Bats and Rats

I failed to mention in my blog last night that when we returned to our apartment the front gate to the building was locked and we had to use our key to get in. As soon as we closed the gate behind us, two men, who we had just walked past sitting on the stoop of the next building over, appeared against it hollering for us to help them. We could understand enough of the words and gestures to realize they were claiming to have forgotten their key and wanted us to help let them in. Though it was clear to both of us what they were claiming and asking, we pretended not to understand and rushed towards the elevators. Some other man was coming around the corner in the atrium and went to help them. We did not want to be stuck in an elevator with the two men we had refused to help so we slid in at lightening speed as soon as the doors opened and willed it to close and ascend quickly.

Yesterday was a long exhausting day. We had an early wake-up this morning, we both were beat from the full day, and Brandon wasn’t feeling well so we actually managed to fall asleep at a decent time last night, probably around 11:30pm. I was awoken from a sound sleep by a strong squeeze from Brandon on my hip as he was getting out of bed. We both like some space when we sleep so it’s not like this was an accidental gesture. I was groggily coming to consciousness when I heard Brandon say, from down the bedroom hall, “Someone is banging on our door.” Hearing those words woke me with a quickness. Sure enough I could hear a man yelling something in the hallway. Our first thought was that this was one of the men we had refused to let in messing with us. I can’t recall what Brandon yelled back, or if he even did, but the man walked away, only to be heard knocking on the door of a neighboring apartment. It was a little after midnight and we were both startled by this incident, needing some time to fall back asleep. Absent any more banging sleep set back in. Until exactly 3:10am when I was again rudely shocked out of a sound sleep, this time by the ringing phone. There was a phone in the bedroom and it was loud and abrasive. I pushed Brandon to answer it, thinking it was on his side of the bed when, in fact, it was on mine. Oops. Nonetheless, he grabbed the phone and said hello, only to be met by the void sounds of someone on the other end not saying a word. Not a dial tone like someone had hung up, but silent, dead air. Either the door banging or the middle of the night phone call would have been bad enough on their own, but taking them in tandem, I was pretty freaked out as to what could be coming next.

Thankfully nothing else happened, except for the alarm rudely sounding at 6:45am to get our butts in gear. Neither of us wanted to get up, both absolutely exhausted and desperate for more sleep after the stressful sounds of last night. But we finally peeled ourselves out of bed for we needed to get ourselves ready and prepare our day packs for this experience. Our driver would be picking us at 7:30am. Our morning moved slow. And Brandon was sick. The pain he started to feel last night has officially settled in and he was officially sick this morning. I felt terrible and wondered what would have made him sick but not me since we have literally eaten the exact same as each other since we got here. We were running late. I hoped our driver was patient but also had a mild fantasy of finding that the driver had given up on us and left so we could just go back to sleep. In the end, we were 20 minutes late but we made it out the door to find our driver patiently waiting for us in his blue and white 50’s Pontiac. Luis seemed nice but didn’t speak a lick of English.

The description of our excursion had set the expectations for a 2 – 2 1/2 hour drive to the Bay of Pigs. As we started down the highway it became apparent that lanes in Cuba are just a suggestion as the car took up whichever part of the road the driver desired. We sleepily watched out the window for a while and then I decided it all looked the same and I wasn’t going to miss anything so I laid down across the back seat with my head on Brandon and tried to get some sleep. This was definitely a perk of not having any seat belts. As I felt the car slow I figured we must be at our destination and woke myself up. It had been about two hours so the timing was right as well. I watched out the window as the car came to a stop and was confused. It was just a corner with a bunch of people standing around waiting to get rides. And then one of those people opened the door to the front and hopped in. Apparently this was our translator for the day. He was a nice kid but neither of us could remember his name. Since we have no idea his real name, we shall call him Tomas. We didn’t speak a ton as we continued on. Tomas pointed out a few things about the area as we entered the Zapata Swamp National Park. I was still trying to wake up.

Then the car stopped randomly again and a more mature balding gentlemen also climbed into the front seat. This was Eduardo. He was our personal nature guide for the day. He had a friendly smile and you could tell he was a jovial man. I felt bad as all three men were squeezed into the front while we were able to spread out in the back. Finally, after a solid three hours on the road, Luis pulled off into a little clearing. This was where we would begin our hike. Luis would be our driver for the entire day so we we consolidated down into one backpack for the hike as we could leave the rest of our stuff in the car.

We hadn’t seen any mosquitos yet in La Habana but had read many warnings about mosquitoes as we prepared for the trip. Brandon and I had some very direct conversations about that topic as we were packing where we compromised that I would bring my natural hippie bug repellant and he would bring his poison as a back-up when mine didn’t work. We had brought both with us for the hike and needed to apply it right away as mosquitoes were obvious here. As Brandon sprayed himself all over with eau de deet, I haughtily opened my natural citronella bracelet and snapped it on. Brandon explained my attempt to naturally repel the bugs and the translator explained it to Luis and Eduardo. They all basically shook their heads and rolled their eyes. I had no allies with my hippie shit today. The bracelet fell off my wrist and the smell was quite strong anyways so I tied it on as an anklet instead.

