The Sierra and the Peugeot

I’ll never forget the Sierra del Escambray in Cuba. Because of the wonderful nature there and because I nearly killed my Peugot 206 rental car. I had to cross this mountainous region – more then once used as a hideout for guerilleros – to get to the city of Trinidad.

I looked onto my road map and selected a road into the mountains that wasn’t as expected. The chicken and pigs on the road could by easily avoided but it became unpaved in the worst situation. I had to go up the hills to the Topes de Collantes on something with deep holes that could be merely recognized as a road.

Driving was so hard that the motor overheated and I could smell that something was wrong. It became more complicated to steer the car but I decided to go on towards my hotel. When I arrived at the Las Cuevas the bell-boy came to me and told me that I had a flat tire. He offered to change it for me and asked wether I was in need for some cigars.

As he was so friendly I decided to let him get some – but then something strange happened: I saw my car driving away. He simply drove to the cigar store of his father. But the car came back repaired and safe – and the price for the Cohiba was really acceptable. 😉

Later that day the phenomenon of the overheated and smelling car cleared itself: I found out that it was the battery that didn’t survive. As the car couldn’t be locked without battery I had to leave it standing open on the streets.

And I had to talk to the woman at the reception to call the car rental company. She wasn’t speaking English and my Spanish was too bad – but in the end a technician on a motorcycle arrived and rescued me.