IMAGE: JACK SOUTHERN


Cuba


“I order a rum, light a cigar and marvel at this valley of surprises”


Farmer with tobacco leaves


exports from the area are tobacco, coffee and sugarcane — or, put another way, cigars, espresso and rum. It’s not difficult to see why travellers would be drawn to this place. Add the natural beauty of the valley into the mix and you’re leſt with a recipe for paradise. Walking for 15 minutes through the fields and


wooded groves brings me to the house of Jorge’s brother, Antonio, a tobacco farmer who makes cigars. His family live in a litle blue house surrounded by countryside: an idyllic spot. Antonio comes out to greet me, cigar in hand and a wide-brimmed straw hat pulled low to shield his eyes from the glaring aſternoon sun. Leading me with a smile to a thatched barn, he


talks me through the processes of making Cuba’s most famous export. The tobacco leaves hang in bundles all over the place. Some are dry and ready to roll into cigars, others are still relatively fresh. He tells me how he soaks them in orange and cinnamon to add flavour and how a litle rub of honey around the base of the cigar before smoking it really makes it the best in the world. Siting in Antonio’s house, his wife prepares a


chicken for dinner and his two daughters pretend to do their homework, a litle too inquisitive to concentrate. He rolls a cigar from scratch and gives it to me. I light a match and puff until it’s lit,


58 ABTA Magazine | April 2017


then he takes one and lights his own. We go out onto the porch and smoke for a while. The sun begins to drop behind the cliffs and a purple glow starts to wrap itself around the green palm trees. I feel properly Cuban now, like I’ve graduated from tourist to local. These kinds of experiences feel typical of this


litle town, although it’s bustling with visitors. It has the capacity to transport you into a Cuba that has existed for hundreds of years. Whether you decide to cycle the narrow lanes between plantations, explore the nearby ancient cave systems by boat or simply sip cocktails and enjoy the scenery, it’s a place to feel at home. As evening falls, people start to head out. Bars


and cafes open up and the smell of grilled fish and lobster waſts around the streets. I have a reservation at what is supposed to be one of the best places to dine. It’s dark, so I don’t immediately recognise where I am as I pull up. I notice a sign with the word ‘restaurant’


painted on it. I’ve come full circle. It’s perched on the side of the cliff, a platform doted with tables, raised high among the trees. It’s packed with diners — siting high above Vinales, this restaurant has one of the best views in all of Cuba. I sit down, order a rum, light a cigar and marvel at this valley of surprises.


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