Vinales Libre

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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