Everyone was standing around trying to see the Pygmy owl that Eduardo had spotted high above when one of the men pointed out a mosquito on my face. Then Brandon spotted another right by it. So much for my hippie shit. All the men laughed hysterically and Brandon took extreme joy in getting to spray the deet all over me as was proven right on this one. I’m pretty sure it was the biggest smile I had ever seen on him. He loved both getting to spray me down and knowing that all the other men were also laughing at me.

With my pride bruised, we set off down a path with Eduardo and Tomas leading the way and immediately pointing to rocks with the fossilized imprints of corals on them. We turned off the path and went from walking on packed dirt to walking on coral. The swamp was once all under the ocean. The coral was very cool and I have never hiked on anything like it before but it definitely gave my lack of depth perception a spin and actually made me a little dizzy for a few moments as literally every step required you to be mindful so as to not twist your ankle in a hole, break your toe on a piece sticking up, or fall into a deep crevice. Hiking on it was a trip. The description of the hike hadn’t included any of these details and simply said it was flat ground so I figured my Allbirds shoes would be fine. In reality, there’s no way I would have wanted to packed them for just this but I really wished I had my hiking shoes.

I loved being out in nature hiking, I was totally in my element. We came to a little crevice, the opening to a cave. I was still a little dizzy and found my footing uneasy as Eduardo led us down a slope into the cavern. He went in ahead of us to clear low-hanging bats (!!!) and found a large white crab. He explained to us that during these winter months the crabs live on land and then they migrate out to the sea during the summer to reproduce. We had never heard of large land-living crabs before. We saw a couple other dead crabs on the ground but this was the only live one to be seen in the cave. This crab was not happy to be handled and his claws flailed. It was time to go deeper into the cave. Eduardo set the crab down and Tomas explained that it was going to get very tight, we would be crawling. Hold up, yo! We explained that I’m claustrophobic and already having a really hard time with my depth perception so maybe Tomas and I would stay behind and Brandon would go explore with Eduardo. We wished we had the other pack with us as a headlamp was in there. All of a sudden Eduardo and Tomas both grew very excited, yelling to me to move quick! I looked down and jumped screaming. That pissed off crab was out for blood and hurling himself at my ankles with claws snapping. How I did not totally fall or hit my head and hurt myself in that moment is a mystery. That little bugger tried to kill me. In hindsight, we are suspect that the crab was “planted” in the cave to be found on our hike. As we reflected it seemed too easy that he just happened to find the only one in there so quickly upon our arrival…

I stayed back with Tomas as Brandon followed Eduardo into the narrow chambers of the cave. A few minutes later they resurfaced, both were drenched in sweat, it looked like they had gone for a swim. Brandon assured me I made the right call staying behind, he had to crawl with giant cockroaches scurrying all around and hundreds of bats overhead, it was like a sauna in there. I was sad I missed seeing all the bats but was assured that we would go to a more accessible cave next where they could be seen. We learned that bats represent 85% of the mammals in Cuba. I felt something sharp on my ankle, a giant ant had just bitten me, directly beneath my natural bug repellant anklet.

We reached the next cave where a rudimentary ladder was lashed to the side allowing easy access. As soon as I descended I could see the bats hanging overhead. I shuddered with unease. Eduardo spotted an owl roosting on a rock in the cave and shone his dim light, I could barely make it out but was excited nonetheless. I love owls! We had spotted the non-nocturnal Pygmy owl when we first parked and so now I got to see the nocturnal owl as well. I tried to figure out if I could get closer for a better view but a deep pool of water shared our space in the cave and there was no way to safely get closer. I began to relax more as Eduardo shone his light on all the bats hanging within inches of us. We could stand in this cave but with barely any clearance, so the bats were right on top of us. I didn’t mind them hanging out but still had to stifle squeals when they flew around us. These were good sized bats too, each hanging at probably 6-7″ long. Eduardo and I were failing to communicate well, I really just wanted him to shine the meager flashlight on certain clusters of bats so I could get a picture and he thought I wanted him to disturb the bats and clear them from overhead. This was a frustrating exchange. I settled more as Brandon and I discussed that some of the bats were actually kind of cute, like little teddy bears.

