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to a different terminal, and from there, I took a taxi
to the Viazul bus terminal by the zoo, which
unfortunately was closed, so after waiting a few hours,
I got on the bus for Viñales. The bus stopped after
about an hour at another Rumbos Rest Stop (owned by the
army). The trip through the west was interesting, as
there were many dams and reservoirs on the streams from
the mountains to the north. The 4 lane divided highway
went all the way to Piñar del Rio, where the bus
stopped at the local bus terminal.
After Piñar, we
started climbing up the narrow winding road through the
pine forests to Viñales. On the way, we passed some
small farms, where I was able to successfully shoot
some girls outside their small house while we were
slowed down. The initial view into the Viñales valley
was spectacular, verdant green, flat and broad
surrounded by huge limestone cliffs topped with
vegetation. A short while later, our bus stopped in
town and I was looking for a host, but there was no
sign, and the woman who offered to help me, took me to
a similar sounding casa, but they were full, so she
took me to her cousin's place, Blanca Naveda, which was
exceptionally nice. After I asked where the best place
to view the valley was, I walked up the street, and
then the small scenic hill to la Ermita Hotel, where I
was able enjoy a few brew while shooting some sunset
vistas. After that, I returned to the casa for my
20:00 fish supper, which was also an exceptional treat,
and as usual, too large. That evening, I went over to
the central square, where they had some live music and
shows, though nowhere near the quality as in Trinidad
or Santiago.
The next morning, I got up for an early walk to the
south east to hopefully see the same sunrise vistas as
we had coming into town. I walked up the road, and
photographed the tobacco fields blooming, and tobacco
laying out to dry. The road appeared to go on, and I
couldn't remember where the nice vista was, so I turned
around, and after shooting some more oxen plowing
fields, went back to the casa for breakfast.
Ironically, on the trip leaving town in the afternoon, I saw that I was only a few hundred metres short, and the vista mejor was right around the corner from where I had turned around.
After breakfast, I took the tourist bus up to the
National Park. I could only spend an hour there, as
the bus missed the 13:00 circuit for lunch, and the
Viazul bus left at 14:00. Later, I remembered that I
was intending to rent a bicycle, and that would have
surely been a better way to get around. The Cueva del
Indios was neat, as there was initially a path inside,
and then, just like the River Styx, we got on a boat
which toured through the grottos, and afterwards
discharged us out the west entrance. After checking
out some cows and horses, I got back on the small bus
to Viñales, and subsequently took one more trek up to
la Ermita to shoot the valley at mid-day. At 14:00, I
was on my way back to la Habana.
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