Holguin 3

Graphic deficiency warning: there are only a couple of photos left of Cuba to present, and none for today. I must have been really weary of Cuba and yearning to go back to Europe.


I reminded the dueña that she had promised to show me where the barber was, so she asked a kid to take me there. I had probably the cheapest haircut in my life. The official price according to the notice on the wall was 2 pesos, but he charged me 3 and I gave him another as a tip. That came up to under 16¢ at the official rate of exchange.


At 1230 the taxi came to take the three of us, the Swedes and I, to Holguin. It cost us $18 because the driver had only $2 change. Somehow I think that was not a coincidence. We went to the first choice of casa in the guide book. There was no answer and I soon realised that they were not operating any more. At Isabel's, L's former casa, it was full house. We tried another one from the book. They wanted $25 for only one night and we declined. I decided to try Hilda, the former dentist while the Swedes tried a neighbour of Hilda's. The neighbour sent them to another casa so we parted and arranged to meet that evening. I waited for a while but no sign of Hilda. I went back to Isabel who sent me back to the first offer. This time they agreed on $20 as I was staying two nights.


Later that afternoon, I discovered the probable reason Hilda was out was that the government had suddenly declared a freeze on the sales of dollar denominated goods. So people were out stockpiling. I wondered if it would affect my plans to buy cigars and a bottle of rum for K back in Heemstede.


We had dinner at Rumbos; that place was getting to be a regular haunt. Afterwards we had ice cream, but there were only sticks left, no cones.


I think this was the day I spotted a stretch Lada and regretted not taking a photo of it. (But if you do a search on "stretch Lada" you will find some specimens.) It was a superlong Lada, made by welding sections together, like how they make stretch limos. I supposed that it was used for weddings, etc.


The film at Cine Frexes was cancelled. I wondered if the dollar goods freeze had anything to do with it. Oh well, an early night then. I would shop for the cigars and rum after breakfast, then meet the Swedes to climb Loma de la Cruz which overlooks Holguin. When we first arrived from Baracoa, J had confused loma (hill) with lomo (pork) while reading the guide. Huh? Pork of the cross?, she had exclaimed.