Complete Cuba Day 7
Complete Cuba
Day 07 - Wednesday, January 15, 2014 - Walking Tour of Soroa Orchid Garden; Drive Through Sierra de los Organos Mountains; Visit Montesino Tobacco; Tour Cueva del Indio; Visit Organic Farm and Lunch; Walking Tour of Viñales; Dinner at the Hotel
After breakfast we had plenty of time to look around the hotel grounds and take a few photos before we met Boli and Claudia at 8:30.
We walked to the Jardin Botanico and the Orquideario (Orchid Gardens) of Soroa and met Aliett, a horticulturist from the University of Pinar del Rio. She walked with us through the well manicured gardens.
There were over 600 varieties of orchids in the gardens originally built in 1943 by Tomas Felipe Camacho, a wealthy Spanish lawyer. In the shade house alone we must have seen over 200 varieties blooming.
The last hurricane in 2008 did extensive damage to the facility. In the past six years the students and volunteers had to replant and restore the gardens.
With the Sierra del los Rosario Mountains in the background we had a group picture taken. We finished our tour, thanked Aliett, and left the gardens at 10:00.
Boris had driven the bus to the gardens to pick us up for the hour's ride to the Finca Montesino. On the way Claudia told us more about Che Rivera and his relationship with Fidel and Raul Castro.
Aulojeo Montesino met us upon our arrival and showed us his third generation tobacco production. We began our tour in the sorting barn where women graded, sorted, and hung the tobacco leaves to dry.
We went out into the fields to watch the men pick and stack the broad green leaves on carts that were wheeled into the sorting barn. After the tour we were treated to a glass of sugar cane juice with or without rum.
The next stop was the bar where we had a cup of their locally grown coffee sweetened with sugar from the farm. Jim bought a cigar that Kathy, Jim, Vic, Robin, and Boli shared. Gennie was the designated photographer.
We left at noon in a pouring rain storm, counting our blessings that the rain held off until after the botanical gardens and tobacco fields. Because of the storm we had to be a little flexible for our lunch.
Boris navigated the winging road through the Sierra de los Organos Mountains to Vinales. About fifteen minutes past the village we explored the Indian Caves, a network of limestone caves.
At the end of the walkway we boarded a boat that took us on a ride on the St. Vincent River through the remainder of the cave and out to the surface. We had a little time to check out the vendors.
Gennie bought a small banana (banana chicas) for everyone from a woman for only 2 CUCs - the Cuban currency. She also asked for soap as many Cubans have done during the trip. Gennie gave her two small cakes of soap and she reciprocated by giving Gennie two more bananas.
At 1:45 we rejoined Robin and Boli who chose not to go into the cave. We climbed the hills to Casa de Confianza for our lunch. We met Tony and Rachel who have been providing organic gardening meals since 2005.
We began with salted taro chips, a vegetable soup, and an Anti Stress smoothie. It was made with pineapple juice, coconut, anis, mint, yerba buena, basil, lemon grass, milk, cinnamon, honey, and rum to taste.
The following dishes were all served family style: cucumbers with bok choy, tomatoes with cabbage, rice and beans, roasted green peppers, manioc, batter fried onions, squash, polenta, chicken, pork, and fried pork skin.
Boris dropped us off in the small town of Viñales where we had about 30 minutes free time to explore. Gennie shared the churros of a man on the street - they were so good we bought a cone of our own.
We had dinner scheduled at the hotel tonight, but we had eaten such a great lunch, we passed on another full meal. Good choice!
Accommodations: HOTEL VILLA HORIZONTES SOROA - - - Meal: B, L, D
International Expeditions - Complete Cuba
Comments
Borrowing loosely... "I didn't inhale and never tried it again." – Bill Clinton
Did you inhale? That's were people get in trouble isn't it ? ;o)
Post a Comment!Vic smoking? I thought he was "no smoking".
Growing, Drying & Smoking Tobacco, Finca Montesino, Pinar del Río, Cuba (2:51)
Orchids at Jardín Botánico
Picking Tobacco
Vic Enjoying a Cigar?
Casa de Confienza Organic Gardens
Taxi Main Street Viñales
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