From time to time, people who have used Bicycling Cuba on their own tours write to tell us about their experiences. Sometimes they make useful suggestions or point out errors in the text (not too many so far!)  If you're considering a cycle tour to Cuba, be sure to read everything that follows: these are genuine comments from cyclists who have been there!

       Very occasionally we have interjected a comment or explanation. These comments are italicized, in a smaller, distinct font.

Dear Wally and Barbara,

We just returned from an amazing three weeks of cycle touring in Cuba. Your book was very useful to us, thanks! It is still surprisingly accurate. We have some comments/updates that might be useful in the future to readers of your website. We'd appreciate it if you could put these up on the feedback page of your website.

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We flew in and out of Varadero, and cycled Varadero-Havana-Vinales-Cayo Jutias-Puerto Esperanza-Vinales-Pinar del Rio-Maria La Gorda, then took the bus to Cienfuegos and cycled the "Central Cuba Tour" (Cienfuegos-Santa Clara-Remedios-Sanci Spiritus-Trinidad-Rancho Luna), and finished by cycling to Playa Larga and catching the bus back to Varadero. Here are some specific comments about places along those routes. For more information, here's a detailed trip report that we wrote, and also photos.

Flying in and out of Varadero:
- If you need a place to sleep or a place to store bike boxes / gear, you might be able to find a room in the small village of Carboneras. Ride out of the airport for 6km to the main road, cross it and the village is right in front of you. If you ride to the end of the village, there is a blue house on the right - a very friendly local by the name of Alexi cooks excellent meals (he caught the lobster we ate for dinner that morning) and might be able to help you out. Also, we saw the symbols for some casas particulares in Boca Camarioca, a bit further east, but didn't investigate. We had an early morning flight, and spent the night in Carboneras, which was very convient. We cycled to the airport in the dark, but at least it's not a long way, bring lights if you are planning to ride in the dark.

Cycling from Varadero to Havana:
- There are several sections where you can avoid the Via Blanca. The rides through Valle Yumuri and Jibacoa are described in the book, but the detour through the Alamar public housing complex, the coastal road near Guanabo and the old road near the airport in Varadero are also worthwhile. These are described in the Lonely Planet guidebook.

From Havana to Vinales:
- There is at least one illegal casa particular in Cabanas which was very nice.
- There is one casa particular in the tiny village of Palma Rubia (7 families). If they don't have room, they can probably find you a room nearby. We didn't go, but the ferry to Cayo Levise costs 20 CUC and includes lunch. Besides being severely over-priced, we find it deplorable that Cubans are not allowed to go there.
- There are two buses a day from Vinales to Havana, at 8am and 2pm (12 CUC). The first bus continues to Cienfuegos (32 CUC) and Trinidad (37 CUC). There is also a (faster) direct minibus to Cienfuegos (35 CUC) and Trinidad (37 CUC) that leaves at 7am. We were told that the minibus would not have room for our bikes, so we caught the bus, which could easily fit our bikes, standing up in the hold (no dismantling required). We met a cyclist who didn't know about this option and ended up cycling the awfully boring autopista.
- There are hundreds of casas particulares in Vinales, literally every second house appears to have the blue symbol...

Vinales to Cayo Jutias and Puerto Esperanza:
- The ride to Cayo Jutias is magnificent, along the causeway. If you arrive early enough, the staff at the restaurant will prepare you a meal. After they go home there are two guards there and likely no prospects of food. Camping on the beach nearby is excellent, you can leave your bikes with the guards.
- In Puerto Esperanza, we recommend the casa particular belonging to Olga and Florencio, a sweet senior couple. Her full name is Olga Jaime Rodreguez and the address is Amejeira #12, telephone 793803. You can ask to eat lobster there.

Pinar del Rio:
- Riding around, it took us a while to find a casa particular, there don't seem to be that many. We highly recommend Mrs. Sobeida, at Comandante Pinares 102, esquina Agramonte, phone number (48)75-58-66. She is a very homey lady who cooked us a
lobster in wine that was heavenly. The room has a patio looking out over the street.

Riding to Maria La Gorda:
- We tried to find a room in Guane but this proved tough, no one seemed to be interested in renting to us illegaly. Eventually we gave up and cycled to Isabel Rubio (only 4km away) where there is one casa particular. She overcharges, because she knows she's the only casa in the area. Look for Carmen's Casa. It will be one of the first houses on the right hand side, if you are coming from Guane.
- It is feasible to cycle one way to Maria La Gorda and catch a van/minibus/bus the opposite way. The reason you might want to do this is that there is a somewhat mind numbing section of maybe 40-50km until one reaches the coast at La Bajada, and the final 14km are excellent. From Maria La Gorda, apparently there is a bus to Havana every day at 2pm (50 CUC), and most days there is also transportation that goes back to Vinales after the last scuba dive, around 5pm. Depending on how many tourists came from Vinales for the day, it might be a van/minibus/bus. In our case it was a van, but we still managed to get two bikes into the trunk, standing up but with the front wheels removed. It's not for sure that there will be one, or that they will have room for you and the bike, but it's always good to ask. The cost was 20 CUC to Pinar del Rio or 25 CUC to Vinales. We met a cyclist who wanted to do this but was told in Vinales that it was not possible. This is not true.
- At Maria La Gorda, if you do not wish to stay at the hotel with the rest of the tourists, there seem to be at least several illegal casas particulares in La Bajada. The other option, if you have camping gear with you, is to camp on the beach, just beyond the hotel (this is what we did).
- It is now possible to cycle to Cabo San Antonio, it is no longer necessary to get a guide. We didn't do this, but staff at the visitor's center of the park indicated that there isn't much traffic going that way (if you were thinking of hitching a ride back, this might be difficult).

