags, hammering in tin roofs, spreading crushed cement, hurrying off to school, or setting up their road side markets. One of the mottos here is “First Work.” I could see it in the spirit of the morning bustle. In the next town, there was still very limited food, but I found a little strawberry ice cream and paired it with one of my protein bars.
It was a good thing too, because from there I turned onto a rural route that stretched through 35 miles of nothing but sugar cane. It was actually rather intense. No cars, no people, no nothing, but a narrow strip of pavement shimmering brightly in front of me as far as the horizon.
When I finally popped out, I found myself in Manatí. A town built on sugar. The homes are simple, wooden structures with identical front stoops, all obviously built to house the sugar mill workers. The non-working mill stands like a huge beamoth it the center.
I asked a passerby where I could find food and lodging and was escorted by bicycle again to both these things.
Now I am fed, showered and rested. My host just served me an enormous plate of the most delicious papaya I have ever had. I have never felt so well cared for anywhere. We have a lot to learn from Cuba.
