https://3speak.tv/watch?v=nanixxx/a75fe065
You know what has to happen. You know it. It’s just a matter of speeding up and crossing the finish line… or waiting for the road to bring you those flashes in which time turns into an animal, a shadow, anything except the illusion of getting anywhere.

I’m just waiting for the dog to share the 300 bucks so I can hit my target today.

By the time I finish this post, I hope my heart’s tune will sound more melodious…

Oh my... perhaps I’m already sniffing colours and feeling my heart race from knowing my hands are in glory. 🤣

Someone has to unleash that dog! (up to 76,555) 😁 I was watching a compilation of answers Björk has given in her interviews and just by seeing her I feel disgustingly normal, like all of you. 😂 So routine and addicted, it feels like cruelty against myself.

Right, enough rambling — I finally managed to upload the video to 3Speak!

Something curious happened to me that day: from the very beginning I knew which of the children was going to win the race.

The little one had a carefree, cheerful attitude… I looked at the others and you could see how anxious they were to prove themselves, to show off.

But my Spiderman pilot was inside the game, his brain seemed to work differently. And it wasn’t speed that determined his victory, it was something I might not be able to explain to you — it was magic… his fiercest rivals burned out their machines, pushed them to the limit, or already had their flaws… and that counts, that counts for this life, for my life. It made me think, yes.

It turns out this is the second part of my last post:

https://peakd.com/hive-177745/@nanixxx/sunday-adventure

The track is at the entrance or the exit... depending on the direction you’re going 🤣... For us it was at the exit of Playa El Salado as we headed towards the other beach, Banes. That’s when we were able to see the kids’ friendly race. The sun was brutal, but the joy and admiration even stronger. Tiny ones running at full speed… I was torn between worry and pure adrenaline. Never felt that before.

Music by Alex_Kizenkov from Pixabay

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=nanixxx/f6bcfa65
Said it in my post yesterday — heading to the Saturday workout this project sets up for groups, with routes of different levels around the city. I picked Cojímar.

It turns out that one of the members of the group is an actor in the Cuban soap opera Ojo de Agua, which is currently being broadcast. His name is Hamlet Paredes in real life. I found out while talking with them, because I don’t watch TV, let alone soap operas. When my sister saw the photos I sent her, she immediately said: “Anaray, that’s the actor!” Hahaha… Well, this is just a colourful note and to mention that he is the author of these two photos.

I had to split the route into three parts, otherwise connectivity issues might have caused me to lose the overall progress. That way I made sure to have all the data I’m sharing with you here.

I asked Copilot to share its opinion about this ride in which I had to make a great effort to keep up with the group. This is what it told me:

✅ Positive

In this second stretch, much the same — the figures echo the first. Yet the return was different: the ride back to Vedado, where those who arrived met at El Lolo Café, after pedalling by the sea along the Malecón.

This was the return home. The road‑rider you can see in the video lives in my municipality. He accompanied me back, so I stayed within those ranges to keep a good pace with him. For me it was demanding, for him it was a relaxed and fun Saturday ride.

The wrap‑up

Got home knackered, had a nice bath, grabbed some food, and replied to a few Hive comments. Then straight to bed — slept like a baby! Not tired today, but I know I’ve got to let my body soak up all that effort. Maybe I’ll try these tough rides once a week, and hey, maybe the stats will get better over time.

Tuve que dividir el recorrido en tres partes para evitar que por problemas de conectividad perdiera el progreso de la ruta de manera general. Así me aseguré de tener todos los datos que aquí te comparto.

Primera parte del recorrido

Le pregunté a Copilot para que diera su opinión acerca de esta salida en la que tuve que esforzarme mucho para seguir el ritmo del grupo. Esto fue lo que me dijo:

✅ Positivo

Segunda parte del recorrido

Lo mismo. Los datos son similares. Diferente fue ruta de regreso hasta el Vedado donde nos reunimos todos (los que llegaron) en la Cafetería El Lolo pues pedaleamos por Malecón.

Final del recorrido

Este fue el regreso a casa. El chico rutero que puedes ver en el video vive en mi municipio. Él me acompañó, así que volví a estar en esos rangos para ir a buen ritmo con él. Para mí fue exigente, para él fue un paseo sabatino de mucho relax y diversión.

