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Our First Particulares - Villa Cristal
Leaving the Hotel Moka, we managed to have only one buttock-clenching moment during the drive back to the autopista (a landslide had blocked most of the road, a sheer drop beside us, the car stalled and was stuck then slid back in the slimy mud, before finally coughing back into life). Once on the main road, we cruised the 80km to the turn off for Vinales, and followed the meandering road to this charming laid-back town. One block back from the main street, we located our accommodation for the next 2 nights to modest, yet well appointed Villa Cristal. We have a room and bathroom in their back garden and pretty much all the home comforts we could possibly need. Run by the friendly and helpful Anita and Francisco, we soon organise to go for a short hike that afternoon and a bike ride the next day. We stroll into the main street and feel like we are truly in the Carribean. Small bars and restaurants line the streets, the bocadito with Jamon y queso (cheese and ham toasty) are delicious and cheap and mojitos are about half the price they were in Havana. After our hike, we called in at a local bar that the guide recommended and a family group entertained us with traditional Cuban music. The grandfather, El Trincho, at 83 stole the show as he shook his maraccas, danced and sang with a gusto of someone a quarter of his age. The CD can be bought for 10 CUC and I found myself charmed into parting with the cash for yet another CD (at this rate we are going to have to have a Cuban evening when we get home - at least it will be easy to know what to cook... rice and beans of course).
Dinner was cooked for us by the lovely Any at our particulars; delicious lobster, fresh salad, rice (and not a bean in sight), soup and fresh fruit. After dinner, Francisco came onto the terrace to chat with us and we spent a pleasant evening learning a bit more about life in Cuba.
Hiking in Tobacco Country
The setting for Vinales is reason enough to come to the area. Huge flat-topped limestone cliffs, called Mogotes, loom above the plateau where we are situated. During the Cretaceous period (I won't pretend to know when that was, just it was a long, long time ago) the whole area was several hundred metres higher, underground rivers wore away at the ground beneath, creating a honey-combed effect that eventually collapsed in on itself. The cliffs we see are effectively the walls that remain from that prehistoric time. More importantly, from an economic perspective, is the fact that this is the designated area for growing tobacco for the world-renowned cigars for which Cuba is deservedly famous. On our hike, the guide shows us the tiny plants that have only been planted in the last month or so. The crop grows during the winter in the dryer, cooler season after the Hurricanes have done their worst, the leaves are harvested in February and put into large drying sheds where they are allowed to ferment in between protective layers of royal palms; 45 days later, the leaves are pliant, aromatic and ready to roll into the final product. The thickness of the cigar is determined by the number of leaves used (usually 3 to 7 in total). A perfect leaf is kept separate ready to use for the outer layer that will encase the cigar. The government heavily regulates the growing of tobacco; inspectors check the land and provide quotas to the farmers of how much they must grow. 90% of this will be sold to the government for the internationally sold, high value cigars. The farmers themselves receive very little for the crop and the tight regulation means there is little opportunity to buck the system. The 10% they keep, they have the right to sell locally and any other portions of land not designated for tobacco they can use for growing crops to eat themselves. Ironically, the future now looks less certain for the tobacco growers. Fidel's influence to ensure all children receive a good education means that nowadays very few have the desire to undertake the back-breaking work to tend the land.
Biggest coincidence of the day:
Chatting with an English couple during our hike, we ask the usual question. "Where will you be going after this?" Philippa replies "A cycling tour that starts on Sunday". Yes, completely at random out of the 3 other people on our hike, it turns out that one is on the same tour as us next week... It's truly a small world.
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