We arrived off the mouth of Havana Harbor soon after sunrise.
Entering the channel, we passed the fortress El Morro Castle. The original purpose of the fort was to defend the galleys filled with gold that assembled in the harbor before sailing for Spain. In addition to cannon fire from the fort, a chain was raised and lowered to prevent any unwanted guests (e.g. pirates and buccaneers) from entering the harbor.
We docked at the marine terminal adjacent to Plaza de San Francisco. At one time this plaza - one of four main ones in Old Havana - was the hub of the marine trade.
NOTE: The tall dome seen in several of the preceding pictures resembles the U.S. Capitol dome because it was built to look like it. In fact, the whole building looks that way. At the time of the Cuban Revolution the new government abandoned the building. There are reports that Raul Castro plans to begin using it again, but we heard the same thing when we were here three years ago.
There was an almost predictable bureaucratic delay accompanied by contradictory instructions about what would happen going through immigration versus what actually transpired. The latter would have been more disconcerting had we not been to Cuba before. The former made us late beginning our tour.
- - - - -
Today's Tour: THE VINALES VALLEY - A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
Just a few hours from Havana, Viñales Valley is a unique landscape surrounded by hills with vertical sides and rounded tops, called mogotes (pin-cushion hills) and surrounded by a lovely valley with rich, red earth tones and majestic palm trees in the Pinar del Río province. This is one of Cuba’s most fertile areas and where some of the world’s best tobacco is grown, harvested, dried and processed.
Viñales Valley is one of the best-known areas of Cuba, and in the late 1900s, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. The valley is also a national monument; its beauty and size, 132 square km (51 square miles), make it the most outstanding example of karst valleys in Cuba.
The first stop of your tour will be at the Guayabita del Pinar rum factory, where you will have the opportunity to taste a special rum flavored with the fruits of wild guayabas (guavas). This small species of guavas grows only in the mountains of Pinar del Rio. Hence the name Guayabita del Pinar.
Then it’s off to visit a cigar plantation where you will learn about the production of Vegueros cigars. As it is tradition in this region of Cuba, the vegueros (farmers) make their own cigars. As a result of this tradition, in 1996, the Vegueros brand was introduced to the market as a tribute to the countless generations that have cultivated tobacco in Pinar del Rio.
After lunch, you will visit the Mural de la Pre-Historia - a 120-meter-tall replica of prehistoric paintings on a mogote. Afterwards, you will return to the pier.
EDITS: There were the normal adjustments to the tour, but we were sorry to learn that we would not be going on the underground river (hence my strikethrough on the description). We did not have a choice of place to eat, and we ate at neither place names in the tour description.
- - - - -
As we exited the terminal we were pleased to find a modern (Chinese-made) bus complete with functioning air conditioning and toilet. We were likewise fortunate to have a good guide - Alejandro.
Departing the terminal, we turned onto the Malecón, the major road that runs along the Havana waterfront. We could again see Morro Castle across the harbor channel.
Although Sheraton was able to capitalize on the political thaw with Cuba in 2016, it would appear the renewed frost has not been kind to this property.
Getting towards the outskirts of the city, we saw some homes and businesses that were far from the rundown state of most of Havana. This was something we did not see on our carefully guided tours three years ago.
Once outside the city, we headed west on Route 1A, the primary road running the length of the island. Three years ago as we headed towards Baracoa at the eastern end of the island, the road got steadily worse with numerous deep potholes and occasional washouts. Today's stretch of 1A was in reasonably good condition, allowing the bus to maintain a speed of 60 miles per hour much of the time. Our guide explained that years ago the central government decentralized maintenance of the road, requiring each province to maintain their section of it. As one goes east from Havana, the provinces become increasingly poor, so they can afford to do less work on the road.
Even with a good road, it took us about three hours to get to our first stop in Pinar del Rio. It was a small factory that made rum out of guavas. It was one machine. It being Sunday, the machine was not working. The room was full of tours, each guide trying to get his/her hands on a couple of display items and be heard over the voices of other guides. At the end of this minimal insight into a small family-owned business in Cuba, those who wanted to try the product queued up. I opted to pop outside to take some pictures.
The architecture of some of the buildings across the street suggested a more prosperous time decades ago.
Not all 1950's American cars here are collector's items. Many we saw were a conglomerate of parts for cannibalized vehicles from various manufacturers held together with baling wire and homemade glue.
The driver of these two cars each stepped on the gas when he saw me raise the camera. They appeared to want to make their car look good. What the camera saw was a cloud of gray smoke pour from the exhaust pipe chocking every living thing within a one-block radius.
Thankfully, before being asphyxiated, it was time to get back on the bus for the trip to our next stop, a tobacco plantation.
