Using the clapped-out vehicle from before, the mech­anic took Matt and myself to Gran Piedre — a steep climb for any vehicle; the jour­ney back was a death-ride of pump-breaking and engine­less coast­ing. In the even­ing we boarded an air-conditioned bus and headed for Sancti Spiritus.

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Organised with care and attention into:

• alfredo,
• bus,
• cuba,
• cuba2k7,
• deathmobile,
• gran piedre,
• hill,
• lada,
• lightning,
• mechanic,
• police,
• rum museum,
• sancti spiritus,
• santiago,
• storm,
• terror,
• the tuxedo,
• travel

Ven­tur­ing out from San­ti­ago into the sur­round­ing area, we man­aged to hire a sus­pi­cious look­ing mech­anic with a rust­ing Lada to take us to a cathed­ral and the Castillo del Morro. While I watched the sun set over the bay, Matt sampled the night life, or lack thereof.

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Organised with care and attention into:

• beer,
• casa,
• castle,
• cathedral,
• cuba,
• cuba2k7,
• deathmobile,
• electrocution,
• jineterismo,
• lada,
• mattastrophe,
• mechanic,
• santiago,
• taxi

Leav­ing Hol­guin in an army-style truck, we trav­elled to Bayamo where a pas­sen­ger helped us to get on another truck to San­ti­ago. Dirty and har­assed by a beg­gar, we man­aged to find a casa and relax in the even­ing sun.

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Organised with care and attention into:

• bayamo,
• begga,
• breakfast,
• casa,
• cattle,
• coffee,
• cuba,
• cuba2k7,
• holguin,
• newspaper,
• santiago,
• santiago de cuba,
• tracheotomy,
• travel,
• truck