December 19

Last Day in Cuba

[We were tendering in for a return trip to the Bay of Pigs.  Had we realized we were going to spend as much time there as we did the previous day, we may have opted for a tour of Cienfuegos.  Nevertheless . . . ]

[Back to the docks, lining up our bus and tour guide . . . ]

[And this is why this was still a good option.  When we returned from Playa Giron the previous night, traversing this road in the dark was quite exciting – creatures of all sizes and shapes would meander out on to the road, usually cows or cattle, and there were spots of extreme potholes – we may have averaged 25 mph in the night.  In the daylight, we now had a better look at what we were up against . . . ]

[Our tour guide was Luis, as knowledgeable and affable as he looks . . . ]

[Potholes, carriages, farm equipment, autos . . . it ran the gamut . . . ]

[Henry Reeve (April 4, 1850 — August 4, 1876) was a brigidier general in Cuba’s ‘Ejército Libertador’ (Army of Liberation) – more commonly known as the ‘Ejercito Mambi’ – during the First Cuban War of Independence (Ten Years’ War) (1868-1878). In his early years, he was a drummer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.  (Wikipedia)]

[I can’t remember?]

[I’m glad I had a front row seat for this trip . . . ]

[Fidel . . . ]

[And we had heard about this the previous day.  Now we got to watch the live performance – local farmers bring their rice to the highway where they spread it out for drying . . . ]

[Uh-huh, for miles and miles . . . ]

[And chickens apparently have a taste for rice . . . ]

[Coming into Playa Giron . . . ]

[And more rice . . . ]

[Back at the Playa Giron Hotel and the Bay of Pigs . . . ]

[A breakwater . . . ]

[Luis explains the set-up . . . ]

[And a wave does break on the breakwater . . . ]

[Another beautiful day in paradise (well, if you like hot and sticky) . . . ]

[Almost La(ke) Victoria . . . ]

[Back to the museum . . . ]

[As seen from the Cuban side . . . ]

[Luis explains what happened . . . ]

[And this is this the history from the Cuban perspective . . . ]

[Heading back to Cienfuegos, the rice is now being spread over half the road.  Yes, cars drive on it, animals walk over it, apparently all just adding to the flavor . . . ]

[Back through town, where stuff is happening . . . ]

[Back in Cienfuegos, the big city . . . ]

[The charisma of Che is such that I think you see more of him than of Fidel?  He was an Argentine doctor who apparently was the only true Communist among the revolutionaries.]

[Tendering away from Cienfuegos back to the Viking Sun . . . ]

[Adios, Cuba!]

[A night as a table for two.  We always wanted to be part of a group, but I think they misunderstood us this night.  Cheers!]

[As I recall, the Super ordered sea bass . . . ]

[And though I’m not a fan, I ordered coucous because it sounded like it had lots of good things with it . . . ]

[I was wrong – it still had the taste and texture of cardboard!  The Super wasn’t really happy with her bass, so we switched plates.  It turned out to be a double winner!]

[After dinner with the Viking Classicial Trio . . . ]

[And the gingerbread Christmas village, then it was off to bed.]

Old and young, we are all on our last cruise.  ~  Robert Louis Stevenson

Up Next:  Jamaica?