27-28 December 2024, Las Tunas to Morón by bus
Hostal Alicia $25 (R450)

Charl turned 75 today. He celebrated with a bus ride between Las Tunas and Morón.
He has celebrated b'days in New Zealand, Egypt, Burma, India, Vietnam (twice), Sierra Leone and Cuba.
--
Leaving Las Tuna the view out the bus window tells a story of colourful buildings, open spaces and cleanliness. And more...
Just some of the traffic a bus driver (or anyone steering four wheels or more) must cope with passing through a town. Anything on three or two wheels has absolute right of way. It is wonderful to experience the extraordinary patience of drivers on the open road. The road between Las Tunas and Ciego de Vila, our transfer point to Morón, is a highway running east-west that looks more like a country lane. It is narrow and often patched or potholed. There is no room to overtake a bicycle, tricycle or horse cart unless the approaching lane is empty. This means the bus (or truck or car) driver must often slow to bike or horse speed and wait. This is the expected norm that does not seem to result in stress or irritation. The only time drivers hoot is to alert those they are overtaking that they are coming through, or on a curve to alert anyone perhaps approaching from the front. People make way for each other and exercise restraint and tolerance. It makes for a slow ride, but is wonderful to observe.
--
During the trip's planning phase, I had hoped we could spend a couple of nights at Cayo Coco, a beach resort area on a spit island off the coast north of Morón. The island is home to several resorts, but also sports a couple of cheaper accommodation options. These, sadly, do not provide contact details and I was forced, therefore, to forego my plans of seeing Cuba's more beautiful beaches.
Instead we stayed in Morón and took a taxi ride with Iskander to and across the causeway that links the mainland to the island. The causeway was constructed in the 1980s and is 27km in length, spanning a shallow ocean. Our budget did not allow for a longer ride to Cayo Coco itself, but at the bar at the end of the causeway, we were given a tiny visual taste of what Cuba's resorts might offer.
The mother of Iskander's 10-year old daughter lives in the US, and his daughter was due to join her the following month. Iskander was still hoping for permission to relocate.
He had been a professional dancer at the Cayo Coco resorts for 16 years, but had stopped dancing at the age of 35, saying real professionalism required a young body. He also spent six months dancing in Manchester, reporting that the British are "cold".
When we asked him questions about Cuba, he said: "I do not understand Cuba, so you never will. There is no money for food, yet people eat. Every year government says things will be different, but every year it is the same shit. Cuba is sad but magic."
At the mainland end of the causeway is a toll booth and control point. On the way north, Iskander flirted with the young woman in the booth and was allowed access free of charge. "She is my wife", he joked. On the way back, a man in the booth was less obliging. "He is not my wife", said Iskander.