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Camillo’s Bike Rental in Baracoa And His Plan To Leave Cuba For The U.S.
Camillo once had a thriving bike rental business out of his home in Baracoa. That was a few years ago when Baracoa was full of tourists, with over 50 private homes (Casa Particulares) and lots of restaurants in town to accommodate them. Camillo rented bikes out of his home for $6 a day, kept them in top working condition, and provided great service. If a customer called from a... more » Camillo’s Bike Rental in Baracoa And His Plan To Leave Cuba For The U.S.
Camillo once had a thriving bike rental business out of his home in Baracoa. That was a few years ago when Baracoa was full of tourists, with over 50 private homes (Casa Particulares) and lots of restaurants in town to accommodate them. Camillo rented bikes out of his home for $6 a day, kept them in top working condition, and provided great service. If a customer called from a distant road with a flat tire, he’d hop on his motorcycle to find them and fix it. When we met on the sidewalk outside his home, he was refurbishing his modest bike fleet in order to sell it. There have been few tourists in town, following years of Trump-Biden sanctions and two-years of Covid shutdowns of the economy. He see’s little hope for better days. He told me there’s no food to feed his young daughters — no fruits, no vegetables, no meat. There’s no medicine in the pharmacy, and no religious freedom (they are 7th Day Adventists). He put his hands to his throat and said he feels strangled by the sanctions and shortages. Like many Cubans, he’s selling everything, his bikes and his home and belongs, hoping to raise enough money to leave Cuba. He envisions flying to Honduras country, finding a ‘reputable’ coyote, and taking his family on the long, arduous, dangerous journey through Central America to the U.S. border. When I asked how he feeds his family these days with the empty shelves, he told me his father had a vegetable farm deep in the mountains outside of town. “Can I ride my bike there?” I asked. He laughed, saying ”It’s too far.” “We’re going this weekend, with our relatives. Why don’t you come with us,” he replied. Photos 79-123 show the journey. « less
Todd Shapera, 2022
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