Exploring the caves and tabacco farms of Vinales

Phil's version of Day 97/21 May          

The hire car, overnight in the hotel’s guarded car park, has a flat tyre. The car park attendant says he can fix it. I suspect him, perhaps unreasonably, of having created the problem in order to earn a few Pesos. An hour later I have had the exchanged spare wheel repaired and all tyres checked and for $10 my mind is at rest, though I fervently hope we don’t ever have to drive far on the plugged spare.

spectacular views across the Magotes of Vinales

There are dozens of caves riddling the limestone hills, called mogotes, which are the residue of ancient caverns once dissolved by underground rivers. One cave even connects a roadside café to a restaurant on the other side of a hill. We decide that commercial ballooning might well be possible here if all the bureaucratic obstacles can be overcome. The valleys between the mogotes are flat and fertile, with fields of tobacco interspersed with pastureland. Tiny farm cottages with unusual roofing consisting of a combination of thatch and terracotta tiles are dotted everywhere together with tall palm-thatched barns used for tobacco drying.

inside a grotto coffee shop

We have a battle to get access to an Internet service which actually works – frustrating as I am trying to finalise two significant ballooning projects before I get home. 

Although Internet access in Cuba appears not so restricted as in, for example, Myanmar, it is still considered a privilege rather than a right of service. 

However, it is at least reasonably efficient when you do get access, and reminds us that in North Korea even foreigners aren’t allowed any kind of web communication.

Allie is back to taking ‘reading walks’ with her British Citizenship test papers and study book. I hardly dare ask when she proposes to take the exams which are her sole (as far as we know) obstacle to becoming a Brit.

There is an old wooden clapboard villa in the town which seems to be the only restaurant with character and after a walk downtown in the rain we are glad to find it is not only interesting but cheap. A young family of Brits and a group of Swiss plus ourselves are evidently the ‘early’ clientele, whilst locals and other Latins arrive to the sound of a guitar and bass trio as we are leaving.

Allie's version: 

DAY 97: Monday, 21^st of May

  A drive around  limestone hills, exploring some caves and the town of Vinales

Our supposedly ‘relaxed’ morning is disrupted by the fact that we obviously have a punctured tire! How that happened, we don’t know. Was it the guy supervising the car park who did it on purpose to earn himself a few extra pesos, or was it indeed something that happened yesterday on our drive to here? Who knows, but we have to get it fixed.
With the help of the hotel guy and a garage, we get the tire repaired and  set out 

selling Cuban flags in downtown Vinales

for a drive around the countryside. 

Our first stop is at the Cueva de San Miguel, a limestone cave that runs through a cliff and comes out on the other side.

It’s a bit touristy with two restaurants on either side, but since it’s early morning we are the only guests. Our main interest in looking at this area though is to see, whether it would be possible to set up a balloon rides business here.

And indeed, we find the area very suitable. Lot’s of possible take off and landing sites, some nice hotels and enough tracks for retrieving the balloon.

We are especially pleased to receive a positive email reply from a guy who runs an adventure company here in Cuba to our proposal of adding the ballooning element to his outfit. The guy is British and has been dealing with Cuba for 18 years. He would be the ideal partner to set something up.

The paintings of Los dos hermanos

But internet is a struggle here in Vinales. The hotels computer is ‘down’ forever and the two internet cafes downtown are just overloaded with people.

We decide to have a rest at the pool and come back later. After another short drive around and a distant visit to the ‘cliff paintings’ (modern paintings in a very crude and tacky way), we finally manage to seize one of the two computers and do our emails.

A heavy thunder storm clears the air and cools the temperature down a bit. Ideal weather for a mojito on our balcony and a little stroll around the hotel paths. 

relaxing by our hotel pool

For dinner we walk the two km downtown to try the ‘Restaurante La Casa de Don Tomás’ which is set in a quite charming old colonial house. We notice a few other foreigners, some Brits, Swiss and Danish. Food is good and cheap and  we both enjoyed our meals.