Day 13 Vinales

Woken by the alarm just in time to see the sun rise over the flats outside. If I stretched a bit further I could see the sea. Breakfast was more crowded than yesterday and absolutely no internet connections again. I think this hotel is just selling a non-existent product.

Sunrise

Picked up at 8:45 for the long day’s journey towards the very west of the island – about 170kms there and obviously 170 kms back again. We passed lots of people movers during the day. The beginning of the day saw many converted trucks being used to haul people around. Some buses, bikes, cars, horse and carts and all kinds of pushbike combinations. We travelled down a very good highway, passing several check points, but didn’t have to stop. There were many soldiers along the road using machetes to trim grass and bushes, but the funniest one I saw was one pushing and old lawn mower along a huge median strip! Under every bridge there were people waiting to catch a bus or some form of transport.

looking over Vinales valley

Lake along the way

It was very rural and very green. Lots of farms- bananas, mangoes, corn, beans, yams/ sweet potatoes, rice, tobacco, cows, cattle, goats, and chickens. Many fences were living fences made by cutting the tops out of trees especially planted in rows. Very few tractors, lots of cattle pulling ancient ploughs, drovers minding flocks/ herds or individual horses or cows. People sitting waiting patiently for transport or just sitting on their front porches rocking or in some of the towns doing their work under the shade of the verandah. Women walking around along roads or in towns carrying large umbrellas to protect against the very hot sun.

Buildings were once again a mix of very old and in need of repair to brightly coloured homes and everything in between. We saw lots of thatched tobacco drying sheds.

And the countryside was just beautiful, especially the area around Vinales and the valley/ mountains. The flame trees were in full flower and looked so pretty against the green of the country. We stopped several times during the day once at a toilet stop where we also had a delicious pina colada (no rum). Cigar factory, another rum factory, lunch near the limestone caves, the rock paintings, a tobacco farm- where I got stung by a stinging nettle,  and then a stop on top of the viewpoint where the clouds opened up after several loud claps of thunder and it bucketed down. Then sunshine for a while until the next downpour and so on all the way back to the hotel.

Tobacco farmer

inside the limestone caves

The one things that was a bit “tiring” was the constant and unrelenting demand for tips. Every toilet break costs 25c. Every time they play music somewhere they want a tip if not for you to buy their dvd!

Another dinner with the group by the wharf area in a boutique beer factory. Slight issue with a mix up in our booking but soon solved. Bugs galore while we were eating. Thankfully Vikki had her bug repellent. 

Internet stopped just as I was loading,so some photos did not attach. About to pour here.