01/03/2020 Santiago de Cuba

01/03/2020 Santiago de Cuba

I slept poorly, what do we do if we can't get gasoline? The tank has another 300 km and we have another 500 km to go. There's no room for any extra trips. Do we trust that we'll be able to get 5 liters of gasoline here and there, or do we just stay here? But what are we going to do here for a week? We've already seen the sights today.

The car rental guy says there is gasoline, - we asked at two gas stations, no gasoline, no air, just beer. Again, shit.

We're saving our gasoline and walking 2.5 km to the center on foot. The step counter thanks us with a good pace. We're constantly approached if we need a private room, no we don't need one, or a shop with good cigars, no we don't smoke, or a place where there's good rum. We've had enough of begging.

There's a boulevard in the center of the city, the facades are beautiful, but in the side streets we can clearly see the decay. The most important buildings are located at Parque de Cespedes, the church, the hotels, and the former town hall, from whose balcony Fidel Castro announced the victory of the revolution on January 1, 1959.

We're thirsty, and from above, I've never seen a church that rents out the basement, and also to Adidas and Co, I discover a bar. We climb up very narrow spiral stairs to Ana's bar and enjoy a beer at a great height while listening to the singing in another church. They are so loud, we can't have a conversation unless we shout at each other, and we don't want to do that.

There are no cruise ships in the harbor today, since Mr. America Great Again told the Americans not to go to Cuba, fewer and fewer ships are coming here. He is also said to have blocked the transfers from exiled Cubans to their fellow countrymen through Western Union, so there is a real shortage of foreign currency.

The situation is precarious. We'll see what happens tomorrow. In the meantime, we'll enjoy the comfort and tranquility of the hotel.