El Resumen

Llegué a casa cansada, tomé un buen baño, comí y estuve respondiendo algunos comentarios aquí en Hive. Luego me fui a la cama y dormí como una bebé. Hoy no estoy cansada, pero sé que debo darle tiempo a mi cuerpo para asimilar todo ese esfuerzo. Una vez a la semana podría intentar estas escapadas exigentes y, quién sabe, quizá con el tiempo todos estos datos mejoren.

La nota de color 😁

Resulta que uno de los integrantes del grupo es actor en la telenovela cubana Ojo de Agua, que se está transmitiendo actualmente. Se llama Hamlet. Me enteré conversando con ellos porque yo no veo televisión, y menos aún novelas. Mi hermana, cuando vio las fotos que le mandé, enseguida me dijo: “¡Anaray, ese es el actor!” Jajaja… Bueno, esto es una nota de color y para decir que él es el autor de estas dos fotos.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=nanixxx/051f629f
’Cause I think of you when I stand before the greatness of the world

And ’cause if you believe in magic, magic will believe in us.

Saturday, 4 April 2026. Puerto Escondido, Mayabeque Province.

Music by Oleksandr Stepanov from Pixabay

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=nanixxx/f5bb0755
I’ve put together a short video with some moments from our return journey from Puerto Escondido, in Mayabeque province, back to Havana. In my previous post I mentioned I was over there.

It was a beautiful trip with wonderful company. These friends, besides enjoying great music, having loads of fun and being adventurous, also care deeply about the environment.

In Puerto Escondido we were told that rubbish collection by the local government was quite a serious issue, among many others that could be solved with a bit of will… but anyway, that’s another story. So we decided to carry all our waste—cans, plastic bags, disposable containers and so on—until the first stop where we could properly dispose of it in a bin. In the video you can see that when we stopped at a place called Las Palmeritas, near Arcos de Canasí, we fulfilled our mission.

It’s sad to see how many people visiting that paradise, full of history and curiosities at every step, are careless when it comes to protecting the environment. Puerto Escondido, precisely, is one of those places that invite reflection, admiration of nature’s beauty and surrender to its magic, because it’s a protected area, rich in biodiversity, with landscapes so breathtaking they leave you speechless.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=nanixxx/db747c4d

😜

So, as for bicycle shops here in Havana, I know two — the only ones I’ve visited — and both also work as repair workshops: IPBikeShop and Mi Habana en Bici. In one of them I bought a few things, such as my glasses, helmet, some cycling clothes, and the cycle computer, which the seller brought to my house that day when I traded it for a seatpost.

In the other shop, not long ago, I bought a hand pump for my bike because mine had broken.

This photo is of a workshop relatively close to home. Some time ago I wrote a post in which I mentioned it. Back then I was just starting out on my wanderings around the city and I had a different bicycle. If curiosity bites, you can drop by. It’s another temporary window I’ve just opened, one of those through which we tend to look back — and we do so gladly. Although I haven’t been there for their services, I know that everyone who has speaks very highly of them.

As for meeting people thanks to this cycling pastime, yes, I’ve met a few. Very young lads with whom I occasionally go for a ride, but I know life imposes different rhythms and, honestly, I haven’t really managed to form a group of like‑minded people to go out with at least twice a week. That’s why most of the time I ride alone.

Curiously, so far this year I’ve gone out twice with Muhammad. He also decided to buy himself a bicycle a few months ago, given the complicated transport situation we face here. Today he told me how much he enjoys riding it because, besides being a way to exercise, it keeps him in touch with people, and he doesn’t have to wait endlessly at bus stops or pay excessive sums of money to travel from his municipality to the capital. The same thing happens to me, as I’ve mentioned on several occasions… from necessity arise new and better motivations — let’s think of it that way.

So today our cycling route included a nice chat by the sea in a rustic little spot we found in the Miramar neighbourhood, near the Fifth Avenue Tunnel.

Before that we met at Monte Barreto Ecological Park to watch some birds and, if we got the chance, photograph them. I only managed to capture these two: a warbler (Muhammad will tell me which one) and a Jabao woodpecker. They’re always making a racket in this forest, very easy to detect and see.

