Travel Story: Egle Gerulaityte - cuba
‘Where are my bike riders?!!’, - in the dead of the
night, a loud bellow makes everybody jump out of
their skin. Captain Ludwig is rousing the riders asleep
on the deck of the creaking Stahlratte: it’s time to
unload the bikes and sneak them through the Cuban
customs.
I’d always wanted to explore Cuba, so when
President Obama announced he was going to visit
the island I felt it was now or never: I had to go ride
around Cuba before the countless hordes of
holidaying gringos showed up and turned it into a
touristy Disneyland. So in early March 2016, I
boarded the Stahlratte in Isla Mujeres, Mexico along
with 6 other motorcyclists. They were from
Switzerland, England, Poland, Canada, the USA, and
Germany: a mixed bunch, but all with the same
thought as me.
Filled with anticipation and guided by the expert
efforts of the Captain, we spent the next eight hours
filling forms and dealing with an amount of
paperwork that would put border officials in Central
America to shame. Everything was done by hand, and
the customs officers were taking their time checking
and double – checking if everything is in order.
But at the end of a long, hot day I finally had an
import sticker on my windshield, a Cuban license
plate attached to my bike, and a Cuban driving
license safely in my wallet. I’d better keep an eye on
it, too: if any of these are not returned upon
departure, there are fines of $80 and more per
missing item.
I spent one more night on the Stahlratte sitting at the
dockside in Cienfuegos and set out to Havana the
next morning.