Day 4- Headed down to Vinales (population of 14,000) on the Viazul tourist bus. Steady three and a half hour drive through the rural countryside. Although Havana was enjoyable and an amazing city, it was good to get out the big town vibe. Arrived in Vinales to be greeted by scores of people advertising “casa particulares”. Decided to head to Villa Isabalette, a casa that had been recommended by some travellers in Havana. Rang the doorbell and was greeted by a beaming Isabelle and Pocinto, her husband. Took a look at the room , accepted it and got talking to the family. Their English was as good as my Spanish ( i.e. bits and pieces) but we managed and after all the formalities I headed into Vinales to check out this rural village. Loads of farmers with straw hats bringing their produce into town and people selling food and drinks on the main street. The geography of this area is perfect for tobacco with rich fertile soil abundant and there is one producer who has even been allowed his own brand name for his cigars by Mr Fidel.

Plenty of “Viva Fidel” and “Viva Raul” ( his brother who has taken over temporarily) signs scattered around town and plenty of support for the government. Not sure what state Fidel is in but one of the locals ventured to cut his arm off if he did not make another twenty years. Did not shake the man´s hand on that. Tough bet that one! The main purpose of my visit to Cuba was to see the place before the old guy kicked the bucket…it could all be so different and Cuba may lose its unique charm. Booked a bus to Maria La Gorda, supposedly one of the world´s best diving spots, and then settled back with a few beers to enjoy the local salsa dancing at one of the late night venues.

Day 5- Great breakfast prepared by Isabelle. She came in to the living room shouting juice, juice” all the time….she is taking an hour every day to learn English. Good on her and comical at times. Really lovely family! I had struggled to finish the previous evenings dinner which consisted of huge plates of rice (arroz), beans (frijoles), chicken (pollo), sopa (soup-which was incredibly tasty) and loads of bread (pan). Four hour tour of the tobacco fields and caves followed by a swim at the local swimming pool at the hotel overlooking the town. Huge limestone formations surrounding Vinales and reminds me of similiar topography that I saw in Laung Prabang in Laos. Really stunning landscape.

The area has a number of caves which are a few kilometers out of town. Hired a bicycle for four hours and headed out. Not the best seat I have ever sat on and after a few minutes of cycling, I knew that this was going to be a tiresome and demanding day. Now one should not complain when you are lucky to have the use of your limbs. However there was a good chance that this seat would possibly prevent me from fathering children one day! Have prided myself on having buns of steel but this was ridiculous. My butt became so tight that I would have made a fortune posing as a walnut cracker at Christmas time. Two hours was enough and I limped off to survey the damage.

Another night watching the salsa dancing, having a few mojitos and enjoying a huge meal prepared by Isabelle. Spent time in the evenings with the family, playing with the grandson (six years old) and the grandaughter (nine years old). The daughter and her husband live in the house as well, so at times it can be cramped but we all managed. She is the local paediatrician and has all the locals arriving on her doorstep at all hours. Really dedicated to her job considering that she gets nothing in return….her meagre monthly wage is 20 Convertible Cuban Pesos! The son is a doctor too and is actually living in Bethlehem in the Orange Free State, South Africa. Have heard that plenty of Cuban doctors have moved abroad and they are doing very well. There appears to be two ways of getting out of Cuba: i) marry a foreigner and ii) get chosen as part of the US green card lottery. Still most people chose to remain and stay ultra patriotic.

Day 6- Time to head further west to a place called Maria La Gorda. Reputed to have some of the best dive sites in the world. Easy drive in a tour bus down the lush valleys of the Cuban countryside. On arrival at the beach resort we were greeted by huge sand crabs scurrying across the road playing chicken with the bus.  The area has a hotel and dive resort a few metres from the beach front.  Long white sandy beaches lined with palm trees mirroring across turquoise blue waters. Plenty of tourists soaking up the sun and snorkelling off the piers. Undertook a dive in the afternoon and it was superb. Best visibility I have experienced. Huge wall which suddenly disappears dwon into the dark depths. Not many fish but the coral was great and it felt like looking down on an ice glacier. Enjoyed a great sunset having dinner on the beach and then retired to the room to chill and prepare for another dive in the morning.

Day 7- Dive number 2 in Maria La Gorda did not go as well as expected. Maximun depth of 30 metres but at 21 metres I started having serious problems equalising and the pain in my ear was excruciating! Ascended to a reaonable level again and then went down to the maximum depth. The rest of the dive went ok but on surfacing I was coughing out blood and the ear was very swollen. Headed off to the doctor on duty and it was confirmed that the inner eardrum had been hurt. A prescription of antibiotics to be taken over seven days and no more diving. Really gutted but so be it. Have done some great dives in the last month or so and will have to stick with that. So no diving at Cozumel or the infamous Blue Hole off the coast of Belize. 

Back to Vinales on the 5pm bus and headed back to Villa Isabellette. Had a few rum and cokes with the family and said my formal goodbyes. They really had made my stay worthwhile. Took some photos of the family and promised to send some copies through. Not many families have access to cameras so they should appreciate them when they eventually arrive in the post. Early night with the bus leaving at 8am back to Havana.

Day 8- Pleasant trip back through the valleys of Pinar del Rio. Arrived in Havana at midday and booked into CASA DE ANA SUR, Calle San Ignacio) for the evening. Another lovely casa on the second floor of an old apartment block in the Old Town. Final chance to see the local artwork and take some photos. The money has just about run out but have enough for the taxi back to the airport and the departure tax.

Day 9-  Final day in Havana and really sad about it. There are few places where you get a feeling of falling in love with all it has to offer. Headed to the airport and took in my last glimpses of Havana getting on with another day. No problems at check-in and off to Cancun on Mexican Airlines. A great trip and this wont be my last experience of Cuba….magic!

Some things I observed while in Cuba:

• Watch out for dog poop on the pavements of Havana. Their is no law against your dog doing its thing anywhere. I ended up playing a game of hopscotch on several occassions!
• The jiniteros (hustlers) are active in most parts of Havana and will offer you cigars, s*x and exchange of money. They are like fleas on a dog. Ignore them and they eventually give up and pick on the next unsuspecting tourist.
• Cubans love a good soap opera. The current favourite originates from Brazil. Its possible to walk down a road, as I did in Vinales, and follow the show as you go along from door to door. The people are fixated!
• There are some of the most filthy toliets in the bus terminals. Do yourself a favour and keep toilet paper on you. I can see why the Cubans are so good at the pommel horse in gymnastics…I almost broke my neck on the dismount when I needed to go!! Gave myself a 9.0 though for the artistic effort and level of difficulty involved!
• The Cubans are a proud people and will not talk down the government. In fact its very rare for people to be outspoken about Fidel and his policies. Dont try tempt them into a conversation of such sorts as you could end up in trouble.
• Dont order fish (pescado) at a casa particular. It can be ordered from a restaurant but its illegal for people to source food from the black market. All about keeping control of what people earn.
• The average monthly salary is 20 Cuban pesos. My room in Havana cost 30 Cuban pesos. Yes there is a local currency which is 24 local pesos to the Convertible Cuban peso, BUT you should never be stinging when tipping as these guys survive on nothing. All citizens can read and write, health services are free and apparently Fidel once said “there will be 1 million children without a roof over their heads tonight,…none of those are Cubans. So there are pluses but its always good to be fare when tipping. The kids also love receiving pens or pencils.
• Oh and take plenty of photos…..they are great memories of an unbelievable country.

All in all a great country with beautiful, warm people and brilliant scenery. Visit it as soon as you can….you wont regret it!!