Day 6 - Cuba

Another early morning pickup - thank goodness I was feeling better. Today's excursion was to the north to the Vinales Valley. Our young guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I still needed more rest though, and I had a pleasant nap enroute.

Our first stop of the day was at the farm of a tobacco grower.

He was quite a character and enjoyed joking with the group. He showed us inside his tobacco drying shed and then he rolled a cigar with his tobacco leaves.

We were then invited into his home for a coffee and a look around.

I am always fascinated to see how other people live and I was in my glory capturing snippets of another world with my camera.

Vinales is a beautiful area, lush and green. The distinctive mogotes of the area are huge, dome-shaped hills amongst the flat land. I can see why tourism is so very popular there - that and growing tobacco.

We went on to visit the Mural de la Prehistoria painted on the side of the mountains. It is intended to represent the history of evolution, but it wasn’t really all that amazing.

Lunch was another delicious meal but my appetite still wasn't back. Nearby was the Cueva del Indio or Indian Caves.

The first part of the passage was through narrow tunnels lit with artificial lighting. The ceiling of the cave was so very high and the rock formations were fascinating.

At the end of the walkway, we boarded a boat an exited the cave on the underground San Vincente River.

There were two more stops before we headed back to Havana. The first was a viewpoint overlooking the entire valley.

I could see some more tobacco sheds below along with a variety of fields and pastures.

The second stop was at a rum factory, however production had ceased for the day.

We arrived back at our hotel just before 8 pm and went in search of a light supper somewhere besides our hotel. We ended up in a bar by the name of Sloppy Joe's, founded in 1917.

There's no rush tomorrow morning - hooray!