We said our goodbyes to Mary Bell after another wonderful breakfast. The homestays are nicer than where most Cubans live, but it's still a little rustic compared to most US homes. You will rarely see photos of family members due to a lack of cameras and places to develop film. Cellphones are prevalent in Havana, but in order to use wifi you must buy an internet card for 2 CUC. This card is good for one hour. Currently there are no signs telling you where the hotspots are located. Normally expensive hotels, but the best way is to look for where locals are huddled around with phones.
The nostalgic Cuban music and cigars are just that. The younger generation is more interested in popular Latin music that is brought into the country, then illegally copied. There is a large black market here for everything including beef. Cows are not protected for religious reasons, but for necessity. If caught killing or possessing beef, you can be jailed for up to 5 years. Cows are needed to produce milk and cheese and killing them hurts the better of the group. Codes are used on telephones to communicate any transactions, not just meat. Baseball is always a quick conversation change if someone feels they are being watched.
Another noticeable difference here is the lack of advertising. No billboards or signs, which I think is nice.
Eric and Laurie had a great idea to bring baseballs. I regret not bringing my father's old hot rod and classic car magazines or basic tools.
Deer were imported at one point, but after the Soviet Union pulled funds from Cuba, which devastated the country, citizens hunted them for food to survive. Something I would like to research when I get back is the story of Fidel's 1976 speech forecasting a U.S. President of color and a South American pope. He said when this happens, Cuba's relations will improve.
We are driving 4 hours West to visit the town of Vinales. Named for a vineyard that was planted here from Canary Island settlers. Today it is known for their Limestone caves and Colonial houses.
For lunch we stopped at a small experimental self sufficient community built in the 1960's. What started with 45 families has now has grown to 1,000. UNESCA has helped to restore deforestation. Most livestock roam relatively freely or with a long rope wrapped around their neck. The horses we have seen so far are missing the hair on their tails. The hair is used for many things including paint brushes.
Lunch was along the river edge with gentle waterfalls and swimming holes.
As you would expect, once off the main road the roads are single lane. Cuban men are notorious for being stubborn drivers so a stand off between equal sized vehicles are not uncommon.
After another 2 hours drive sharing lanes with classic cars, new Chinese cars, and horses with buggies, we arrive at Vinales, home to the famous tobacco farms. One of the things that were effected by the U.S. Embargo were pesticides, so a majority of farming is organic. The animals are grass fed with no corn or grain. The chickens are truly cage free. Gathering eggs is more like an Easter egg hunt.
We stopped at an organic farm for a farm to table meal and were greeted with a refreshing smoothie. Coconut water with pulp, cinnamon, basil, and ice. Delicious! 80% of things produced on the farm go to the town including the schools. The rest is used in their restaurant. We walked some of the land before a rain shower. 5 types of bananas, and multiple types of guava can be found here. They even grew a Cuban saffron tree which was exciting to see. I decided to help in the kitchen while others enjoying to breathtaking view across Silence Valley while learning to play dominoes. I'm sure I was more in the way than helping, but it was a great experience. The tiny kitchen with two windows was as busy as a beehive. One window was used to pass food from the grill into the prep area. The other looked out onto some banana trees lit by the moon. Every dish was washed by hand and in two buckets. One for soapy water and one with clean water.
It's so nice to be out of the city. Sweet potato soup, lots of veggies, meat, and rice filled the table. My favorite were fried banana cup filled with ground spiced turkey. Dessert was flan. Back in town we met our homestay owners for the next couple of nights before heading out to a salsa club. 3,000 tourists and 10,000 residents are here right now. The tourists are mostly Europeans. Since Cuba can not receive building materials, 99% of tourists stay in people's homes. Same with restaurants. That is one of the concerns when it comes to lifting US restrictions. The houses are tidy and painted with bright colors. To a person walking by a normal Cuban home, they would think it was very rustic based on the appearances, but Cubans are very clean and respect what they have.
BJ and I were excited to see an actual shower head and toilet seat in our home tonight. Fingers crossed we have warm water in the morning.
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| Horse with no tail. |
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| Eco Village |
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| Helping in the kitchen. |
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