Cubans trek to beach to cool off

HAVANA (AP) -- In the long, sticky Cuban summer, keeping cool is serious business.

Each day, and especially on weekends, thousands of Havana residents rise early to make the trek from rural hamlets and stuffy urban neighborhoods for the more forgiving atmosphere at the island's powdery beaches. Temperatures in the capital can reach as high as 31 degrees Celsius (87 degrees Fahrenheit) in July and August, with humidity hovering above 80 percent.

When it's running, many people take a special summer train from Havana to Guanabo, east of the capital. Some families squeeze into classic American sedans from the 1950s. Neighbors pool their money and hire a bus to travel en masse. Others clamber onto covered horse-drawn carriages that take them a few kilometers (miles) down a dirt track to the coast for just 2 pesos a head, or about $0.08.