Remedios:
- Remedios is a nice little town. We recommend the casa particular: "Hostal La Francia", on Calle Independencia, between Maceo and Brigadier Gonzalez. Phone: 042-39-71-38. The meals were fit for the king and queen.
- Just before Christmas finding a room in Remedios (and perhaps Santa Clara too) could prove very difficult due to the huge and very well known festival (Las Parrandas).

Cycling from Cienfuegos to Playa Giron:
- The dirt road along the coast is in good condition (good enough for touring bikes) and is a fun, out of the ordinary ride (it is described in the Lonely Planet Cycling Cuba). We slept near Playa Rancho Luna where there are several casas particulares. The one we stayed at is right by the dolphinarium, and we were served conches (sea snails) that had been caught by the host, and were even offered the shells for free.. After catching the ferry across from Pasacaballo to Castillo de Jagua, we cycled to Juragua, asked about the dirt road and rode back the way we had come past a multi storey residential building, making the first right turn onto a small dirt road. The road is in good condition, mostly double track (wide enough for two bikes) some parts are a bit bumpy and there are two short rocky sections, but all of it is very doable with loaded touring bikes. It is shaded for much of the way (a nice change) and there are many places to access the sea (but the beaches are rocky). There is one neat place with a large tide pool, deep enough for swimming. It would also be a nice place for camping, but you'd need to bring enough water. After the turn off to Cocodrilo the road widens to a full gravel road and allows for faster riding. It is possible to buy some food near Castillo de Jagua, probably in Jaragua, but then there is nothing, although if you asked you could probably get a meal cooked for you in Guasasa.
- There are two buses a day from Trinidad to Varadero. The earlier one stops in Playa Giron and Playa Larga, but didn't stop in Jaguey Grande even though we were told at the office that it does stop there.
 
On Camping Gear and Accommodation:
We brought camping and cooking gear with us, but most of the time we felt it was needless weight carried around (good exercise, though..). The two nights we camped were at Cayo Jutias (no other accommodation available) and at Maria La Gorda (you can stay at the hotel, or illegal casas in La Bajada). We also ended up cooking a few meals when it was more convenient. We feel that if you intend to follow routes from the book, you probably won't benefit much from carrying camping gear. It would be most useful for a more exploratory trip, taking dirt roads to places on which you don't have much information, or that lead to deserted beaches.
- Staying in casas particulares was one of the highlights of our visit: locals let you into their homes and their lives and it is an excellent opportunity to get to know Cuban culture better and of course to practice your spanish. Then there are the excellent meals, not to be missed. We we don't quite see why anyone would stay in a hotel...

On Cycling Gear (or the shortage of it)
It seems that over the years quite a few westerners have donated their bikes to Cubans. These bikes get excellent usage, but it is tough to find parts. We saw bikes that were missing pedals, brakes, had torn tires, etc. If you were thinking of bringing something with you to share, this might be a possibility, since most bike parts are very expensive and/or low quality. Even used tires and tubes would most probably be much appreciated - we gave away our extra tubes which were received very happily, despite the fact that they had been patched a few times already.

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Thanks,
Gili and Maya.

(2009)

Canadian travel writers Craig and Kathy Copeland used Bicycling Cuba on a tour this year. They then wrote an article about their trip which appeared in the Calgary Herald and in the travel sections of several other major Canadian newspapers. To read their article, click here.

Hello there

From March 19 to May first, I spent six weeks biking Cuba with my three daughters (7, 12 and 14) and my wife. It took a few days getting used to the warm weather and to the Cuban/Tourist difference but these vacations turned out to be just great. The parents loved it and the kids as well. We did 1300 km from Vinales to Cayo Santa Maria and back to Habana, mostly following your suggestions of roads. You really helped in the planning of the trip and we often thanked you during the trip.

Cheers

Steph, Caro, Eve, Aude and Lea

PS: We rode a particularly great little road that doesn't appear in your book in the last few days of our stay, very similar to the Vinales area but even more savage for a big part of it. One of our best rides in Cuba ! We tought you might be interested to try it once in the future. Using the Guia de carreteras as a reference, here is were we went. From Matanzas, we went west almost to Ceiba Mocha on the Caretera central (nice and quiet valley with farms) then North on the small road to Valle Elena, Armonia, Campo Alegre, El Rubio, Jibacoa del Norte and finally Playa Jibacoa. The part from Ceiba Mocha to Campo Alegre is just fantastic as we you ride close to mountains (very very similar to mogotes), a dam and a lake. About 4 km on the ride has pretty rough pavement but not worst then the pavement on the road from Guanajay to Las Terrazas through the mountains.

