Dinner at Armandos - Matanzas

pics # 5

Jaguey to Matanzas pics #4

Jaguey to Matanzas pics #3

more Jaguey o0 Matanzas pics

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Jaguey Grande to Matanzas

Hello all
This is the Tres Amigos version of leaving Jaguey,as the rest of the group took off to Veradero like horses to the barn. (Beach,beer,and Rum punch in this case ).
After my delicious breakfast at Casa Maria(where we all had a grand feast the night before),we toured the heart of town,took some photos and headed Northward towards Jovellanos. We passed seemingly endless Citrus Groves,many Fincas(Co-op farms),and an interesting Secondary school and adjoining Ball courts.
We stopped to load up on water and Naranjo ,and enjoyed some made to order street pizza in Jovellanos,then pressed on.
Barry and I enjoyed a nice lunch in Coliseo (or Limonar,I cannot remember),while Kirk explored the local township searching for an elusive item. As the picture shows,good value to be had eating with locals and carrying local currency "Cubanos" (20=$1.00 can ). We had a tasty 270gm pork steak and a forgettable spaghetti for about $1.25 Can.They even threw in a free dessert.
Arrived in Matanzas about 2pm,and first stop was to introduce Barry to the local Locksmith,in case he kept with recent tradition of stealing/forgetting keys from the Casas. We found a great watering hole on Matanzas Bay and met Frank,a Can guy who lives in Matanzas and Havana. We grilled him for info on area and Habana ,while enjoying a couple cold Cristal.
Kirk had a reservation for us in Matanzas,so we proceeded to find Casa"La Villa Sonada",soon known as Armando's Place to us. Great location right across street from "Dollar Store",and 5 blks from Parque Centro. They were good enough to let Kirk do his daily spoke change right in the Lobby,and had cold beer at the ready for us.Only problem was there was only 1 room avail,so I stayed a few blocks away,but returned to enjoy the delicious dinner and breakie that Armando and Delisa put together for us. First class Seafood dinner on a beautiful,calming,plant covered terrace. For less than $20.00 Can each,with ample beer and wine.
We were pleasantly stuffed,and waddled down to the main square to get a feel of the town and stretch our legs. An early night to prepare for what could be a long day tomorrow.

Made it to Cienfuegos

Quick update with no pictures as we have limited access and very little time. We have had an interesting adventure so far and will update when time permits. We are all safe in Cienfuegos and managed to pick up a German rider along the way so now we are 8. Heading out to Playa Giron in the morning and if all goes well, we will arrive Varadero Thursday afternoon.

We have had some mechanical break downs on the way with flat tires, broken spokes and Barry was missing an axle on arrival into Santa Clara as it was lost enroute. Days are hot and the occasional rainy start but manage to find accomodation in a Casa each night. Food is actually been quite good and the Cerveza has been better.

Presently at a local restaurant and waiting for our food to be served.

We are on our way

The clock has finally counted down in our favor and we are gathered in YVR starting on the beverage consumption portion of the journey. The flight to Toronto leaves in 1 1/2 hours arriving shortly after 6 am. We have a 3 hour layover before our flight to Santa Clara Cuba. On arrival plans are to assemble the bikes and ride from the airport to the Casa and then off for a couple of Cristals before we hit the road early Saturday morning.

We are down to 23 days and counting. Bikes are prepped, plans have been formulated and the excitement is building. The summer and fall included mini training rides through Vancouver, Fort Langley and the odd trip across the Golden Ears bridge. The 7 of us confirmed riders are going to get together for wings at the "station" next Tuesday for some last minute discussions and practicing up for the alcohol consumption portion of the journey. There may be issues on updating the blog while on route in Cuba due to limited Internet access but we will do our best. This years ride should be just as exciting as the last so stay tuned for updates.

We are booked!!

At this time we have 7 confirmed riders for our Cuba expedition. Flights are booked and Kirk is working on Cassa`s for our accomodations durring the ride. I am working on the resort r&r for the last 4 days. The route has changed allowing for a better sightseeing expedition including a stop at the Bay of Pigs. There are still seats available for those still contemplating riding with us.

This is the proposed route and itinerary for the Cuba ride. As all good plans change this may be altered along the way.



Day 1, Nov 18, redeye flight YVR – YYZ



Day 2, Nov 19, Fly Toronto - Santa Clara, dx 09:45am – arr 1:25pm
assemble bikes, explore and overnight. Reservations at the Richard y Norma Casa Particular



Day 3, Nov 20, Ride to Sancti Spiritus. 80 km.



Day 4, Nov 21, Ride to Trinidad or La Boca on the south coast. 76km or 82km.


