Long boat ride to nowhere Today we had the choice of whether to go on a bike ride up to a sugar mill (a 50 km round trip), or to go out for a boat trip to a deserted island.About half the group decided on the cycle expedition, which was apparently quite fun and could have been arranged to coincide with a return to Trinidad on a steam train, cutting the saddle time down to a less bum-numbing 25km.The remainder of our group, us included, chose the catamaran & ...

The pattern is set and by 8am we lug our bags back onto the coach.Our cycle ride again sets off from the hotel, right at the T junction with the Indian statue and along the coastal road, where glittering waters sparkle in the sunlight, tantilisingly inviting us, cool and refreshing.We studiously ignore the temptation and cycle through small villages until we regroup at the first of 3 bridges (around the 15 km point), that skirt the coastline along the way to Trin...

Getting To Guajimico Our routine is already established and by 8 am we are ready for our bags to be loaded onto the coach...This time though we wave them good-bye and climb onto our bicycles instead.Out through the relatively busy streets of Cienfuegos, we soon move out to the countryside.The first 14 km are relatively flat and we stop briefly at a service station before continuing on the 'roller-coaster' section.It soon becomes clear why they've earned this nic...

At 8 am sharp, we are in the lobby ready to load our bags onto the coach...The difference from a normal coach is immediately evident and it's with a mixture of excitement and anxiety that we note the seats removed from left side of coach to make space for the 16 identical black Trek touring bikes - our trusty steeds for the next week await us. Even in Cuba, the Monday morning traffic is heavy during our drive out of Havana.After a two and a half hour drive with ...

Farewell Vinales We begin to organise ourselves this morning, in readiness for the next stage of our trip.We enjoy a final breakfast and are surprised when a twin prop plane swoops low past us during breakfast.Any smiles and explains that it's the newspaper delivery; the Sunday papers are dropped down onto the baseball pitch, ready for distribution to the population. We take a final walk around Vinales, bumping into El Trencho along the way, he comes over to gr...