Vinales

14th February 2016
Vinales is a rural tourist town two hours by car, but a million miles in many other ways, west of Havana on the part of Cuba that juts into the Gulf of Mexico.

Our shared taxi was another American classic car and I wondered if these were only to be found in Havana but here in Vinales they are just as common, although this prosperous little town has more modern cars than I recall seeing in Havana. But that didn't stop us from ending up driving to the local caves in the tattiest old Russian Trebant I have seen anywhere. It really was a wreck.

The caves were good but marred by the hundreds of tourists who, like us are here to see the original Cuba before the Americans get here, etc, etc.

This was in huge contrast to yesterday afternoon when we walked the Silent Valley with a local botanist and guide. Just six of us walking through farmland with farmers ploughing fields with oxen, 'cowboys' on horseback complete with 10 gallon hats and spurs, tobacco curing houses and at the end of the walk a local tobacco grower rolling a cigar with practiced ease and who's entire sales pitch was 'if you want some I can sell to you'. Faced with such pressure I bought ten wrapped in a banana leaf and tied up with rafia.