compressor, a gear bearing puller,
clutch cables, clutch plates, throttle
repair kit, four car aerials, nuts and
bolts, four exhaust pipes (yes, four!),
fuel line hose, sixteen tyre valves,
emery cloth and reflective tape, in-
dicator turn lights, a length of plas-
tic hose, a book about cruising the
French canals, an electrode holder, a
set of electrical components, a set of
tiny screwdrivers, three bearings with
pins and rings, a book about Fidel
Castro, and strangely, a padlock pick-
er and four packs of tablecloth clips.
I took a box of Thornton’s chocolates
too. Who doesn’t like chocolate?
The baggage allowance for my
flight was generous but the combined
weight of all this was 23kgs which
I could barely carry. I could just
manage all Chris’ dream cargo in my
backpack. A small holdall with my
own requirements balanced me and
stopped me from tipping over back-
wards on my way to the airport bus.
Almost as soon as I’d booked the
flight, I learnt President Obama had
too! And, it seemed from my con-
tact on the island, so had the Rolling
Stones who would be giving a free
concert whilst I was there. Suddenly
everyone wanted to be in Cuba.
I knew it was going to be a happy
place when the passengers applauded
the pilot on touchdown in Havana.
The runway seemed smooth enough.
I hoped the roads would be similar.
“These are what we call Obama
roads,” Chris explained on the way
from the airport.
Freshly tarmacked, smooth roads
had been laid on routes he would take
during his visit. I learned that there
were ‘Obama roads’ and then there
were all the others. Potholes to catch
the unwary appeared from nowhere
just when the road looked clear. The
old American cars I’d previously
thought were brought out for special
occasions were everywhere. There
must be many hundreds of them. I
gasped and pointed like a fool all the
way back to Chris’ gorgeous house.
Watching him unpack his treasures
was well worth the effort of bringing
them. When I’d changed into some
cooler clothes, I was introduced to
Hector, a white 1986 750cc Chang
Jiang M1S. What a head-turner!
Chris bought it whilst working in
TRAVERSE 58
Beijing and managed to bring it into
Cuba. Our first job was to fit the new
exhausts so off we went in the steamy
heat the next day to the workshop.
They did a good job and it was good to
see sparks and smell hot metal again.
There was time for a swim in