We had an early start, up at 5:30am with a standard breakfast at the casa before heading off to the bus at 7am. We caught the same cars to the bus station as we used yesterday and managed to get 2nd row seats in the bus. We had good views of the country side that was mainly flat. The route took us out to the coast which reminded us of the NSW South Coast, very scenic. The bus drivers were laughing and joking throughout the whole journey. Romey told us later that they were saying the same jokes in the same places they always do. At times the driver had no hands on the wheel as he was using both of them to gesticulate. We stopped at one place where everyone had to get off the bus and have our hands washed and walk through a trough to clean our feet. We assume it is to try to stop the spread of cholera.
We arrived in Baracoa around 2pm and checked into the Casa with Naranee then went on an orientation walk. We had a lovely lunch of soup and vegetables in coconut sauce. After lunch David met up with Romey for a jog and Catriona and Naranee went for a walk along the Malecon. We then met up with Lorna and John in the hotel Castillo on the hill above the town for a drink. There were magnificent views over the town and back to the mountains including El Yunque, a table top mountain named by Christopher Columbus. We had caiparinas and a lovely dinner that included melt in the mouth octopus at the main casa before heading out to the main square to watch an AfroCuban band (El Ruso) and buy one of their CDs.
We were up at 7am and went out for a walk along the Malecon before breakfast. It had rained overnight and there were street sweepers cleaning the streets as we walked along. We have noticed that Cuba is very clean, one of the cleanest countries we have visited on our travels so far. We had a quick shower then breakfast and met up with the whole group at 9am ready for our full day excursion. We set out in an old jeep with our local guide with the first stop being a small house where a lady makes chocolate from the cacao she grows in her small plantation. She showed us the different stages of manufacture and gave us a sample. She also grows and roasts her own coffee which we were able to sample as well.
After the chocolate stop it was back into the jeep (which at times is in push to start mode) for the bumpy trip down the broken concrete road to a viewpoint where we had a short stop to take photos before heading on to Boca de Yumuri where we caught a little peddle boat to the start of our walk up the canyon to a lovely swimming hole. The water was clean, freshwater and we enjoyed swimming against the current. A local came along with a bag of young coconuts which he cut so we could drink the coconut water and when we were finished he cut out the flesh for us to eat. It was delicious. We hiked back and had lunch in a small restaurant before heading off for our last stop of the day Manglito beach where we went for a walk while some of the others swam and Catriona pretended to be a Pirate in the Caribbean. We ended the trip at the hotel Castillo where we had a drink at the bar beside the pool with magnificent views.
We had dinner by ourselves in the Casa and then headed out to the square to listen to the music again.
After breakfast we met the group at 9am and headed off to the Yunque park. We left the group at the entrance as they were heading to do a waterfall hike and we were climbing El Yunque. We used the amenities before heading off with the guide. The walk started off quite easy and we had to take off our shoes and pants to cross the river. Once we had crossed the river the path became steeper. We passed through a cacao forest and our guide cut a fruit off the tree and used a rock to break it open. The pulp surrounding the cacao pods was very sweet but it is what the pulp surrounds that the cacao plant is famous for. The guide also pointed out papaya, banana and pineapple plants as well as the bush that they make maracas from. Even though he did not speak English we were able to communicate that the fruit of the tree was not edible and was only used to make maracas. We also saw turkeys, chickens, roosters and pigs roaming freely through the bush. The path became very steep and slippery as it had rained heavily the previous night. in a few sections where the canopy was open it was very hot. Fortunately under the canopy it was much more bearable. We made it to the top in 1 1/2 hours and the view from the top was spectacular and there was a bust of Maceo the local hero who had started the first war of independence. The guide pointed out Baracoa and a few of the rivers. We could also see where we had been the previous day.
The descent took 1 1/4 hours and we saw a small humming bird that was fliting from flower to flower collecting nectar. Catriona had a quick swim in the river after we crossed to cool off. When we made it back to the road the others who had been to the waterfall passed in the jeep so we met them about 20 metres down the road where they stopped to take some pictures. The whole group then set off for the picnic by the river. Romey said he had a surprise for us at the BBQ and it turned out to be members of the band El Ruso. Lorna, John, Ted and Heather went in for a quick dip before lunch. We had a lovely vegetable soup but the main BBQ was not ready for another hour or so. The band played and David pulled out his tennis ball and started throwing it around. A couple of men walked passed with some fresh crayfish so Romey bought them and through them on the BBQ as well. Once lunch was ready the games stopped and the band played while the rest of the group ate. When everyone finished eating, the ball games started again but it ended up being only the guys who were all trying to out throw each other.
As lunch was so late (3:30pm) we only had soup for dinner at the same restaurant we had lunch at our first day. Catriona went back to the Casa to bed and David went out to the square to listen to the band. The night was cut short due to a black out and the rain. The Casa owner was waiting up with a lamp so David didn't have any trouble getting back in.
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