Left Holguín before 8 a.m. as we would travel over very poor roads at times. Travelling through Mayari and Sagua de Tanamo we stopped at a service station and bought sandwiches (cheese and/or ham, of course) as the area ahead was sparsely inhabited and there was a long drive ahead through the Sierra Maestras. This is where the Cuban revolution started. We passed through Moa where we saw pollution machines. Not a pretty sight. Funny, tourist guide books don't seem to want to talk about this area. But here's some informatiion I found from the Cubanet internet site (Florida).

HOLGUÍN, September 29 (www.cubanet.org) - The mining community of Moa, in eastern Holguín province, is increasingly threatened by the pollution produced by two nickel refining plants and other industries.

Area woods yield more every year to mining and deficient reforestation. Marine life off the coast is almost non-existent due to the effluents dumped. Gases given off by the Cuban-Canadian plant Pedro Soto Alba, and the Cuban plant Ernesto Guevara, saturate the atmosphere on a daily basis.

The nickel plants produce about 50,000 tons of nickel annually, an important source of foreign currency to the economy.

Paradoxically, the more than 70,000 residents don't enjoy a standard of living comparable to the level of economic activity. It seems that the benefits go to the State.

We were now in the lush oriente region. East Cuba has an area of high rainfall and we had showers off and on all day. There were many farm animals along the way all with babies. We saw a goat giving birht but she was in distress and they couldn't pull her kid and she was dying — very sad. This is was where the Cuban revolution started and there were many military signs to remind us of that fact.

Below: - Washday on the Toa

Driving into Baracoa, Rolando, our driver, drove us through the town and and up to our hotel on the hill called El Castillo, an old fort. Baracoa still preserves clear evidence of the solid system of colonial forts, like Forts Matachín, where the Municipal Museum is located; la Punta; Seboruco; and the fortified towers of Joa; Caguase or the Castle of the Villa itself, which was later turned into a comfortable hotel; all of them built to defend the city form the siege of pirates and corsairs.

From our hotel, this old Spanish fortress, with a lookout view to the bay, the city and Miel river from the front and of the Yunque de Baracoa, symbol of the city from the back.

That evening we walked down to the heart of the town. Noting the local cathedral was open, we stopped to view the Cruz de la Parra — first Christian symbol found in the island brought by Columbus in 1492. It claims to be the first symbol of Christianity in the new world.

Outside was a statue of Hatuey, an Indian who became the symbol of rebellion. Baracoa is one of the few Cuban villages located close to where Indo-Cubans found refuge in the mountains and managed to survive to a certain extent. One can actually recognize features inherited from these ancestors in today's village dwellers. Today has an economy based on coffee and cacao.

Then it was time for dinner and an evening of Cuban entertainment.

Index — Cuba - As It Was in 2003