(2008)

Hi Wally,

We are back from 2 weeks in the Orient and I can report that the four of
us had a great trip! (Nov 30 to Dec 14th)

Our loop was as follows: Holguin, Banes, Gibara, Puerto Padre, Los Tunas,
Manzinillo, Bayamo (end of 1st week .. John flew home), Manzanillo via
Bartolome Maso, Manzanillo, Niquero, Marea del Portillo, La Mula,
Chivirico, Santiago .. then taxi to Holguin airport and home (as one of
our members became quite sick ... has since recovered!).

Road conditions:

I have a number of detailed notes .. but in general, they were fine.

In particular, the road west of Santa Lucia was dirt but fine, the road on
the coast to Caletones was similar but fine, the 'backroad' to Jesus
Menendez was a bit of a disaster (it had been raining to the west of Banes
for a few days and we did not clue-in!), the remaining roads were a
pleasure to ride including the south coast .. just a few stretches of
dirt.

Ofcourse the lesson we learned is that when it rains, the mud in the
Orient gets messy .. even on a paved road! .. and ofcourse on a 'dirt'
road it can become a disaster unless there is a railroad track to follow (
.. not that we planned that!).

Hurricane damage:
We certainly saw houses with roofs gone .. and by the 2nd week we saw
trucks delivering corrigated steel roofing to homes along the road out of
Puerto Padre. Finally on the last day out of Santiago we started to see
road side fruit stands .. don't know if this was because of a lost crop
from hurricanes or some other reason.

The south coast road was fine for cycling .. in fact it was excellent and
a nice way to end our tour with some fantastic views! There were a few
spots where anything bigger than a small lada would have trouble getting
around a point of land .. we heard of a cycle group with a van that did
not do the south coast because of road conditions. (what a shame!)

The Casas:
We were 4 people the first week and stayed in casas. They were great but
we only found one casa (Los Tunas) that had 2 rooms were we could stay
together .. but this was not a problem as the 2nd casa was always close ..
we would have dinner in one and breakfast in the other to spread it
around. The casa in Banes had not had a visitor for 2 weeks when we
arrived .. other casas in other towns seemed a lot busier and often we
would not get our first choice and the casa owners would sort it all out
for us .. which was very interesting to watch in Los Tunas as it seemed
all the ladies on this one street came to our rescue at once!

Favorite town?
Gibara for me .. others liked Los Tunas for it's lively town centre. The
most interesting town had to be Niquero where the hotel is on the busiest
corner of town with a streetband across the corner and all kinds of street
activity and old wooden buildings.

We have to thank you and Barbara for writing such a good book to inspire
us to do this trip! .. and thanks for your suggestions on the route
selection .. it helped us prepare for 'the worst' even though we did not
follow your first recommendation! (... we did follow your 2nd
recommendation .. which was 'to go by all means!').

Best regards .. have a great Christmas!

Harold and Marion, Doug and John
Ottawa.

Hi Wally and Barbara -

we were following your directions cycling in Cuba for 2 and a half months (on and off) over the summer and wanted to drop you a line and let you know how it went. First of all, thank you so much for helping us have a fantastic trip. Your book was fantastic, not only in terms of giving directions but also for letting us know when and where to get water and accommodation.

We were there from May to July which, as you know, is extremely hot but we certainly enjoyed ourselves. We had no previous experience of touring and certainly learnt a lot along the way! So often when we weren't sure which way to turn we would ask, 'What would Wally and Barbara do?' and turn to your book. We feel like you were travelling with us at times! We were glad of the 'company' since we only met one other person cycling and she was going the other way around the island.

One suggestion that is part made in jest; you never quite explain how small or tall a hill is! Our idea is to put a graph in the book that shows the height and distance of each route - kind of like they do for the Tour de France.

We've attached some photos which we think sum up our trip. Hope things are going well for you.

Best wishes

Charlotte and Matt

I just returned from a cycling trip in Cuba and wanted to commend you on a wonderfully written book. In the week that I spent there, I managed the Rancho Luna, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, Trinidad, Rancho Luna loop. Your directions and verbal descriptions were amazing. I never once got lost or even so much as made a wrong turn.

Thank you for writing such a wonderful resource book. Your efforts made for a very memorable cycling experience for me.

Sincerely

veronica
Canada

Thanks Wally and Barbara for the accurate routes and tips. Five of us cycled from Havana to Viñales via the mountains then back on the north road then over to the central part. We stayed some casa particulares that maybe didn't exist when you updated the book:

Pinar del Rio
in: Niceto Perez : Hopedaje Palacio, on the way out of the village, which officially has 1 room but they were doing up the second. Five of us stayed there, but we had to hide.

