Vinales (and not Las Terrazas)

After some days in Havana we decided to take a Viazul to Las Terrazas. We borrowed a tent from David, an incredibly helpful and friendly Habanna-based couchsurfer and tour guide, and went to the Viazul-station.

One hour before the departure, the queue in front of the ticket-office was considerable, but not unmanageable. Fourty-five minutes later we had barely moved, and given up all hopes of getting onto the bus to Las Terrazas. Alternative plan: The valley of Vinales, departure in 4 hours. The lady at the ticket booth is not motivated. Do we REALLY want to buy tickets to Vinales? They are not refunable. Still, yes? No? We still need to call our Casa Particular to inform them that we arrive early? Perfect!

In retrospect, it can be interpreted as a bad omen that our original destination, Las Terrazas, is not on this map. We had a lot of time to look at this wall.

Next adventure: Calling someone in Cuba using a public phone.

1) Look at phone booth in perplexed way.

2) Ask nearby lady in broken Spanish how it works. Learn that you need to buy a phone card

3) Got to the next shop that looks like it has phone cards. Learn that they don't.

4) Ask them in broken Spanish where they have them. Find that place.

5) Buy friggin' phone card.

6) Stare in horror at REALLY complicated instrucations, diagrams, figures, and codes at phone card.

7) Ask lady near the originial phone booth (who just finished a really long call) how the heck this is supposed to work.

8) Follow instructions carefully.

9) It's not working.

10) Dispair.

11) Let the friendly lady do the dialling, twisting, and black mojo necessary to operate the public phone.

12) Inform the people from the Casa Particular in Vinales that we arrive today. Bingo!

Back at the ticket booth, the unmotivated vendor has a "system error" by now, so we have to find another one. Here, the clerk doesn't have any change, but is happy to wait until Hannah gets some from a close-by café.

We DO get tickets to Vinales in the end, and even manage to leave our luggage (The clerk there suggests to go see the local zoo and get eaten by the lions, but in good-humoured way..).

And six hours later we are actually in Vinales. Once more, we have to convince our hosts that our bowels will survive dinner out, and are free.

Yes, Vinales is a small town, but civilization doesn't stop anywhere. Instead, it stops horse carts.

One of the not-to-miss Vinales sights is definitely the botanical garden "Los dos hermanas". It started out as a garden tended to by two floraly enthusiastic sisters about 100 years ago, and is now a jungle paradise on the outskirts of the village.

I won't bore you with the 1000 pictures of the amazing plants I took at this place, just this one huge bunch of bananas with this little green guy one it.

Okay, just one more. Starfruit! Lots of them. I spent about 2 hours in there, wishing for better photography equipment (and skills, ahem).

Later in the day, we decide to stroll to the "Murales de la Prehistoria", a huge mural  from the 60ies on one of the natural rock walls close by in the valley.

"Close by" turns out to be a 7 kilometer forced march in the scorching sun. I realize that so much sun is neither good for me nor for my mood, and I apologize for that..

Too much heat is not good for me.

Only the devil knows how Hannah still managed to smile, but I do admire her for that.

We arrive at the place thirsty, overheated and tired, only to learn that we have to pay an entrance fee of 3 CUC per person. So we enjoy the very of this magnifienct painting from afar, and continue our journey to a Mirador further down the valley. 

Yup, the valley is unique. I keep thinking about having sufficient climbing equipment (and skill) here to climb one of those rocks.

The landscape is really unique, and the farms close by are worth seeing as well. (Sugarcane, lemons, random exotic fruit that I don't know and the happiest cows I can imagine.)

The way trip back is a lot cooler, thank goodness.

On our way back to a direly needed dinner.

Next morning, we walk to the local bus station, and buy tickets to Las Terrazas. Just like that. Hooray!