We climbed out of the cave and continued our hike, going back and forth between hiking on soft dirt, spongy with roots pushing up from below, and jagged coral riddled with deep gashes and crevices. We saw many birds and giant termite nests. We came to another crevice and Tomas explained that now we would be descending down into the tectonic fault. I’m unsure if that was actually true, I’ve been on fault lines, but whatever. As we climbed down and walked through a narrow crevice Tomas stopped us to point out all the sea life petrified into the walls around us. He then led us around the corner to where Eduardo had been waiting for us to show us one of their prides, a Megadon tooth, which they had found a couple years prior, embedded in the coral walls. I climbed up to get a closer look. Wow. But I very quickly realized that this tooth looked a little too clean and was sticking out a little too perfectly. Without asking I gently touched it. Hmm. It was clean as a whistle. And then I noticed a tiny little drill hole at the base of the tooth. I stepped down and Brandon took his turn. He was more polite and asked first if he could touch it, they warned him that it was very fragile so they prefer not but be very very gentle if he wants to. He ran his finger gently along the jagged edge. I just stared at it from below with skepticism. When we were done looking at it, they explained that Eduardo would replace a rock over it to keep it hidden so it’s not seen and stolen. This was the first time they had us lead the way on the trail and they pointed to where we should go. I am completely convinced that they planted that tooth there for us to find. First off, as we approached Tomas had held us at bay looking at other fossils while Eduardo went around the corner and then when it was time to leave they sent us up ahead. I shared my conspiracy theory with Brandon and, upon reflection, he agrees.

The hike was fascinating with unique flowers and birds entertaining us. Did you know that a bromeliad only blossoms once in it’s lifetime, at age 5, and then dies? I didn’t. At times the ground was covered with beautiful little brown flowers. Throughout our hike we spotted owls, hummingbirds, parrots, and trogons (the national bird of Cuba). Tomas and Eduardo told us that just about a month ago on this same hike they had come across a giant 4 meter long python. Oh hell no. I became a little more vigilant the rest of the hike. We had been out there close to three hours and we were getting hungry and hot. I was doing ok with the heat but Brandon had it worse from going in the sauna-like cave earlier. He was anxious to get to the flooded cave that they had promised us made for a great swimming hole. We followed our guides chit chatting and enjoying the fresh air.

Finally we came to the deep pool of water and I realized that their use of the word cave isn’t in fact necessarily always the cave we would think about. They refer to these giant bodies of water as flooded caves. This one was indeed gorgeous but when we learned that it was 76 meters deep I knew I would be sitting this swim out as I can barely dog paddle. Brandon was all in. I watched with delight as he stripped down and dove off into the crystal clear brackish water while I happily sat back taking in the scene of him cooling off in the water. Tomas explained that Eduardo wanted to learn english and we taught him the word “brackish” while Brandon swam. After his swim it was just a short walk back out to a different part of the main road where Luis was waiting to pick us all up. I received two bug bites on this hike, both within an inch of my citronella anklet.

This time Tomas slid into the back seat next to us instead of cramming in front three across. He explained the rest of the day, we would be heading to Eduardo’s son’s home for a home-cooked lunch and then coming back to the bay for snorkeling both in the bay and in another flooded cave. On the way to lunch, however, both he and Eduardo would be dropped off to catch other rides home. I didn’t realze they wouldn’t be going with us and the rest of the day would essentially be self-guided with Luis delivering us from place to place. Sure enough, Luis pulled over and we bid adieu to Eduardo and Tomas, continuing on with Luis to have lunch. We drove a ways away from the bay and finally turned down a long residential lane as rain drops started to sporadically fall.

Pulling up to Eduardo’s son’s home it was unlike any other home we had passed on the way, two stories and in much nicer shape. We were greeted by his wife, again, name unknown, who also didn’t really speak English but we could communicate enough for her to guide us where to find the bathroom and where to wash our hands. Their property was beautiful and peaceful. Our meal was being prepared in a little outdoor kitchen and we would eat on a picnic table beneath a shelter. We were able to muster up enough broken communication to ask if we could explore the yard while she finished preparing our meal.

Walking down a pathway to the back of the property there was a large enclosure and we could see a cute pointy nose sticking through the chain link inquisitively. Eduardo’s son appeared behind us, he spoke English well. Again, I didn’t catch his name. He welcomed us and explained that these were Cuban tree rats. While not quite endangered there numbers had dwindled so many families bred them in their yards. He explained that they are a food source for many folks but for them they keep the adults as pets and then release the babies into the wild to try to help repopulate the area. I felt bad that it seemed like he was defending that the Cuban people eat these creatures, almost seeming embarrassed thinking we would judge them for it. The tree rats were roughly the size of small cats. I wished I could hug one of the furry little curious rodents.

