Road to Vinales

It was an early start though we managed breakfast and waited for our bus with a family from Brighton who had waited until their children had no exams before they felt they could have a break in Cuba at this time of year. It was pleasant to chat and exchange ideas as we waited half an hour for the bus. Mañana!

Another hour and a half passed as we zigzagged around Havana picking up our fellow travellers from hotels all over the city, and passing many of the sights we had seen the day before. Finally we were on the open road and things moved a lot faster as we zipped along a nearly deserted six lane highway. Two and a half hours and one brief stop later we were in Vinales, and a short walk from our home stay for the next two days. It's "Homestay Silvia" and is a good equivalent to B and B though she is willing to cook you an evening meal as well. After getting our bearings, and some lunch, we spent the afternoon exploring the back roads and tracks around the town and an amazing botanical garden which was set up by a Chinese immigrant to Cuba, his daughter and a friend. Both ladies lived into their 90's. We shared the tour with a couple from Minnesota. It was no problem to come to Cuba as they had travelled via Cancun. Many pictures were taken of bullocks, carts, fields of tobacco and the mountains.