In Bahia Honda, the only place to stay is the Casa Particular Villa, run by a young couple called Bibi and Rolando, perfectly ok. The motel now doesn't admit tourists in Bahia Honda.

In Mulatta, the hotel no longer exists. We had lunch there though, a surreal experience, with only one table in the dining room and they had just one spoon which we had to share!

Ah, although we didn't try it, it seems like the coastal dirt road from Playa Giron on the way to Cienfuegos now doesn't exist. We begged and pleaded with the staff of the hotel and they insisted it didn't.

I hope you update the book soon, it was very very useful and I'd definitely use it again for a trip to the Oriente.

Thanks

Claire Maloney
UK

(2007)

Here's a little feedback on using your book while cycling cuba.

First, the net is now available from the Telemundo offices in most of the larger citi es, it is fast enough and dependable and you can buy a card that can be use d over and over until it's time is up.

I left with a friend who had purchased your book, and against my better judgement and taking your advice , neglected to take some kind of tent and light sleeping sack, this decision was much regretted while cycling from nicero to santiago as we spent two nights on the beach trying to sleep, had it been raining we would have bee n supremely miserable.

After that we tried to get a casa lined up before we left in the morning, also with mixed results, though we always managed to f ind something after that. Still, two nights out of ten is twenty percent, and the relaxed atmosphere of knowing you can stop at any time would have made cycling the more remote parts of Cuba considerably more enjoyable.

(There are a good many places to stay indoors on the road from Nicero to Santiago de Cuba. Since George, the writer, does not mention any difficulties in finding a room, we suspect that he and his friend decided to sleep on the beach to save money. Fair enough.

We recommend against camping in Cuba for at least three reasons: accommodation is cheap and generally available; developed campsites are virtually unknown so you must camp in the rough, without running water or toilet facilities; and staying in casas, campismos and even hotels provides opportunities to socialize with Cuban people. We stand by that recommendation.

We agree with George's observation that carrying camping gear does provide some peace of mind in the event one is stuck in the middle of nowhere. In over 100 nights cycling in Cuba, we were stuck like that exactly once; we slept outdoors and were miserable, as George and his friend were. On one other occasion we had to stay in a crummy, unlicensed room. But that was all the problems we had in over 100 nights. We still think it is better to avoid carrying all that extra gear, even if it means a rare night of discomfort.)

Al so, I would advise people that if they have little or no interest in Havana and the kinds of things it offers, that they fly into another city, where getting to and from the airport as well as in and out of the city, would be considerably eaiser. One other thing, bring canadian currency if you can, or euros. Money was the big discomfort for us as there was always this un derlying concern about loosing or burning through your supply. traveling w ith all your money on your person for several weeks and knowing if you loos e it the consequences would be dire, is disconcerting.

(There is information in Bicycling Cuba about the Transcard, an international debit card that works all over the country. It's a much better solution than carrying enough cash for an extended stay.)

All in all Cuba is a good place to cycle. Saftey seemed to be an issue only when the big via zul busses suddenly blasted past at 65 mph. They make very little noise an d unlike most other vehicles don't honk as they approach so pay attention a nd use a mirror if possible. Generally I found consistent 85 to 90 degrees and mid range humidity to lead to a lack of enthusiasm for the climbier pa rts of cuba, though I usually like hills, and the one night we rode until s everal hours after dark looking for a place to stay was actually pretty nic e temperature wise.. felt like I could have ridden all night. I found the people of cuba to be pretty great, always ready to talk even with my half done spanish, and the lack of materialism was a refreshing change to the usa. Food was iffy but occasionally good, always a surprise, a continuous se arch, which I grew to enjoy, I feel that cycletouring is like the age old a nd perhaps happier days of hunter-gatherer civilizations, endless hours of observation of your ever changing environment, moderated by the fluxuations in the weather, kept simple by the limited ability to carry only small, li ghtwieght essential items, tensioned (or spiced if you will) slightly by th e need for food and water and shelter at the end of day and a steady physic al presence, those pedels going round and round, making you feel stronger e ach day; picture the opposite of working in a factory day after endless da y, the whole ending up as a blur: traveling on a bike leaves you with mem ories of a brightly colored kind, some bad, mostly good, all of them vivid.

(Winter 2005-6)

Dear Wally and Barb,

We have just returned to Canada from a cycling tour in Cuba. Your guidebook proved to be an accurate and valuable resource as we planned our trip and as we explored this beautiful country. We started our trip in Santiago de Cuba where we completed the Far East and West Tours, crossed the plains to Trinidad and on to Havana via Playa Giron.

