Having spent a few days in Havana, and then a week with Jack, Linda's brother on the Isla de la Juventud, it was time to explore the main island of Cuba. We took the ferry/bus route back to Havana, spent the night with Jose and Lourdes, and then set out by bus to Vinales. Vinales, Pinar del Rio, Cuba, is a picturesque small town set in the heart of Cuba's tobacco growing region. The valley, famous for its tobacco and the mogotes mountains, with their rounded tops rising abruptly from the valley floor, is home to some 30,000 inhabitants. It is located about 150 kilometers west of Havana, just a nice little bus ride. Vinales' claim to fame is: Cuba produces the best cigars in the world, Pinar del Rio produces the best cigars in Cuba,
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