Today we went on our way on a small tour into the Sierra Maestra - 'The Big Rock', as soon as we left Santiago we were in the middle of the countryside, beautiful scenery. Beautiful vegetation, Coffee-plantations, bananaplantations,... Driving into the Sierra Maestra we get explanation about the vegetation, trees, birds – about the "lipi lipi tree", they use the seeds for their instruments (maraca's). Just like in Oz, Cuba has their own medicin tree – i forgot the name, but the leaves have on each side a different colour and one side is grey.

We stop on our way up, on the side of the road some local people sell fruit &nd bracelets made of seeds... Greet and Gwen buy some of these and i buy a clavis-set (an instrument) and a banana (of course).

We visit an old renovated coffee-plantation (Unesco World Heritage) "La Isabelica" – Its named after the mistress-slave "Isabelle" of the owner who build this plantation, she lived with him in the house. We get to see how they build their house, plantation and how they runned the place.

All the tools are nicely 'on display' – also the tools they used 'on the slaves'... Pregnant slaves got punished in a hole,... horrible, especially when you think that very often they were pregnant after being raped by the plantation owner himself... Of course we end our visit here with a cup of coffee–served by black people (!)...

Moving on, on our way to 'the Big rock' (Granda Piedra), the 3rd most important monolyth in the world, something makes me guess that Uluru is nr 1 :-). Finally we can stretch our legs and climb up to the Rock... All nicely done with stairs, not much of an adventure, but it does makes it accesable for a lot of people. On our way up and down we see loads of lizards. Getting to the top, the vieuw around is very nice, You can see 'the Sierra Maestra" all around. Big birds of pray are flying above our heads.

On our way back from "the granda Piedra" we make a stop in a botanical garden, the location is very nice – 'Luis' the gardener, a very sweet and timide man is guiding us around. We see loads of colibri's (!) – They are lovely and very tiny!

Nearly back in Santiago, we get some lunch in 'La Maison', i have a chat with one of the other tour members (we were with 5 in total) about diving in Cuba. He is French, so i tried out my 'best" french... Well, he said i was doing well, but i'm sure he was just being friendly...

Back in Santiago de Cuba – Just in time! The parade of the Caraïbean festival is passing by again, this time with loads of sunshine! Good atmosphere! Very colourfull! Great music! Nice dancers.

Back in our Casa... We are sitting on our bed – Greet & Gwen are putting the bracelets on display... so i take my instrument out and play with them for the 30st time... one of the sticks is hollow on the inside, so i have a look how its made... i see something inside, like an insect or so. So i'm talking out loud like "Hey, its like something is inside this stick... yes yes i'm sure, its a little beast... i see eyes and little paws and antenna's..." and then i knew it! i threw the stick on the floor, "its a cockroach!!" (goose-flesh all over my body, i don't mind spiders, but i freak with cockers! I can't help it, but i think they are repulsive – i know, and yet i always go to a tropical country on a holiday) Greet & Gwen(the bravehearts) suggest to flush hem true the toilet. So they kick the smack on the edge of the toilet – but no no, the cocker stays where he is. So Greet tried to "rinse" em out... doesn't want to get out this way as well... They start to freak a bit as well now... So i pick up the stick with 2 fingers (after i have been holding them in my hands and played on them all day...) and get outside the room trying to explain in my best spanish and believe me, my spanish is poor – véry poor... "signora, i have a problem..." She understands it immediatly, not réally a braveheart herself, she freaks out as well! At the same time, the man who is selling bread walks in, 'calm as a stick' (hehe)– he takes the music-stick, walks with it downstairs to the street (i race behind em, cause i do want to see the 'beast come out' – the others are watching from the balcony. He smacks the stick 2 times hard on the street – the cockroach rolls out and then in one big move he plants his foot on it! i hear em crunch under his shoe (Eeeeeek). End of the cocker – end of the 'Hysterical' girls. Back upstairs we all have a big giggle about it and we sing "a cucaracha, a cucaracha..."... Ah Well, "Cuba - always an adventure", hehe.

Tomorrow we are leaving on a 5hour bus trip to Baracoa. Santiago de Cuba was a réally nice place to visit! Hope to come here again someday!