Our last day in Trinadad started with yet another rooftop breakfast, though only Manuelito made a brief appearance. We also had a bit of a rush through breakfast as we were told our car would be ready at 9:30. However, when we got downstairs, there was another little bit of confusion, but Cesar and Jesus eventually sorted it out and we were whisked away for the very long (8 hours!) drive to Vinales!
Grant and I had just started to contemplate settling in for a long sunny nap when we realized we were slowing down and pulling off the highway. At this point we knew we hadn’t been driving for more than a few hours, so assumed we were stopping for gas. However, when we got to the gas station but didn’t pull up to the pump, we started to get a little worried. We asked our driver and after much gesticulation and broken Spanish/Italian, we realized that we were going to be trading drivers with another tourist couple – they’d go on to Trinadad and we’d take their driver back to Vinales. It was a great Cuban Tourist Swap!
After the handoff as made, we settled in for a long, 7 hour drive by doing all the things one does: Stare out the window, count the turkey buzzards, nap, and try to understand the Cuban music. A few hours later, more gesticulation and broken English resulted in us pulling off the highway and driving up to what initially looked like someone’s house. However, it turned out to be an amazing local restaurant called Don David, where we accidentally ordered WAAAAAAAY too much food and ended up with a feast of fried chicken, roast pork, a whole avocado sliced into bite sized chunks, Christianos Y Morros (black beans and rice) and chicken tostones. At a loss as to what to do, we tried to get our driver to eat some too, but he protested that awesome looking stewed veal was already too much for him, so we were left trying to do it justice by ourselves… which wasn’t a pretty sight.
The scene of the stuffing – we were definitely the only non-locals there!
Full to bursting, we piled back into the car, and back onto the highway. Our driver was quick to tell us that we were very close to Vinales, in fact just over the next set of hills. This was welcome news…until the car suddenly stopped running… and a light drizzle breaks out. So there we are, sitting and sweating on a steep hill, half hidden around a corner of one of those narrow, winding roads that Cuba is apparently infamous for.
Our view for about 20 minutes – until the driver decided he needed the tools under our seats!
As our driver worked away, were forced to just stand there (the tool box was under the back seat, so we couldn’t sit in the car), as neither one of us had any idea how to fix the car. As cars came up the hill, about 1 in three stopped to chat with our driver, and we eventually developed a cadre of 5-6 locals, including our driver, who were all muttering and staring into the open hood. And yes, this does mean that they, too, were now parked in the middle of the narrow winding road. About 30 minutes and many grease stains later, our driver hops in and kicks the car back into life. Grins breakout across our small group and everyone jumps back into their respective vehicles and zoom away, giving us the thumbs up as they go.
Because of our little adventure, by the time we get into Vinales, we’re late for the afternoon tour we’ve booked, so we hustle our things into the new Casa and hop back into the car, now with guide in the front seat.
We might have been hustling, but we had to snap this shot – could anything be more Cuban?
We set off on what turns into a best of Vinales tour, which included
- The Indian cave – a big limestone cavern in one of the mogotes (giant limestone mounds that are scattered across the valley of Vinales), where the natives of Cuba and escaped slaves used to hide for safety. It’s so large, there’s even a river running through it, and we were able to “sail” the last 3rd of the cave, seeing amazing rock formations as we went.
- The Prehistoric Mural – After much confusion, we got to the place with the mural and realized that it’s not actually an ancient mural, but a mural of ancient things. It was commissioned by Fidel Castro and is one of the largest outdoor murals in the world. It’s also weirdly hokey and unlike anything else we saw while in Cuba…
- The Mirador view point of much of Vinales valley,
- A local tobacco farm where we watched the farmer handroll a cigar. Apparently, it only takes him about a minute to make one when he’s not stopping to explain each step! (And of course, when offered, we happily bought cigars. Can’t beat that fresh from the farm flavor!)
After our tour, we were all tuckered out so opted for a lazy afternoon of reading and rocking on the front porch of the Casa, as well as chatting with our host, who was an amazingly friendly man who managed to make ever word of his limited vocabulary burst with welcome and good cheer. “Jessica! Grant! Is OK?” was basically his only English, and his voice would boom it out whenever we finished anything. He was awesome. As the sun dipped behind the casa, we headed in for a huge lobster dinner that was cooked by our hostess.
All this food was made fresh and just for us… I’m not sure they understand portion control, but it was delicious!
As you can see from the photo, when we say huge, we’re not kidding: a whole lobster each, plus chicken soup to start, cristianos y morros, salad and of course, the obligatory fresh fruit platter! Any one of those dishes would have been more than enough, but we couldn’t let our hostess think we didn’t like her cooking, so we dug deep and did our duty by eating more than we could hold!
Once again stuffed to the gills, we couldn’t do anything but retreat to the rocking chairs again.
After exactly 4 nights in Cuba, we’d come to realize that rocking chairs are a gift from god, and wasted no time rocking, sipping a digestif, and hanging out with Lily, the Casa’s wiener dog. We also realized that our Casa Papa is the happiest (and loudest) man in Cuba.
This is Lily – she is the FRIENDLIEST dog!
After rocking for a bit, we intended to head into town for some salsa, but it didn’t start till 10pm, and all the rocking and food wore us down – we were asleep before we realized what hit us…
– J & G