In point form we would like to mention some changes that you may want to share with other travelers:

• In Bayamo, we highly recommend Sr. Frank Milan's casa at Pio Rosado #73 E/Capote y Willian Soler. Frank served us an excellent meal (cena) which included a whole fish on a platter.
• There is at least one new casa in Manzanillo, near the Celia Sanchez monument.
• Campismo Mula is closed indefinitely due to extensive damages from hurricanes. Since we had a tent, they allowed us to camp but there was no access to food and the only water was their tap water.
• In Chivirico, the Motel Guama is closed. In order to avoid expensive accommodations at the big hotels we traveled another 40 kilometers and stayed at the Caleton Blanco Campismo.
• In Santiago, we highly recommend Mery y Tania's casa particular at Anacaona # 107 e/ Aguilera y Taino, Reparto Terrazas de Vista Alegre. Mery serves good meals and will take good care of you.
• In Imias, Josué Gainza Matos and Tatiana Roba Arguello, Calle B #233 e/ 7 y 8, take in 'cyclotourist'. We met him on the road and stayed with his family. They are poor but such gracious hosts. Because of a fiesta, the Campismo near Imias was closed. Josué and family live along the main street.
• In Baracoa, we can highly recommend Betty and Pedro's casa at Calle: Ruber Lopez # 33 E/ Cespedes Y Ciro Frias. They are such warm hosts, provide good food, plenty of space and close to the center of the city. Pedro speaks a little English.
• When we arrived in Moa, the Horizontes Hotel was full. There is a second choice, Hotel Caribe but that was also full. In Saguna de Tanano, 40 kilometers further, there is a motel.
• Campismo Caboonico is closed for repairs due to hurricane damage.
• In Mayari these is a casa near Motel Bitiri. It is operated by Sra. Ilsia Rodriguez at Calle Moncado # 89. It was not our favorite casa, but probably better than the motel.
• In Playa Giron, Silvia's casa is closed but there are many other choices.
• In Australia, the motel Don Pedro is closed because of hurricane damage. We found a casa across the autopista in Jaguey.

As you can deduce, hurricanes have caused a lot of damage. We saw a lot of damage along the beautiful coast line between Niquero and Santiago. We had no problems on the road with our mountain bikes but the road is damaged in many places.

Again thank you. We wish you safe and happy travels.

I took your list of Casas on my recent cycling trip around Cuba. Had a
great time. Its an amazing country. Thanks for your web site.

The best casa I found was in San Diego de los Banos:

Dr. Carlos Alberto Gonzales and Senora Rayda Diaz Menendez
Calle 21A No 3003
E/n 30 y 32 San Diego de Los Banos

Lovely, lovely people. Clean, comfortable room. Great food. Great
hospitality and very moderately priced ($15). Perhaps you could give
them a plug - the other casas I had been recommended in SdlB were "Gone
to America", and it is a lovely little town worth visiting.

A couple of comments on some on your list.

Raul Sarmiento in Vedado, Habana. Made me very welcome, and his wife
Magalys is lovely. Very interesting couple. I had booked in advance to
stay 2 nights on arrival in Havana and 2 nights on departure. However
when I got back to Havana he had given my room to someone else, and put
me in a rather dirty room belonging to someone else in the block(an
elderly lady who had to move out of her room for me.). Whilst Raul is a
real character, I felt this was a bit shonky, and I was disappointed
that he did this to me.

Sol y Mar in La Boca. Lovely room, good food. But a lesson is to always
agree everything in advance, right down to the last detail. They hit me
with an additional charge for coffee with my dinner. I assumed it was
included, as it was in all other casas. A bit disappointing.

In general, the casas were great and far, far better than the hotels,
and you got to meet Cuban people in their homes, which was the highlight
of Cuba for me.

Thanks again

... I hope you find the information and opinions useful, and if you want
to pass them on in some way, feel free to do so. If my thoughts encourage
others to visit Cuba and/or make their trip better, I will be very happy.
Before signing off, though, I want to tell you how valuable we found your book to be. It's the best guide book I have ever used or seen. It's incredibly accurate, filled with lots of information about the culture, history, geography, economy, and terrain of Cuba. We could not have done without the book, and I can't commend your work too highly...

The Feedback:

1. I think people should be cautioned about visiting Cuba during the first five days of the year. This is festival season, a time to celebrate the New Year and the Revolution. As a result, the casa particulars are very hard to find and bottled water is sometimes hard to find as the dollar stores are often sold out.

2. I suggest people arrive in Santiago during the day. We arrived about nine o'clock in the evening and things rapidly went downhill. We got a minivan at the airport and headed for the casa where we thought we would be staying. There was no room! So, waiting for a couple of hours while many, many telephone calls were made, we, A. and J. and me, were put up in two different places. There I was, by myself with no idea where I was, where A. and J. were, and with no idea how we would ever meet again. Also, it was apparent that we were being housed illegally! To help us out, family and friends of the casa owners took us in, asking only that once inside we not go outside. They were quite nervous about taking in tourists since they were not licensed, but, as we were to find out later, Cubans always came to our rescue and helped out, even at risk and inconvenience to themselves. At any rate, we were reunited the next day and although we eventually stayed in different casas, they were only a few doors away. The casa in which A. and J. stayed agreed to keep our bike boxes and luggage as well. Had we arrived early in the day, finding a place to stay would have been easier and much less traumatic for me.

