Our explorations around Old Havana were mainly on foot, but trips to
other parts of the city were generally in the 50s Trabants, reminiscent of
model toy cars of my childhood as they nipped in and out of the traffic. These
little vehicles were just one step up from the ubiquitous bicycle rickshaw ‘bicitaxis’,
but a fraction of the style of the vintage Chevrolets, Buicks, Fords and
Chryslers, and equally a fraction of the cost, given that most of the vintage
cars are used for sightseeing tours at inflated prices.
These colourful vintage cars were certainly abundant, as well as
beautifully restored and maintained by their proud owners vying for trade.
It came as a total surprise, when our transportation to the rustic countryside of ‘Valle de Vinales’ turned out to be a metallic purple 1957 Dodge! This shiny mobile, complete with flags and white leather seats, was rather impressive but somewhat incongruous given the nature of our trip. It was far more suitable for the likes of Beyoncé and Jay Z hitting the Havana club scene, versus Rachel and Philip horseback riding through Cuban tobacco fields!
Our six-hour round trip to Vinales was a most
memorable experience, encountering the lush Cuban landscape through the windows
of our stylish car, before riding through it on horseback. The vast valley of
Vinales is characterised by relatively flat alluvial plains, dotted with residual
limestone hills known as ‘mogotes’.
It was great to be back
in the saddle again, following our local guide through the fields of tobacco, and observing this important crop at its different stages of development.
The scenery was punctuated by the occasional wooden barn, used for drying
and storage, one of which we 'stumbled upon' for a seemingly impromptu demonstration by a
tobacco plantation owner. In just a few seconds, he skillfully rolled a few tobacco leaves into an
authentic looking cigar, using none other than his locally produced honey for glue.
He equally quenched our thirst with his ‘signature
cocktail’ mixed in a freshly cut coconut. He promptly added his local honey together with grapefruit
and pineapple juice - expertly squeezed by hand, albeit not a great selling
point when stained by tobacco and earth! We politely declined the addition of rum,
wanting to stay firmly in the saddle for the duration of our six-hour ride.
We later
stopped at one of the famed limestone caves of the area, where I boldly followed
the glowing torch of another local guide to a 200-metre-deep underground pool, admiring the numerous stalactites and stalagmites
en route. It was undoubtedly a refreshing
way to cool off after riding in the hot sun, but a little unnerving when left alone by my nonchalant chaperone to swim in complete darkness in the murky
depths of a cave … A rather strange tourist attraction, in hindsight, and not
one I would necessarily repeat. Nevertheless, it was most energising
especially when combined with a picnic lunch under the trees, followed by yet another
freshly squeezed juice – this time mango, at a little wooden shack turned café/restaurant on the edge of the terracotta fields.
The Cuban culinary
repertoire may be humble, but they can certainly pride themselves on their
delicious fruit juices/‘jugos’.