Day 5, Nov 22, Ride to Cienfuegos. 83 km


Day 6, Nov 23, Ride to Playa Giron (Bay of Pigs). 90km


Day 7, Nov 24, Ride to Jaguey Grande (Australia). 66km


Day 8, Nov 25, Ride to Matanzas. 86km
Roger and Kerry will split off at Jovellanos and short cut to Varadero, R & K total approx 80km



Day 9/10, Nov 26/27, Ride to HavanaThe rest of us ride along the beautiful north coast to Havana. There are too many lodgings to mention along there according to the guidebook and the beaches are spectacular. We could play it by ear here and find a nice Casa. 95km total


Day 11, Nov 28, Explore Havana


Day 12, Nov 29, Bus to Varadero to meet up with the Roger/Sherry and Kerry/Candice. Viazul Transport (luxury coaches, air conditioned, bike transport also) 4 daily trips, $10.80



Day 13, Nov 30, Varadero, Barcelo Solymar. eat, drink and be merry.



Day 14, Dec 1, Varadero, Barcelo Solymar, eat, drink and be merry.



Day 15, Dec 2, Varadero, depart 02:15pm to YYZ, cnx to YVR, arr late evening

Get to know the expedition team members as they join our team.










Ken Brodie checks in..

"Burkeville Ken" a neighbour of Barry has decided to ride with us this year. From what I have been told, Ken is an avid cyclist, tugboat captain/beach bum/male gigolo. He also claims that he really does not like people but this sounds like a good way to meet chicks.

Hi everyone, my name is Kirk Vaillant.

After hearing all the great stories of previous trips from fellow WestJetters Roger and Barry I’ve decided to join in this latest adventure ride thru Cuba.

I’ve been married to my wonderful wife Teresa for almost 30 years now and have three children Gina, Kimberly and Kiel. Most of my life’s previous hobbies have revolved around motor sports. Having recently transcended the 50 year mark I'm thinking this trip will help start a physical fitness trend I can carry on with.

I just purchased a used Specialized Stumpjumper 29er mountain bike and have been preparing it with touring goodies for the trip. Let the training begin.






Isabel Shannon


Isabel only recently has taken to cycling but has taken to it like a duck to water. This is Isabel's first bicycle adventure. She is married to fellow expedition Member, Greg Shannon and has two grown children. Isabel works for the government of Canada making sure that we all pay our fair share.




Greg Shannon


I am 49 years young. Born and raised in Surrey I have 2 grown children Alex (23) and Paige (20). In addition to cycling I’m a reasonably competent sailor, good cook, fair bartender and have recently discovered the joys of snowboarding and downhill mountain biking (the chair lifts take you up and you coast downhill at great speed, not exactly training for this ride). I’m also a Boler trailer enthusiast and have travelled a bit in an almost restored 1973 13 foot. Always on the prowl for a good bar with a great band, As gainful employment I work for Shippers Supply Inc in Delta, where I’m the branch manager. We are a manufacturer and distributor of packaging, storage, logistics and warehouse solutions. As a second career I’m always looking forward to being a sailing bum. This is second cycling trip of any great distance.




Roger Hallingham


Roger is 51 and his day job has him gainfully employed at WestJet airlines fixing jets.
On his days off, Roger is either renovating the house or very slowly finishing a 1932 Ford Roadster that he has been working on for the past 9 years.
He has been with Sherry for 3 years and they enjoy vacationing in the Caribbean.
This is Rogers 3rd. bicycle adventure.




Barry Byer


Barry is 45 years old, married 18 years with two kids aged 7 (boy) and 10 (girl) and lives in Richmond.
He works for WestJet and has been there for 11 years. Hobbies include biking, golfing and hotrods.
This is his 2nd bike trip and he is more excited about this one than he was about the 2009 trip!



Kerry Vanderzalm


Kerry Vanderzalm is 50 years old and has been married forever. He has three adult sons. Kerry enjoys the tropics, traveling, bike riding, boating, SCUBA diving, good food, good booze, good friends and open air bars. This will be Kerry`s 4th bicycle adventure.

Last year he rode from Surrey, BC to San Francisco in record time.

There are other potential riders who claim to be going and we will update when they commit.

The start of a new adventure

Over the past 2 years a small group of adventurers looking for a unique way to spend a 2 week vacation, rode bicycles from Puerto Moroles Mexico to Belize and back. We had 7 riders in 2008 with 3 finishing the 800 kms. In 2009 there were 8 cyclists with a change of plans for the ride back and sailed on a 50 foot catamaran to the starting point. You can view both adventures at bikingtobelize08.blogspot.com and bikingtobelize09.blogspot.com This year's ride was initially planned for a ride from Guatemala City through Belize and back to Cancun, Mexico. After realizing that it would be a logistical nightmare, we changed gears and decided that a bike ride through most of Cuba, starting in Santa Clara and eventually ending up in Varadero would be more realistic. This ride will cover approximately 500 kms and will be more challenging in many ways. The terrain is more mountainous than the previous rides, accomodations will not be as readily available, internet is unknown to update the blog and currency may be an issue with the 2 systems in Cuba.