{"product_id":"cuba7-0","title":"Day 0: The big departure for Cuba (From Varadero to Matanzas)","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\n\u003cstrong\u003e2019-12-22\u003c\/strong\u003e Sherbrooke ---\u0026gt; Montreal\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e The big departure for Cuba (yes, again...)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Departure from Sherbrooke around noon to go to Dorval Airport (YUL) \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg height=\"295\" width=\"393\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0557\/0615\/7244\/files\/20191222_1133454101865980077994911.jpg?v=1682275915\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Everything fits perfectly in my awesome $1000 sports car\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e I put my luggage in a large cardboard box. (It's free in bike shops)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e The airport isn't as crowded as I expected. Check-in goes smoothly. Customs is a breeze. My goal is to cover about 400 km in a week... I've already booked my first night, but not the others... Where will I be? I arrived at Varadero airport in the evening around 9:30 PM. I collect my two boxes and head outside to assemble my bike. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cimg data-mce-fragment=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0557\/0615\/7244\/files\/20191222_2150338974658327895229504_480x480.jpg?v=1682276079\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Two kind Cubans helped me hold my bike while I assembled it. People are kind...you have to trust them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e After about thirty minutes, I'm finally ready to leave for Matanzas. Here are the two possible options for getting to Matanzas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e Option 1\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Covering a distance of 18 km in the dark if your flight is late! (If you choose this option, bring a front and rear bike light.) You'll see it's very dark when you leave the airport. It's a bit crazy to set off at night...be careful. Obviously, this is the option I chose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e Option 2\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Take a taxi to Matanzas with your bike box (Easy, but safe solution) \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0;\" height=\"450\" width=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m28!1m12!1m3!1d58738.130393488915!2d-81.51919358331759!3d23.05557959354708!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!4m13!3e0!4m5!1s0x88d303f2f859b1c3%3A0x20001a69a637c813!2sA%C3%A9roport%20Juan%20Gualberto%20G%C3%B3mez%2C%202HM6%2BPWG%2C%20Matanzas%2C%20Cuba!3m2!1d23.0343108!2d-81.4376874!4m5!1s0x88d2fc1791f1e053%3A0xe25d9e54e9bacf86!2sMatanzas%2C%20Cuba!3m2!1d23.0303395!2d-81.5322149!5e0!3m2!1sfr!2sca!4v1638394309844!5m2!1sfr!2sca\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Before going any further, you need to exchange your Canadian money for Cuban pesos.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e I recommend exchanging some money at the airport. Be aware that the rates aren't favorable, but it can be very useful to have some cash at the start of your trip.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e I traveled 14 km in complete darkness to reach Matanzas and my first little guesthouse for the night. I paid 20 CAD on Expedia before leaving for Cuba. Here's my small room with lukewarm water.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e It's midnight. Time to sleep. Tomorrow will be the official start of this little 7-day adventure... Life is good. We must enjoy it!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fast123","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42126934311166,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0557\/0615\/7244\/files\/20191222_1436312056487462651305587.jpg?v=1718631080","url":"https:\/\/www.fast123.ca\/en\/products\/cuba7-0","provider":"FastHoraire.ca RapidoVélo.com Fast123.ca","version":"1.0","type":"link"}