As we stood there cooing over the tree rats and talking with Eduardo’s son the rain started to fall heavier. Son excused himself as he could feel the onset of a cold and didn’t want to get sick. And wife called us to come eat as the food was now ready. There were three place settings on the table, Luis would be dining with us. I loved that, it made me so happy that our driver would be joining us instead of it feeling awkward like we were having a great meal while the local did not get to partake. I summoned up enough Spanish to say “I’m sorry, I wish I spoke Spanish and we could talk more” as he sat across the table from us. He appreciated the gesture. Our lunch was a delicious spread of black bean soup, rice, chicken, pork, pumpkin, vegetables, and fruit. And the most divine freshly squeezed pineapple juice ever. The pineapples we’ve had in Cuba don’t have nearly as much acid as the ones in the US. We stuffed our faces while the rain poured harder. Between a full belly from the meal and the now pouring rain it was sure to make the next stop of our day, snorkeling, a little more interesting. As the rain subsided, we thanked our gracious hosts and followed Luis back out to the car.

It was getting cold. I knew I probably would not get in the water at this point but Brandon was determined. We returned to the bay and I slipped into my bikini top in the back of the car. Even if I wasn’t going to snorkel, I might as well wear that out in the rain and keep my other clothes dry. It wasn’t just raining, it was windy. It was cold. We froze as we ran across the road to the bay. This was a popular snorkeling spot with a couple vendors set up along the beach. Luis followed us out and went to chit chat with some of them while I followed Brandon to the water. In he went. I dipped my toe in. So cold. Everything was cold. The rain was strong and fierce, fueled by the wind. The vendors hollered and waved me over to take some shelter alongside their stall. I sat there shivering but smiling watching Brandon float along in the beautiful bay. I felt bad that the weather was not cooperating better for him. After a few minutes, and heavier rain, he had enough and came shivering out of the water. The freshwater flooded cave was right back across the road and also was to promise great snorkeling. Brandon was too cold and done being in the water but we knew we should at least see it. So we ran across the road and hurried to find it as quickly as we could. It was pretty enough, not as pretty as the flooded cave he had swam in when it was still warm earlier in the day, but we were glad we made the stop and admired it together.

Crawling wet into the back of Luis’ car we were ready for our three hour ride back home. We felt bad watching Luis try to see out the small, ancient windshield with the rain in full force. It was like driving back in a monsoon with a plethora of flooded roads and constantly fogged over windows. At one point Luis stopped and got out of the car to inspect the tires, we weren’t sure what had given him cause for alarm but were relieved when he got back in and started driving again. He blasted the air to try to clear the fog and we were freezing. We had only used Brandon’s towel to dry off and I still had my large and small microfiber towels dry in my bag so we pulled out the large one to wear as a blanket. We watched as Luis constantly used his hands to try to clear the fog. Finally he accepted the small towel from us and was able to wick away all the moisture, a game changer for sure. The windows could finally be cleared. We snacked on little bananas we had been given at Eduardo’s son’s and Brandon immediately started to feel sick again. I thought they tasted a little sour but I was ok. The rain stayed with us almost the entire three hour trek home.

Finally we arrived at our little apartment in Vedado. Saying goodbye to Luis we forgot to get my little towel back from him. It’s ok, I have a feeling he appreciated it and it will get much more use from him than ever from me. We were so happy to get into the apartment and be warm and dry. I was still in the front room when I heard a yelp from Brandon down the hallway to the bedroom. The hallway included a sharp turn into the bedroom and at that elbow was a massive puddle of water. The floors were already slick and Brandon caught that puddle and barely saved himself from slipping and going down hard. What the hell? That was the only spot of water on the floors and there was no way that water could have leaked on to that particular spot. This was ghost flooding. Were our AirBnB hosts gunning for us?

We showered, warmed up, and put on warmer clothes to go find some dinner, ending up at a quaint little restaurant that Brandon recalled seeing in his research, it may have been been one we saw on the Anthony Bourdain special, we will need to investigate. The walls were decorated with a wine theme including a Sonoma County plaque and large replicas of Jordan wine bottles! We decided on a few plates to order – salad, risotto, and honey lime chicken – but ended up changing the risotto order to ropa vieja when told that it would take 45 minutes to make the risotto. Oooooh, this meant it would be done right and fresh! But we didn’t want to wait. We were tucked away at a table in the corner of the restaurant, peacefully recalling our day, when another couple was sat at the table across from us. The Frenchman pulled out a cigarette and I started coughing. I had to excuse myself and go outside to get my breath back. We ended up having to ask to change tables to get away from the chain-smoker.

Dinner was good but as we neared the end of our meal heart burn started to settle in to my chest. Indigestion now had me belching and all I could taste was oil. Vegetable oil. Brandon had been feeling sick since yesterday afternoon and finally it seems I am getting a glimpse of it. Let’s hope this lets up.

Tomorrow we don’t have anything organized. Our rough plan includes a visit to the aquarium, Habana Vieja, and Playa Santa Maria. The rain seems to have cleared up so we hope tomorrow is a clearer day. We have no way to check the forecast to know but when we checked before we left the US, today had been the only day with the possibility of rain.