Tobacco is a government monopoly. Farmers are allowed to keep only a small part of their crop for their own use or to sell privately.
We walked around the farm, looking in the sheds where tobacco leaves were being cured. We then had a lesson in making a cigar. Having tried one the farmer had previously made, I bought five cigars to bring home. Instead of the fancy packaging that comes with a cigar purchased from a government outlet, mine were wrapped in newspaper.
Leaving the tobacco farm, we drove to a restaurant for lunch. It was a mass-produced layout served family-style at long tables. The food was simple but delicious. The meal included fresh fruits, tomatoes and cabbage, pork, chicken, potatoes and bread. It insured the need for a nap on the return drive to Havana.
On our way to lunch and afterward driving to Mural de la Pre-Historia, we saw numerous limestone cliffs wind and weather had impressively etched. In some cases long shafts of rock hung downward like stalactites. There were numerous caves that Mother Nature had bored deep into the face of these cliffs. I was disappointed that there was no photo-op.
Mural de la Pre-Historia was of passing interest. The size of the mural and the surface on which is was painted were impressive. The fact that the guide let us wander around without his running commentary put into question the cultural significance of the mural.
The tour description called the surface on which is was painted a "mogote". This next picture, taken at Mirador Los Jardines, is a better picture of mogotes.
From our vantage point, we could see the length of the Vinales Valley, the most important agricultural region in Cuba. (I have a panoramic picture of the valley that for some reason will not upload, perhaps because of its size and the amount of traffic on the server. Maybe later.)
It was time to head back to Havana and SIRENA. It would be about a three-hour drive over the same road we took on the trip here. I did not hesitate to begin my nap.
We arrived in Havana after dark, taking a different route through the city. We passed Revolution Square, the unoccupied capitol building and the Opera House.
It being a Sunday and late enough in the day that most sites had shut their doors, when we arrived at the marine terminal, we decided to return aboard.
The ship departed Havana at 11:30 for a passage to Cozumel, Mexico.
All day, Pam & I were surprised at what we saw west of Havana. The countryside was much lusher than we had seen east of the city. Thanks to the agriculture the soil and climate supported, the quality of life appeared to be better.
In a continuation of some discrepancies we noted on our last visit, contrary to all the propaganda, the revolution did not level socio-economic conditions throughout Cuba.
We passed the famous Hotel National de Cuba.
We passed the forest of flagpoles (now without flags) Fidel Castro had installed in front of the US Embassy years ago to hide anything embassy personnel posted on the building.
A short distance beyond it was the former embassy of the Soviet Union. Cubans have a joke about the shape of the building; something to the effect that it typified a Russian - a big body but a small head/brain.
Even with a good road, it took us about three hours to get to our first stop in Pinar del Rio. It was a small factory that made rum out of guavas. It was one machine. It being Sunday, the machine was not working. The room was full of tours, each guide trying to get his/her hands on a couple of display items and be heard over the voices of other guides. At the end of this minimal insight into a small family-owned business in Cuba, those who wanted to try the product queued up. I opted to pop outside to take some pictures.
The driver of these two cars each stepped on the gas when he saw me raise the camera. They appeared to want to make their car look good. What the camera saw was a cloud of gray smoke pour from the exhaust pipe chocking every living thing within a one-block radius.
Tobacco is a government monopoly. Farmers are allowed to keep only a small part of their crop for their own use or to sell privately.
We walked around the farm, looking in the sheds where tobacco leaves were being cured. We then had a lesson in making a cigar. Having tried one the farmer had previously made, I bought five cigars to bring home. Instead of the fancy packaging that comes with a cigar purchased from a government outlet, mine were wrapped in newspaper.
On our way to lunch and afterward driving to Mural de la Pre-Historia, we saw numerous limestone cliffs wind and weather had impressively etched. In some cases long shafts of rock hung downward like stalactites. There were numerous caves that Mother Nature had bored deep into the face of these cliffs. I was disappointed that there was no photo-op.
 |
| her is the "later" |
It was time to head back to Havana and SIRENA. It would be about a three-hour drive over the same road we took on the trip here. I did not hesitate to begin my nap.
We arrived in Havana after dark, taking a different route through the city. We passed Revolution Square, the unoccupied capitol building and the Opera House.
It being a Sunday and late enough in the day that most sites had shut their doors, when we arrived at the marine terminal, we decided to return aboard.
The ship departed Havana at 11:30 for a passage to Cozumel, Mexico.
All day, Pam & I were surprised at what we saw west of Havana. The countryside was much lusher than we had seen east of the city. Thanks to the agriculture the soil and climate supported, the quality of life appeared to be better.
In a continuation of some discrepancies we noted on our last visit, contrary to all the propaganda, the revolution did not level socio-economic conditions throughout Cuba.
No comments:
Post a Comment