Today started out with a tour of Ernest Hemingway’s mansion. He spent a ton of time in Cuba – as in Key West – writing. I’ve never been a huge fan of Hemingway (don’t judge!) but his mansion was fascinating. Mostly because of the oppulence and wealth you could see there in relation to the rest of the houses in Cuba. He had private tennis courts and a pool. His furry friends are even resting there in their own graveyard.

We then checked out Fusterlandia. Jose Fuster is a local Cuban artist. He is still alive and decided to start a community project in his neighborhood. He started adorning the neighborhood with tile mosaics. So all of the entrances to the houses on the streets are covered in tiny mosaic tiles, including the doctor’s office. The style pays homage to Barcelona’s Gaudi. It is remarkable! Eventually you come upon Fuster’s residence which literally looks like a playground done entirely in mosaics. It is 3 levels – indoor and outdoor – and every spot is covered in tile. He still lives and works there but there are very few areas of the residence that are restricted to visitors.

We then visited another local community called Las Terrazas. This small, green village was built as part of a government reforestation project. This place was breathtakingly beautiful. It had a small man-made lake surrounded by walking paths and hiking trails and mini huts where people can spend time together out of the blazing sunshine. The “terraces” advance up the hill to where a stunning hotel – Hotel Moka – sits. It is all open air and cool breezes and amazing views. I imagine it’s just tourists who stay here as the cheapest room is 90 CUCs/night.

Tony had been promising us some basic rice and beans for lunch. And that we’d stop along the way. I seriously thought that we’d stop and have a picnic lunch but we pulled off the highway and drove on a dirt road for less than a mile to Restaurant Don David. OMG, another amazing meal of “rice and beans”. Of course we did have rice and beans as well as fish, chicken, pork, lamb, vegetables, fruit…Anyone who says the food in Cuba is tasteless and boring is just plain wrong! The sauces are unique and flavorful, the meats rich and succulent and the fruits and vegetables fresh and ripe beyond words.

We were back on the bus for a couple of hours on our way to Vinales where we’ll spend two nights. The bus rides – although not my favorite part of the trip for sure! – are where we get to pick Tony’s mind about life in Cuba.

We learned about how the people find loopholes to get around government restrictions in daily life. I’ve already written about how little salary even a highly educated person makes. So what the people do is search for jobs with “perks” – also called “side effects” in translated English and said with a grin. So there’s the receptionist who sells coffee to the patients that come to see the doctor. There’s the attorney that drives a taxi on the weekends. These people take any opportunity they see to make a better life for themselves. It’s admirable.

We learned Cubans still have ration cards given to them by the government for specific food staples like rice, eggs, milk, bread and meat. So they are only allowed to buy the food that the government chooses to sell to them. They are given additional rations for children, the elderly and pregnant. Every Cuban must register with a local supply store and obtain their rationed food from there. A family gets 1 ration card per year. 1 per family, not per person. It is difficult and expensive to buy food outside of the ration store and sometimes Cubans simply don’t have enough food.

All news transmitted to the Cubans is “good” news. They don’t ever get to hear – on local television – about anything negative happening in the country. It is either spun to take on a positive tone or not discussed. For example, last year President Obama negotiated a deal with Raul Castro to exchange 5 Cuban prisoners who were caught spying in America for 1 American prisoner held here. Apparently this was shown as a huge win for Cubans via the media. They weren’t given any back-information about the negotiations. On that same vein, advertising is not allowed in Cuba. The only billboards you see depict the strength and power of the government. You see Raul and Fidel Castro’s face everywhere. In fact, we got to see locals watching a baseball game at dinner. During game timeouts or inning changes, they show videos of past revolutionary events or current images of the regime. No ads and nothing negative.

We made our way to Valle de Vinales – which is in the Western part of Cuba and known for its dramatic landscape. The countryside consists of mogotes – which are craggy, flat-topped hills made of limestone. These hills are unlike anything I’ve seen. Not like mountains because of the lack of hard edges. They look more like someone dropped dirt and rocks onto the Earth and left it to figure itself out. The town itself consists of just 3 streets, 2 more than were here just a mere decade ago. The main drag contains multiple restaurants and souvenir stores in brightly colored buildings – each one boasting an outdoor terrace perfect for cocktails and people watching. Unfortunately, it is definitely a tourist town.

We got to Vinales just in time for the sunset – one of the best I’ve ever seen! And I’ve seen quite a few. To watch God at work, we went to a local eco-farm called Finca Agroecologica. There were rows and rows of fresh-growing vegetables in every direction you looked. It was so impressive. I got to watch the beautiful sun drop behind the random, oddly cool mogotes. It was outstanding! These are the moments I live for. These are the places I find peach and religion…

The farmer who owns the land also has a restaurant where he serves the food he grows and the animals he raises. Here you are surrounded by all of the beauty I just described while you bask in the smells and tastes of fresh vegetables and meat. We all sat down at a table on the terrace and were immediately brought what Tony called “Stress relievers”. Let me just say, none of us are stressed but even less so after having this drink! It is a mixture of coconut milk, fresh coconut and herbs – all from the garden. Then they set down a full bottle of rum. You can add as much or as little to the drink as you like. Very dangerous and very, very tasty. Can I just say that our table when through 3 full bottles of rum!

Shortly after that, I had to move out of the way as 2 of the farmers brought us our main protein. A full pig who had been roasting for 4 hours. It was awesome! He had a big ‘ole knife stuck right out of the center of him and looked delicious! Tony had the pleasure of carving him. Talk about fresh right?! They also brought fresh raw vegetables and fresh cooked vegetables and fish and chicken and soup and rice and beans. That was the most packed table I’ve seen table for all of the food and drink! Tony told us to not feel bad about not eating everything as it’s just their custom to keep bringing food to the guests. It was so delicious! Again, I don’t know why multiple people have said not to have high expectations for the food in Cuba but I have to say that what I’ve had has been scrumptious. YUM!

What a lovely night so far! We really have a good group of all ages and stages of life. We all seem to be getting along like long lost friends and just having a fantastic time together. This is one of those nights that I live for! Beauty in the land surrounding me and, more importantly, in the PEOPLE surrounding me!

A few of us wanted to take advantage of the nightlife in Vinales. Ok, maybe I shouldn’t call it that. It is a sweet, SMALL tourist town filled with restaurants but there’s only 1 dance club 🙂 Who cares as long as it’s a good one? And I was ready to DANCE!

Off we went to the lone dance club in Vinales and I loved every moment. It was all open air with a large dance floor surrounded by tables and a long bar at one end. When we went in there was an amazing Cuban band playing salsa and bachata music. Unfortunately none of the men in the group were ready – i.e. drunk – enough to dance but Tony, our group leader, came back shortly after that so I got to dance with him. Which was amazing! Again, again, again, I need to dance. On a very regular basis! One of the guys on our tour said “Aimee, this is the happiest I’ve seen you!” Yes, that’s the truth. We danced for quite a while, in between a Cuban singing some bad music and some worse American music and a bunch of teenagers showing off their dance skills to the crowd for tips. But it was all worth it to dance with Tony – so, so, so fun!