In the video you’ll see what lovely weather we had… and me trying to recite (well, paraphrase) a little snippet of a poem by José Martí. And what I say is this:

There’s good sunshine and a foaming sea,

Nothing serious… just me fooling around, as always. Because yesterday I gave my bicycle a proper scrub. 😅

Later I came across a crowd of people near the Ecological Park who had just been shopping, and I thought: of course, today is Saturday. Many take advantage of the weekend to buy what they need for the week… and I remembered, once I was right there, that they hold that fair every weekend, setting up stalls with all sorts of food, toiletries, and more. I didn’t stop to look closely, but there was plenty. And of course, that catchy music of ours that makes you move your feet even if you don’t know how to dance.

😂

I rode 22 km today. It’s still Saturday here. Tomorrow I plan to do some gardening.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=nanixxx/575a039c
Not long ago I became a “Bumble Bee”, a great achievement for me, I told myself, and it arrived just before 🥶 the dreaded winter (invierno)... and before the great fall of… Hive Invernalia, among other things, the end of the Starks’ innocence. That came to mind… it’s not really related, 🤓 although it does feel as though I’m in Game of Thrones! 😆

They say temperatures here will drop so much that it might even snow (nah… I doubt it), that the waves along the coast could reach four metres (that one I can believe), and that the gusts of wind will be strong… better not go out on the bike.

So I walked a bit, bought some food to keep myself strong and able to pedal hard… I’ve got a goal to reach by the end of the year of… I don’t even know anymore, but it’s a lot. I’ve lost a month and I’m running very late.

I had a slight setback and needed some rest and treatment.

Tomorrow I’ll head out again to feel that snowfall that’s supposedly on its way hahaha… I doubt I’ll be able to go out on wheels with the way things are looking… who knows. 🤷‍♀️

Music by Rockot from Pixabay

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=nanixxx/aezmwqqv
Music by folk_acoustic on Pixabay.

🌿 The squirrel that ran early in the morning along the side wall of my house, vanishing into the mango tree’s foliage, didn’t wait for me. One or two hours later—I couldn’t say exactly how much time passed between one moment and the next—the woodpecker, busy at the coconut tree, dropping little tufts of something I couldn’t name, which the wind then swept away, didn’t wait for me either…

My mind began to spin, trying to connect things (as it always does)… you see, I’ve a handful of thoughts still unspoken, and I felt an urgent need to release them. Then I imagined the same might happen with these two hummingbirds. Yes, there were two! I thought they wouldn’t wait, given the nature of the day: this sublime Sunday that seemed intent on whispering something about waiting, about the elusive, about what slips away before truly arriving… Perhaps it was simply their nature; the hummingbirds—creatures as fascinating as they are restless… and I, as usual, overthinking, tangling it all up 😁

And that was when my preconceived ideas fell to the ground, rolled through the grass in the garden, as I stepped on one, two, three… dried twigs? They waited for me. They gave me the joy I so needed in a moment of exasperation. And so I erased what I’d written. As a wise soul once said: the only thing that never upsets the stomach is swallowing your own words. They were so serene. I have proof, I filmed them with my mobile, just look how close I was.

A moment ago, a yellow leaf with brown freckles drifted toward the terrace fence and stayed stuck there for some minutes, I’d say, felt endless 😅. And I, rather dazed, stared at it, thinking of a video scene—must’ve been from a film—where a leaf floats and clings to a windowpane, all in slow motion with soft music playing in the background. After ages of daydreaming, I thought of grabbing my camera and snapping a shot, but it refused to focus. My camera’s got issues, I’ve said so before… and just as I finally managed to adjust it manually, I watched, in slow motion, the leaf loosen and fall. It slipped from my frame before I could press the shutter. Sublime.

Do you need the photo of the leaf?

What I’m trying to say is… sometimes they wait for us, sometimes they don’t, but we have an extraordinary gift for preserving the moment, the poetry of the moment. I couldn’t photograph the squirrel, but every time I look in that direction I see it run. I couldn’t photograph the woodpecker, but each glance at the coconut tree reveals a fanciful dance of floating tufts, like confetti bursting from a birthday piñata.

