Cuba | eyewitness | Valley of surprises
Jack Southan heads into tobacco country to find unexpected peace and tranquility in Vinales
The road to Vinales is rugged and twisting. It winds its way from Havana through the north- western corner of Cuba, up through the green hills and dusty plantations, until it gets right into the heart of tobacco country. About a kilometre out of town, I see a shabby
tourist office building and a sign pointing to what looks like the edge of a cliff with the word ‘restaurant’ writen on it. A minute or two later, the first colourfully painted buildings come into view: small, prety houses, with patches of grass or porches out front and children playing under
the shaded canopies. Turning the corner onto the main thoroughfare, I pull over outside a bustling cigar shop and look around for any sign of a street name. La Adela Azcuy Norte, reads the plaque on the side of the bright yellow bungalow to my leſt. This is exactly what I’m looking for, so I turn down the gravelled road and manoeuvre my way through the rickshaws and horses. The path leads down through rows of houses, all of which seem to be for rent, until I cross a narrow bridge and come out in the middle of a farmer’s plot. Driving to the end of the row, I reach a wooden building and a couple stand outside waving to me. Anita and Jorge guide me through their simple
house to the back garden where another bungalow has been built behind their own. It’s timber and palm thatch and has two rocking chairs siting on the decking in front of the door. Only a litle out of town, it’s isolated enough to feel as if I’m the only person visiting the area. This sense of separation is what’s so special
about Vinales, even though it has lots of tourists. The land is a patchwork of green and brown, some fields green with tobacco leaves, others simply the bare earth tilled for the next cycle. The main
Traditional Cuban cigars being made Right: A typical Vinales landscape Above: Harvested tobacco leaves, Viñales Valley
countrybycountry.com | ABTA Magazine
57
IMAGE: JACK SOUTHERN; SUPERSTOCK; GETTY
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