Vinales Libre

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Unfortunatley we landed in Havana 3 hours late due to delays in Cancun, and it was too late to see anything in Havana.

First thing next morning we had a 3 hour drive to our first destination, Vinales (pron : Bin-ya-les), also known as the Switzerland of Cuba.

Nestled between unique mountains called 'mogotes', Vinales is known as one of the best tobacco growing regions in Cuba. One of our first excursions was a 3 hour hike through the local tobacco plantations, learning how tobacco is dried, and then rolled into cigars.

The next day we all mounted horses (though I think I got a mule), and rode through the Cuban countryside. The farms are about as advanced as the cars in Havana. Most work is done by horse, hardly any mechanical machinery is used at all.

The highlight would have been our 2 night stay with a Cuban family. When we arrived, we split up into couples, then our Cuban 'Mamas' would come and take us one by one to their casas (homes).
We would get home cooked meals (which were awesome), sleep in one of their rooms, and watch them go about their daily lives. One night we played cards, and even learnt a cuban card game (which took a long time to learn as no-one spoke english!). Was certainly an experience neither of us will ever forget.

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Photos

Vinales Plantation.
Local tobacco plantation. We had reached the end of the growing season, but some tobacco was yet to be harvested.

Drying shed.
One of the large sheds where the tobacco leaves are hung to dry for 3 months.

Rolling a cigar.
The art of rolling a cigar has been passed on for generations. Here we watched a master at work.

Cigar Smoker 1
This is what a cigar smoker looks like.

Cigar smoker 2.
This is what a cigar smoker should not look like!

Storm approaching.
Photos like these take themselves.

Expert horse rider.
Sonia has a lot of experience riding a horse.

Non horse rider.
I have never been on a horse!

Horse riding.
Horse riding though the Vinales countryside with mogotes in the background.

Salsa bar.
Our evenings in Vinales were usually spent in a salsa club watching the locals salsa the night away.

Our Cuban family
The Cuban family we spent a couple of nights with.