Shuttle Bus Diary (Day 1)
by Kris Romaniuk • September 22, 2011 • Excerpts & Travel Diary • 0 Comments
Note: I wrote Rum Socialism from the notes of a travel diary I kept while in Cuba. Here is a ver batim excerpts of that diary that doesn’t give away too much of the book itself.
*****
I’m sitting on the bus outside the airport waiting for it to leave. The toilet is out of order and the tour guide just gave us a last call warning to use the washroom. I pounded two beers in the parking lot, but I don’t have to piss yet. Looks like it’s going to down pour. That kind of ambiance should serve my bladder well. The digital display over the driver says 18:37, 27°C.
*****
The bus stopped at a roadside bar so that we could all use the washroom and spend more of our tourist dollars. Met some Newfies. I checked out the girl on the plane, and chatted with the guy later at the airport bar. They were on a different bus going to a different resort. Colin and Alicia. They hope to move to Montreal in the fall. She’s a teacher and he’s getting his trucker’s license.
*****
19:37 – The bus guide is telling us all about the tours they can upsell us on.
*****
All along the road there have been billboards and graffiti about the Revolution. White rocks have been arranged to read Fidel, Raoul, and CDR. I wonder how many of these farmers are actually behind the rocks and graffiti and how much of it is state mandated.
*****
I can smell myself. It’s refreshing.
*****
So much poverty. I wonder they’re any happier than us. The two middle-aged men I met at the airport in Montreal seemed to think so. One of them keeps a girl here, and pays her in jeans and toiletries. His friend was coming for the first time. I hope he brought a lot of shampoo.
*****
Tonight I’m going to swim in the sea and wrestle a shark.