3. It is best to travel in pairs. Three people make it more difficult to find lodging. Apparently it is against the law for three people to be in one room at a casa. Thus, the third person needs to be in a different place as most casas do not have two rooms to rent. This means I was alone a lot and lonely a lot. At the hotels our rooms were usually close, so there was no real problem. Finding two casas in some places would be impossible, especially at Festival. At Bayamo we stayed in an in-house apartment with a private bathroom, so maybe the three of us could be together because it was an apartment. See more below about Bayamo.

4. I recommend cyclists take a water filter with them because bottled water is not always easy or possible to find. A town may have one store, and it may well be sold out, especially on Sunday and Monday. The Cubans love carbonated water, so one must be careful when buying bottled water to actually buy bottled water. We often had mineral water and were unsure about its affect on us. All of us had one day of discomfort, but each one had his or her day at different points of our trip, so it was not a single case of bad water.

5. Inflation has occurred. We were told that the government has increased the license fees for casas, so the rates have gone up. A casa now may cost 20 to 25 dollars. The hotels and campismos are much cheaper, 10 to 20 dollars.

6. In your book you mention the Restaurante Nautica just outside Chivirico and near Motel Guamo. It's on an island. They take you there via pedal boat - so there's no problem for cyclists! They have two rooms there to rent. We certainly wish we had stayed there rather than the Motel Guama. The Motel looks nice and modern, but when we checked in we found there has been no maintenance in years. One room had no lights in the bathroom. A bucket was provided for the toilet, and all the light switches had the protective covers removed and we were cautioned not to stick our fingers in the wiring. Also, when we awoke in the morning we had no water. We took our buckets down a steep stairway and lugged it back up to flush the toilets. When we went to pay J. said she would not pay what the going rate was because of the poor motel conditions. The manager eventually charged us 10 dollars for each room The good news about this is that the motel is a one mile walk to the Nautica. We walked to the dock and took the boat to the restaurant. We had done this earlier in the day and had a beer while sitting on the veranda. We made arrangements for supper then. Our meal that night turned out to be the best meal we had in Cuba, one of the best I have ever had. We had shrimps, rice, and a salad made of ingredients grown right there on the island. A. and J. shared a lobster. I can't recommend this place enough. It was a little more expensive than a regular restaurant, but cheaper than what we paid at a couple of casas.

7. At Niqiero we took a day to wander down to the campismo, Playa Los Colorados and Playa Los Colorados Desembarco del Granma. At the entrance to the park the guards told us it would cost five dollars each to enter the park and two dollars each for a guide. We said no, turned around, and headed back to enjoy a few hours at the campismo. Seven dollars to enter a park seemed very high considering what seven dollars will buy in Cuba.

8. For anyone going to Manzinillo, the food at the Golfo restaurant is very good and its location is even better, right on the beach. We stayed at the Hotel Guacanayaho because the two casas were full. We took a horse drawn taxi to town and wandered around on foot. A nice place. The Hotel is near the bottom of a long hill down from the Medical School. It really can't be missed. Just down the hill from the Hotel is a kind of sports complex. We were there late in the afternoon to pick up a horse taxi for town. While waiting we noticed that several teenagers were racing their bikes, a couple even had helmets. We watched them for awhile and noted that they were serious about their cycling. Soon, a young man, Anthony, came up to us and introduced himself. Turns out he was the trainer for the city's or school' s cycling team. The kids were training for a crit race in Bayamo in a day or two. Anthony met us the next morning at the hotel and rode out of Manzinillo with us for about twenty miles or so. A delightful young man. So, if in Man., head for the sports complex late in the afternoon and look for him. He went with us into the Parque Nacional lo Demajagua, a park well worth the visit because it gave me insight into the importance of Carlos Cespedes, a George Washington and Abraham Lincoln for Cubans.

9. Speaking of Bayamo. We stayed two days there and loved every minute of it. It's big enough to have the excitement, vitality, and variety of a city, but small enough not to overwhelm as does Santiago. We were originally going to go to Holguin from Bayamo, but in looking at our schedules and plans decided we would do a day ride toward Holguin and come back to Bayamo. We were staying in a small apartment in the city. There were three of us in the apartment and the home was not really licensed. It seems the man who owns the casa rented out an apartment in his parents' home, and so we weren't really in a casa particular. The man drove a newer car, which was frequently parked in front of the city building just across the street from the Hotel Royalton and had what seemed to be a cell phone. So, our host seemed to be a wheeler and dealer. Anyway, the home was great, the people even better. I highly recommend Bayamo as a place to spend time.

10. Re-entry to the US went smoothly for us, but we were caught off guard when the day after our return to Toronto we realized that when we had entered Canada from Cuba the Canadian officials had stamped our passports with the date we had entered Canada. The official stamped the passport way in the last page or so, but a US Border person looking through the passport would wonder from where we had entered Canada. Had we known this we could have asked the officials to please not stamp the passport unless they simply had to.