Not long ago, someone taught me a beautiful lesson. The kind of person who fights for what they want… it may not make sense from my perspective, but it did for her. It was her dream, and there was no question about whether to pursue it. I wanted to be the squirrel, the woodpecker… the leaf drifting on the wind. 😏 But that woman… she doesn’t stop for fleeting things, and so I became a hummingbird. It was worth staying to watch. And I received a song as a gift.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=nanixxx/ahfgmsym

Desde que vivo en Sant Just Desvern, una de las cosas que más disfruto es pedalear hasta el Parque de la Ciutadella en el Centro de Barcelona. Me encanta ir hasta allí atravesando el pueblo que es tan tranquilo, con sus callecitas adornadas por casas antiguas, de piedra porosa y jardines tan pero tan cuidados que da gusto mirarlos. También hay mucho edificio moderno, pero mi mente tiene la capacidad de crear escenarios en los que me gusta estar. Yo no simpatizo mucho con la buganvilia, por ejemplo, porque en mi antiguo lugar de residencia tenía una que siempre me clavaba sus espinas, pero estas de aquí lucen tan inofensivas... trepan coloridas por esos muros impecables y el sol se filtra por entre sus hojas dibujando escenas encantadoras. Siempre veo algo diferente allí... aquel día era una silueta de una mujer con un libro entre las manos.

No sé... entre los poquísimos libros que he leído me encontré con algunos personajes que les gusta inventarse figuras entre las sombras. Sucede que ellos generalmente son seres atormentados y en mi caso, la verdad, estoy muy feliz aquí en este pequeño (no es tan pequeño seguramente) y lindo pueblo. Cómo no estarlo con tanta belleza y paz alrededor, este aroma a hierba recién cortada que siempre me renueva por las mañanas y el del romero... ay con lo rico que es para cocinar. Los frijoles negros y colorados con una ramita de albahaca y otra de romero quedan como para chuparse los dedos.

Salgo bien temprano y casi no me cruzo con alma viviente en el camino, lo cual es para mí algo maravilloso; tal parece que el paisaje se reinventa sólo para mí, para estos ojitos rasgados y llorones.

A veces me desvío un poco hacia algún sendero donde a ambos lados los pinos y las encinas me saludan con frescura y murmullos crujientes. Voy allí a tomar algunas fotos y así puedo ver cómo se levanta el sol lento, despreocupado, ofreciendo vistas magníficas del Vallès y el delta del Llobregat. Yo vine a este lugar porque pensé que se hablaba español y resulta que no entiendo nada de lo que dicen. Me he encontrado aquella mañana con dos jinetes sobre Appaloosas... ¡mira que son lindos esos caballos!, como si acabaran de salir de un cuadro, perfectamente salpicados y exhibiendo patrones diversos en sus manchitas.

"Bon dia! Compte, que el camí és relliscós per la pluja", les escuché decir con sus sonrisas amplias y serenas. Llevo poquísimo tiempo aquí así que estrujé los ojos y la frente en franca señal de que no entendía nada, pero ellos estaban más atentos a las bridas de sus caballos.

Aquí en San Justo conozco a unos jóvenes que rentan bicicletas y ofrecen tours. Hay una zona donde crecen las flores de mostaza a ambos lados de la carretera en primavera y es tan impresionante pasar por allí... también se puede ver ese color en la genista (arbustos de la subfamilia Faboideae). Si has escuchado la canción Mediterráneo de Joan Manuel Serrat hay una parte de su letra que dice:

En la ladera de un monte más alto que el horizonte

Es que esa es la canción que sonaba en mi earbud cuando me dirigía a donde me dirigía y bueno, cuando llegué y tomé la foto que viste allá arriba, abrí Chrome para mirar algunas referencias en Tripadvisor.

¿Por dónde iba? ah, sí... Me dirigía al Parque de la Ciutadella.

Aterricé en la Ciu...dad de La Habana con fecha (ya la sabes si eres observador/a) 1 de julio de 2025... específicamente en la Avenida G o Avenida de los Presidentes. Y creo que el aterrizaje fue forzoso, justo cuando intentaba buscar en Tripadvisor porque quise conectarme a una Red Wifi con mi nombre de usuario y contraseña y me salió un cartel de "acceso denegado". Al abrir la red aparecieron un montón de accesos privados de los vecinos de la zona y el del Hotel Presidente. Miré hacia cielo y hacia la mujer que tenía el libro abierto y me dije: "Ay, Universo, dame serenidad". Ella interrumpió mi plegaria con su voz chillona y me dejó saber que ya estaba terminando de escribir su post para Hive que por favor permaneciera en silencio.

