Blogs from Viñales, Oeste, Cuba, Central America Caribbean - page 2

Viñales: Up-close and personal The fields of green tobacco, almost obscuring the quaint farmhouses, were our first signals that we had entered Viñales. For hours we had pushed the little car and ourselves. We didn't stop for lunch choosing instead to gorge on the goodness of local fruits we had bought. It was mid-afternoon. Our passenger was a high-school baseball coach on his only day off, he had said. We had picked him up from the roadside a mile aback. He was very neatly attired and bespectacled and appeared non-threatening to us. He guided us through the final twists and corkscrew turns on the precipitous mountain road into town and straight down Salvador Cisneros street. Once there, we easily avoided his persistent and transparent attempts to hustle us into accommodation of his choosing and went, instead, ... read more

Vinales – UNESCO world Heritage Site - The Town of Rocking Chairs & the Land of the Cuban Cigar It’s early to rise; breakfast at 7am, as we have a bus to catch and Pepe takes us in the Taxi laid on by Chez Nous (possibly the family car) to the Viazul Bus Stop opposite the Zoo – which takes about 20 mins for C10. We are grateful & he says he’ll pick us up on our return if we can call him – good service we think. Viazul bus line seems to us to be very efficient, comfortable (reclining seats), has a good baggage handling system to give you peace of mind and starts bang on time at 9am & gets us to Vinales 10 mins late (12.45pm). Partly this is due to the detour ... read more

Matkustin Viazulin bussilla Viñalesiin, joka on turistien suosima kylä upeissa maisemissa. Törmäsin pariin suomalaiseen, jotka olivat samalla lennolla. Käytiin kävelyllä kylän ulkopuolella, ja poikettiin pientilalla, jossa meille tarjottiin kahvia ja sikareita, joita vain yksi meistä poltti.... read more

Vinales is a four-hour bus ride from Havana. Many schedules show that it is a much longer trip, but it's untrue. If you're spending six or seven hours to get there, you're torturing yourself for no reason. The highway between is in pretty good shape, and there is practically no one on it. Only when you get close to Vinales does it start to get winding. A taxi (which, if you have two people or more, is somehow the same price as a bus) can get you there even faster. There is a plethora of casas particulares in Vinales. It's a small town, so everywhere is within walking distance. There are a few tourist agencies in town, but the owners of the casas really push to organize hikes, horseback riding, taxis to the beach, and other ... read more

Today, it was all about Julio Ceaser, our guide who took us hiking through Vinales’ fields and limestone, pin-cushion hills. Julio was an intelligent guy, with a degree in English and German, and an English accent that sounded like he’d spent four years at Bristol University and another year travelling in Perarrr. He was so interesting, and talked with so much poise, that we almost forgot to take in the views – which were stunning, by the way. We talked about Vinales itself, post revolution, and agreed that life is generally ‘better’ for its 4000 inhabitants. It’s always been a pretty self-sufficient town due to the fertile valley plains, with most people able to grow some food and keep pigs, chickens, goats etc. Now any privately owned land has been distributed amongst the people and they ... read more