11. I also recommend that one acquire a working knowledge of Spanish before going, or possibly travel with someone who does. I was uncomfortable, anxious, and at times lonely because I simply did not know what was going on around me. Had I to do it over again, I would have taken some classes and become better acquainted with Spanish. Cubans had a lot of fun with J. as she struggled to talk to them in her halting Spanish. She and they had enormous fun trying to talk to one another. A. and I admit that had it not been for her we would have starved to death! But visits to homes, museums, restaurants, historical sites, etc., would have been much more enjoyable for me had I known more Spanish. One does not need to be fluent, but it sure makes things easier and enjoyable to be able to communicate at some level of expertise.

12. I have friends ask me if I was fearful or afraid. I admit that I was afraid, or more anxious than afraid. Not because of Cuba or Cubans, but because I was in deep culture shock. I had never done anything like this before, so I worried about everything. Every time we had our backs to the wall for lodging, food, water, or changing dollars to pesos, Cubans helped out. I was still intimidated by those who came up to me and started to talk. Partly because I couldn't speak the language except for a few words learned forty years ago in high school, but mainly because I am a reserved, shy person. Plus, in our culture, strangers approaching you in a large city pose a real danger, or so we are led to believe. It took a long time for me to accept that generally they simply wanted to practice English, talk to me because to them I was exotic and fascinating, and partly because Cubans love to talk and socialize. This became obvious to me when in Toronto at the end of the trip we rode the subway to downtown to see the Royal Ontario Museum. The car was filled with people reading books, magazines, materials from briefcases, or simply looking out the windows. It was quiet as a tomb. This would never be the case in Cuba. True, there is nothing to read - no magazines, books, newspapers, etc., that we could see, but in Cuba a subway car filled with people would have been very noisy with people talking, laughing, visiting, slapping hands, backs, and having one hell of a good time with each other. I think now that I could get to prefer the Cuban way, especially if I could speak better Spanish.

13. When visiting the Statue of Celia Sanchez in Media Luna, you can have a wonderful lunch at a local little restaurant just across the street from the park. A one minute walk from the statue and an inexpensive, good meal.

14. When we left our casas in Santiago we were told by one of the owners that there was a hotel in Contramaestra. Since we did not want to ride all the way to Bayamo on the first day, we decided to stay there. When we got there the hotel was closed for restoration! There is also a second hotel in town, but it was full - Saturday night and Festival! We went back to the closed hotel and J. explained our problem - four o'clock, no place to stay, no time to get to Bayamo, etc., and she threw us on their mercy and said, "Can you please help us." The manager (?) took mercy, and the young lady who was visiting him for the Festival found two rooms with a little water, a light bulb or two, and took us in. We gave her some money and she went to a local restaurant to buy food and beer for us. We were told that we couldn't go outside once we were in the closed hotel. He would not charge us for the rooms, either because he didn't want to for such poor facilities, or, more likely, he legally could not charge us. Just one more case of Cubans coming to the rescue. Bless them! So, you might want to check out Contramaestra again and see what the status is of the two hotels. It sure makes it an easier ride than to go all the way to Bayamo.
(We managed to cycle through Contramaestra without realizing that these hotels even existed! Perhaps when we did so (2001) they were closed to foreigners, who knows. If any readers visit Contramaestra and have more information, please let us know.)

15. Three impressions stick in my mind, and I will close with them. First, I was surprised to learn that Fidel has not made himself into a cult as so many dictators or communist leaders have done. I think I saw one picture of him in my two weeks there. No statues, billboards, etc., exist in huge numbers. Rarely do people even talk about him. The Cubans are fortunate that their leader, while a dictator, is basically a decent human being looking out for the people rather than himself. Second, many people believe that the US will soon invade Cuba. US history with Cuba, such as shutting them out of the peace treaty with Spain, and our invasions of Iraq, Afghanistan, Granada and the Cuban exiles in the US have convinced many that we will invade them. I commented on this above, but it's still a striking thought to me. Finally, many Cubans were surprised to learn that few Americans come to Cuba because of the US government. Many we spoke to thought the problem was that the Cuban government did not want Americans in Cuba.

       Thought I'd pass along a big hello from Evelyn (in Banes) and the Mercederes family in Santiago. When I brought your book out to them, both families lighted up with smiles from ear to ear and were oh so impressed that they made it into your book with such glowing comments. You obviously left great impressions with them as we were treated royally as bicyclists. So often when we bike tour we're treated like gypsies so it was very nice to go to Cuba and roll up to a nice hotel and be treated as if we had driven up in a Mercedes Benz!

       We first spent three nights in Havana in the casa of Raul and Magaly Sarmiento. (It was late when we arrived at Havana. We followed your advice and took a taxi. The driver put the bikes on the roof of the taxi.) Thereafter we went to the west.

       We rode by combining the rides you suggest in your book (in chapters 1 and 2). We started by following the suggestion you made in your email. (The route suggestion to which she refers follows this message.)

       This turned out to be a good start. (We stayed in Villa Juanita, a very nice casa). I will not go into every detail but, approximately, our route was as follows: Las Terrazas — Soroa — San Diego de los Banos (via "Cuba's Skyline Drive") — Vinales (through Parque Natural La Guira) — St Lucia/Cayo Jutias (through Pons) — Puerto Esperanza — Vinales — Pinar del Rio City (and neighbourhood) — San Diego de los Banos (Carretera Central) — Soroa ( Carretera Central) — Havana (autopista).