🤐

Y ahí fue cuando lo vi.

A Filomeno. Un bicho no identificado que estaba hace rato gritándome para que tuviera cuidado y no lo pisara. Yo - soy - Fi -lo -me -no. no. no. no... mira para abajo mu - cha -cha. 🤣 Hablaba como con hipo, y plum cayó desde la pared o risco hasta el mundo de las sombras de Bianchi 😄 - mi bicicleta.

Le dije adiós Fi - lo - me - no. Y dejé que el timbre del móvil se gastara mientras entraba por otro túnel imaginario hasta el reino de las hormigas. Alguien estaba llamando pero yo estaba más despreocupada que el sol, y así se fue escuchando leejos, y leeeeejos, y más leeeeeeeeejos... 😁

Participé del asunto y creo que llegué a mediar. Las hormigas son muy sabias pero estas no se estaban poniendo de acuerdo de hacia dónde llevar la carga. Les pregunté si por casualidad me podían indicar cómo llegar al Parque de la Ciutadella; quizás ellas a través de sus tantos pasadizos me podían llevar de regreso a Sant Just Desvern. No me equivoqué. En un minuto estaba frente a un Umbráculo repleto de plantas exóticas y tropicales. Un poco más al fondo se descubría el lago, con una bandada de tórtolas turcas adornando el cielo y yo apunté con mi cámara hacia los ojos de Azrael, que me estaba ofreciendo un trato desventajoso: quería cambiarme mi sillín Fizik por una baratija.

-Miraaaa, descaradooo, le dije sonriendo. Hazme el reverendo favor de darme el contacto de la dueña de ese grupo de mensajerías.

Y así nos fuimos rodando y riendo hasta el Parque de La Pera en el municipio Cerro.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=nanixxx/uxqxsfvv
I write beneath the moonlight. Once again, the moon and I are bound in companionship, embarking on our nocturnal adventures. And tonight—just as always, the night returns along with my musings—a being of light has graced me with its presence.

A foolish little smile plays upon my lips… I like to believe it is a beautiful omen, a conversation between souls, or at the very least, the prelude to one—whispers of past lives, energies, and fated encounters.

It is now the deep hours of the night, and as the melody of my keyboard fills the silence, I reflect on all the moments yesterday that caught me by surprise—the butterflies, the hummingbirds that flitted through my garden, the ever-present music that emboldens my heart, stripping away its timidity and awakening its sense of adventure, and this peculiar little cocuyo (fire beetle), bearing a rather curious name, which, I must confess, I like it very much.

Allow me to introduce Pyrophorus noctilucus, a beetle with a grandiose name and, let us be fair, a marvel of bioluminescence. Unlike fireflies, it emits a steady glow even in stillness.

It had been quite some time since I last saw cocuyos here.

As a child, I would catch them and place them in a glass jar. Naturally, we punctured tiny holes in the lid to ensure they could breathe. They shone brilliantly—it was delightful. Then, we would release them and watch in awe as they adorned the cloak of night with their luminous presence.

That was usually in the village where I spent my holidays with my mischievous cousins—a reckless joy (craziness, let's say) embraced me upon arrival and departure, and one that, it seems, still pulses through my veins 😊.

For English speakers, in the video I simply ask it to fly, and when the fire beetle starts walking along my arm, I tell it that it seems to be heading in the wrong direction.

See you soon. I hope you also enjoy this beautiful moment. I'm off to sleep now.

✨

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=nanixxx/zsbtvawq
Hello, how are you, the weekend is almost here... and I'm not getting out of one sleepless night and into another. Nah, I was tired after yesterday's bike ride, I overslept and now in the early hours of the morning I'm having trouble falling asleep.

Descubrí este lugar en un barrio cercano a mi casa. Es una colina desde la que se ve parte de La Habana. Y el mar...

In the video that opens this post I explain that it is the second short ride after almost 15 days without cycling, that I enjoyed it a lot and that I would like to go there early in the morning.

I took more photos of the view from the hill... for example this one, but I liked it when I edited it in black and white.

My collection of malts drunk during my bike outings has another tenant.