We spontaneously decide to travel with our fellow travelers Timo and Katharina to Playa Larga. We want to spend one last day at the beach. So now we need either a very large car for 4 people with lots of luggage or the Azul bus. We take a taxi to the bus station, but the taxi driver wants too much for the ride to Playa Larga. Once there, we're immediately expected by all sorts of taxi drivers. We negotiate and get a great price - and in a great classic car to boot.

After about 3 hours of driving, we arrive in Playa Larga and at Frank's (the unofficial boss of the town) we also get a room for 20 CUC + breakfast at 4 CUC each - great!
Playa Larga is located at the famous Bay of Pigs (Bahia de Cochinos) on the Caribbean coast. There, a CIA-orchestrated invasion failed in April 1961 (if you want to learn more, visit the Museum de la Intervencion in Playa Giron). Playa Larga is also especially known for the Gran Parque Natural Montemar, Cuba's largest swamp at 6,000 square kilometers. This is also a UNESCO-protected area. Those who wish can take various guided tours - bird enthusiasts in particular will love it here. There are also cenotes, crocodiles in the mangroves, and about 20 dive spots.

Actually there's still plenty to do, but we head straight to the beach and after a quick stop at the pizza stand on the street, we enjoy the beach life at the Villas Playa Larga one more time. Soon we have a four-legged friend whom we name Hundi. He protects us and follows us all the way to our accommodation.

In the evening, we eat at a restaurant run by locals. The food is excellent and Daniela praises the outstanding lobster, which as the waitress tells us, is only available for tourists. Locals aren't allowed to eat it. The cocktails are great too and they don't skimp on the alcohol here - Katharina is at least no longer entirely sober. We take the leftovers with us, because Hundi has followed us again - he's very happy about it.