       It really was fun and there didn't exist a single intersection at which we would have difficulties in deciding where to go. Everything was in the book.

       The weather was fine for most of the time — with one exception. The day when we rode "Cuba's skyline drive" was rainy. Therefore we could not enjoy the drive so much as we had expected. It turned out to be the hardest ride during the journey. My wife asked me to tell you that, even though you are reluctant to classify routes as moderate, hard etc, you perhaps could have been more explicit in describing the nature of the skyline drive. (Perhaps we should have been more emphatic. What we call "the Skyline Drive" has some hills that many cyclists would find quite difficult.)

       With the exception of four nights (which we spent in Villa Soroa or El Mirador) we spent our nights in casas. In Santa Lucia, Villa Mary was closed but as one of your correspondents has told you, there is another legal casa. Unfortunately, I lost the card but if I remember right the name of the casa is "Villa Almendro". The name of the person who takes care of the casa is Nelida Gonzales la Rosa. The street address is: Calle Jose el Trujillo #88, Sta Lucia, P del Rio.

       We hope that we can go back to Cuba (to the Oriente) next December.

       A couple of comments/observations if I may:

       1. You don't recommend a Casa in Baracoa. I stayed at Villa Haydee, Malecon #43-A Altos, tel 021-4-3750; Its right on the Malecon pretty close to Hotel Russa. They have two rooms upstairs with balcony and private bath. It looks out over the bay. I stayed two nights one of which was very clear with full moon, very beautiful. Also the food was some of the best I had in Cuba. I asked for something typical of Baracoa and she came up with this excellent fish in a coconut milk stew.

       2. Baracoa to Yumuri. You put it at 40km return but I measured more; 54km I think. (You're right — we goofed.)

3. On page 279 you recommend booking Campismo Rio Yacabo in Baracoa at Campismos Populares office on Marti #225. This did not work for me. They said they could only book the El Yunque Campismo there. They were able to confirm that Yacabo would be open the next day (Wednesday) though. When I got there it was half empty and no problem to stay at all, a bit pricey though - $10 per person I think.

       4. Also on p 285 you say Garcia is one-way to the left from Prado, but I believe it is actually to the right.

       I travelled through Nassau, as that was the cheapest route I could find. Mind bogglingly boring and expensive compared to Cuba. Didn't have any trouble at the US immigration, didn't mention Cuba of course.

       Cayo Sabinal WAS a special ride - it's a conservation area with just a dirt track for 30km. Very tranquil, lots of wildlife - lovely butterflies - and a causeway ride through the lagoons. Sorry!

       We found a hotel in Bahia Honda with a magnificent view of the water at $15. It's 3 km North of town. Not much breakfast however, a big disappointment when you are looking at 75 more miles to Havana.

(The reader is referring to Motel Punta de Piedra in Bahia Honda. It is described on page 77, but the reader's comment is worth noting. Guests who stayed there a year or so before the book was published had complained to us about filthy conditions; a while later we visited the motel for a beer with friends and things seemed to have improved, but we couldn't be certain if the improvement was consistent. Since this reader complains only about lack of a decent breakfast — not an uncommon problem in budget hotels in Cuba — it may be that Motel Punta de Piedra has indeed improved. That's good news, because there is otherwise a lack of legal accommodation around Bahia Honda.)

       We truly loved Cuba, and were smitten by the friendliness and generosity of the people. Your route from Soroa "off the map" was a great ride with absolutely no vehicular traffic whatsoever...

       My particular favorite area was Vinales, which I found breathtakingly beautiful. We stayed there for four nights: the first day my husband followed your suggestion to go to Che's cave and the next two days we went to the Gran Caverna San Tomas and to Puerto Esperanza. All of the trips were wonderful experiences.

.....  I went to Che's cave past Republica de Chile to San Andres. The road was packed dirt and while I would have appreciated my mountain bike in a few spots it was no trouble on my road machine with 25mm tires. The route was a splendid picture of rural Cuba with lots of basic farms and great mountain backgrounds. (The reader is referring to a dirt-road alternative that we mention but never tried; the route in the book is fully paved, if rough in spots.)

We stayed at Juanita's in Las Terrazas which I found a bit disappointing. The walls all bug splattered, no toilet seat and a breakfast of only juice, coffee and toast. After that we took your advice on hotels and were well pleased. We found the staff at many hotels very pleasantly cheating us out of every dollar they could. Waitresses asked for $10 for a breakfast that was included, desk clerks announcing it was high season our first night for an extra $10 and a bellman hitting me up for $5 for leaving our bike bags. Most Cubans, of course are unbelievably generous. We stopped to take photos of a very poor farmer who somehow got to our hotel that night with a bushel of grapefruits for which he absolutely refused any payment.

(That's all for now, but we'll add more feedback as letters arrive and time permits.)

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