Baracoa harbour - in the whole of Cuba we never saw a boat with an engine - either because it's illegal or because they've all departed |
After the arduous ride here, we decide to spend a few nights in Baracoa. The town was the first Spanish settlement on the island and is also thought to be the place Colombus first set foot. The town remained quite isolated, hemmed in by a mountain range through which a road was finally built in the 60's. In this area they grow bananas and cacao and when we cycle into town we pass the chocolate factory. It's not the stuff of Willy Wonka.
eating in a house-front restaurant called paladars, after a restaurant featuring in a popular Brazilian soap opera |
beer colder than your ex's heart |
concrete appartments being demolished |
more traditional houses |
The main plaza is a small traingle connecting the church to a pedestrianised street. There's sometimes a crowd here, but that's because the town's telecom office is here and there's always a queue for internet cards. The only other crowds we see are outside the shops that have a chicken delivery. The small supermarkets all have a security guard inside the door. He's usually just minding people's bags and checking receipts when people leave. The assumption is everyone will shoplift if they get the chance. Presumably this is one hangover from the Special Period. Often shoppers open the door and just shout in "Hay pollo?" Is there chicken? But if there's chicken in the deep freezers then there is always a queue out the door.
music students perform in the main plaza |
who will buy this cheese? |
selling homemade cakes on the street |
The town has an easy-going quiet rhythm. In mid-afternoon when it is hottest the town seems to doze. At night we can hear singing and bands playing from our rooftop balcony. But this isn't rumba or ha-cha-cha. It's gospel or rock and it's coming from a clutch of small churches dotted around the neighbourhood - Methodist, Baptist, evangelical. The congregations are not huge but they're all well-dressed.
Christ alone saves |
The house with the door open is a kisosk selling drinks, sweets and snacks |
a coffee stand |
hardware store |
bike repair |
ubiquitous and hunger-quenching |