A few photos were a must before leaving the Los Jazmines Hotel in the beautiful Viñales Valley but we were soon on our way to the nearby town of Viñales. Soon we came to the Jardin Botanico de Caridad, the Botanical Garden of Caridad, the home of a local woman whose father started growing local tropical plants on his property. Tamarinds, oranges, grapefruits, guava, starfruit, bananas, cocoa, lemons, cinnamon trees and a variety of decorative plants and ferns were found in her garden. We got a chance to try some of the fruits in season.

We then went around the corner to the State-run rationing store where our guide explained to us what the state supplies, how much, and how the system runs. As tourists our shopping for lunch was done at a nearby dollar store at a truck stop. With some time to spare we observed town activity before boarding the bus for the trip back to Havana. It is a strange feeling travelling almost alone on what could be a four or six lane highway passing horse and ox carts.

On our own the rest of the day, we visited the Havana Club Rum Museum and the Palace of Fine Arts entirely given over to Cuban art. Gradually we worked our way back to the Palacio O'Farrill. Hotel. We enjoyed a gratis welcome back drink and later at dinner experienced our first Cuban wine.

Index — Cuba - As It Was in 2003