Landscape in the Vinales region in the west of Cuba – The famous Mogates, bumps 20-30 Meters high, rise around the lush valley, Vinales, Cuba
We spent 17 days in Cuba starting December, 20th 2003. Of course our travel started in magic Havana. We did not understand the hype about Vedado but definitely enjoyed Havana Viejo & Centro.
Delipitated houses along the Malecon … And of course the omnipresent yellow “Cubanito”, la Habana, Cuba
Vintage cars in La Habana, Cuba
View of Habana from the roof top restaurant of the Hotel Sevilla, La Habana, Cuba
Then we took a taxi to Viñales in the west, the very highlight of the trip. This is a small village with a fantastic flair in the middle of tobacco plantations surrounded by a breathtaking landscape. We stayed in a “casa particulares” with a lovely family that provided all meals for us. It was so much better compared to the restaurants in town and so much that it would feed a whole family. Nightlife was awesome, first people would go to a certain bar to have a drink, at 10:00 pm a band starting playing in the bar across that very bar and everybody moved dancing Salsa, Merengue, …
Vinales street life, Vinales, Cuba
One day we went around on horses, or donkeys? through the tobacco plantations, which was a fantastic experience! Although Heidi speaks Spanish fairly well, she was lost with the guide who took us around on horse-back. We understood the basics of growing tobacco but missed the details, fortunately we stopped at a farm and were explained everything all over again.
Tour of the Tobacco Plantations on horse, Vinales, Cuba
A tobacco farmer demonstrating how to roll cigars, near Vinales, Cuba
Afterwards we traveled to Trinidad, a beautiful colonial city. We especially enjoyed the trip on a catamaran to Isla de Las Iguanas, with lots and lots of cheeky iguanas, old and young!
Cobblestone streets and coloured houses in the old colonial town of Trinidad, Cuba
Former tabacco plantation near Trinidad, Cuba
Beach on La Isla de Iguanas, near Trinidad, Cuba
Looking for a few days of absolute relaxation we decided to check out Varadero. For US 100 we had an okay room, though we had to use ear-plugs at the pool to be able to concentrate reading a book. We suffered through mediocre dinners and the usual “All-In” resort zoo. Simply unbelievable, some of these tourists starting drinking at 10:00 am and keeping telling us it was too dangerous to go outside of the resort!
An all-inclusive hotel in Varadero (for 3 days). There we went through a culture shock…
Street Art in Cuba
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