Day 2 - Hotel Arenas Blancas to San Jose de Marcos (87km)

Getting ready for the start of day 2 - must've been stretching!

We loaded our bags on to the coach in the dark at 7am, then after quick breakfast we were ready to set off at 8am.  The sun was already hot and the sky a clear blue. The sun rises fast in Cuba!  We set out along a main road with our handsome police escort once again.

Cuban cool!

The group soon spread out as the road was long, straight and flat, so we took the chance to cycle a while on our own, taking everything in - the countryside, the glorious weather, the colours, the bemused Cubans smiling and waving as we cycled by, and the warmth of them all.  It is flying by so fast that it is hard to take in.

The route today was very flat apart from one short, sharp hill just before lunch.  Our lunch today was in a town centre - it was bustling with people watching us cycle by - school children in particular loved waving at us.  We stopped in the town square where Ennio and his team were waiting for us with hot samosas, pulled pork wraps and cold lemonade.  Sensational.

From our spot in the square we could take a moment to watch Cuban life go by - people were travelling round in carts pulled by mules, or old American cars - some of which looked as though they shouldn't be able to start, but they did.

As we left the square, they sky clouded over and it started to rain a bit, but it wasn't long before the clouds evaporated and we were in blistering sun again.  The first stretch of the afternoon was through pretty farmland.  We passed several farmers working in the fields or trotting along the road bareback on mules or in carts.

Heading to work Cuban style

Everyone was spaced out along the route by this point, so we got into a nice steady pace, chatting as we cycled along - tranquillo!

We pulled in to the rest stop to refill our water bottles and grab some nuts and fruit in a yard at the front of a small group of houses.  One of the ladies who lived there invited us into her home to use the toilet.  It was so bare and basic compared to the standards we are used to that we were quite shocked, but we were welcomed in with a smile and the lady ended up dancing with some of the girls to salsa music that was booming out of a huge 80's boom box in her lounge!

Rest stop for a quick snack and water top up

The final part of the cycle today was a 20km slog along a straight tarmac road.  We were all praying for a breeze or rain shower, but no such luck.  The sun kept shining and the shimmering heat reflected up from the road.  The countryside was flat as a pancake, with fields of oranges, bananas and sugarcane on either side.  Occasionally we would pass a school set back from the road, and we could hear the children cheering at us, and see them waving from the balcony.  That doesn't fail to make you smile and dig in.

Fruit from the farms for sale on the roadside

End of day - bikes down and on to an air-conditioned coach - yesss!

 The sight of our coaches pulled up by an enormous shady tree signalled the end of our day 2 cycle and was most welcome!  We transferred to our hotel for a much needed welcome cocktail and hot shower before heading to the bar.  The poor barman was rather overwhelmed by 82 thirsty women descending on him, so I took the only sensible option and ordered 2 beers when it was my turn.  That was about the extent of our revels though as everyone was too tired to party.  It had been a hard day despite the flatness of the route.  The combination of heat on the tarmac and jet lag kicking in had taken it out of us all, so after dinner we headed off to bed.