Walking around Jaimanitas and some history of Marina Hemingway.

While our crew headed off to Varadero for the day, Tim and I decided to chill after our long Vinales excursion and explore the area and check on provisions.

Since trying to get history in Cuba pre-revolutions tends to be a bit..let's say...rewritten? I had to do some research to find out the history of the marina.  It was originally built in 1953 as the Marina Barlovento Complex intended to be a playground for the wealthy with houses/hotels and private canals for boats.

Then the revolution happened.

The government took over the ownership of the marina and after that time stood still.  It was renamed Marina Hemingway after Ernest. Some of the original bungalows were torn down, we can still see the foundations from them.  Two hotels remain--both are getting worked on. One is habitable, the other....not so much, but it is being worked on.  The hotel Acuario is where you can pick up wifi (it's not very good) and you can buy a day pass to the pool. The Old Man and the Sea hotel (El Viejo y El Mar) is in desperate need of renovation.  It had been used in the past as a hostel for medical tourists and medical students.  If they can get her fixed up she has some killer views of the ocean and the Havana skyline.  There is also a small bowling alley that the locals go to.

Solar powered water heaters located on property.

The marina has an Italian/pizza restaurant, a small cafe/bakery and a Chinese restaurant.  Yes. Chinese restaurant as only Cuban government run restaurants can do chinese food, which is....not very well.  They were out of a lot of items (common with the government run properties) and vino 'no es bueno' and indeed it was not. 

Besides the restaurants there was a chandelry-which supplies pretty much anything but stuff for your boat.  They had wine, rum, jellies by the pack, butter (!-not easy to get in Cuba), cheeses and things that weren't at the actual market.  However, the lovely gentleman at the chandelry could probably have helped us out if needed.  The main store had bottle water, sodas, every ripoff of Kellog's cereals you could imagine.  A row of what appeared to be manicotti and other assorted pastas and some paper products.  There was also a government run liquor store attached to the market and a meat market attached to the store.

For some reason, I don't seem to have pictures of all of these places.

All products-including those in the chandelry--is based on what can be acquired on a delivery by delivery basis.

We ran over to the bakery to by their last loaf of Pan Molde (loaf of bread) and I decided to add a bag of small croissants last minute.  Let's just say Pan Molde 'no es bueno'.  The croissants were marvelous.  If we had waited, we could have bought non-government bread from the bakery/electronics shop just outside the marina.  Lesson learned.

Improvements are being made to the marina itself, new lighting around the facility and new pedestals have been installed at most of the slips.

 We walked around the small of Jaimanitas outside the marina finally winding up at this paladar called Restaurante Santy Pescador.  It is a sushi restaurant.  Yes. Sushi.  Admittedly we weren't brave enough to go Cuban sushi, but the restaurant gets rave reviews for its fresh fish.  We wound up having the seafood pasta which was delicious, and there was a ton of it, we should have shared.  No menu, she just rattles off what they have available that day.  I didn't know all the spanish seafood names and she wasn't sure of all the english names so we stayed with what we understood.

Santy is a licensed fisherman and the paladar is located on the inlet of the Rio Jaimanitas.  There is a small working marina of fishing boats, everything a bit haphazard as far as docks and facilities.

I'm sure when we go again, we'll be exploring outside the marina more.

Rio Jaimanitos. Santy's is the wooden building in the center of the picture.

First Place trophy from the Hemingway Fishing Tournament

Upstairs at Santy's.

I would laugh. But I used to have a boat at a marina that wasn't much better.

Day Trip to Vinales

Hold on to your bootstraps--this is a long one.

Today was our day trip to Vinales--a rural valley west of Havana about 2 hours.  We had a 7:30am departure, luckily we had decided to take it easy the night before.  Our tour guides were great, the bus driver was great also, I wouldn't want to drive a full size tour bus on those mountain roads.

For awhile we were on the main 'interstate' of Cuba.  Four lanes, but, like everything else, a bit dilapidated.  Not many cars, but different traffic sources coming from horse carts, oxen carts, loose farm life wandering about.

Not much traffic.

Very common sight.

Accident.  I think it involved a motorcycle and a palm frond.
Not kidding. Not kidding at all.

We took a short rest stop at a government run rest area.  Very nice, with a bar/coffee shop (of course), gift shop and restrooms.  It was also a bit staged with the neighboring farmer bringing out his livestock.  I'm sure to show how the rural folk live--quaint nevertheless.  

Time to take the pig for a swim!

Cuban barn.

We stopped first at this awesome little hotel that has an overlook over part of the Vinales area. It would have a great place to stay for a few days, lots of things to do based from the hotel. 

Psst. Watch out, the KGB are here.

Vinales is where they tried to grow grapes for wine at one time.  It didn't work out, the wine was crap.  So, now other crops are grown there, mainly tobacco and done in a very traditional way-as in, not farm implements, but by hand. The orginal tobacco farmers came from the Canary Islands.  Geographically, the place is beautiful. With unique limestone cliffs and mountains.  

Our next stop was the cave-Cordillero de Guaniguanico which runs completely throughout La Sierra Guasasa.  The cave starts out with a bar (surprise!) and at the other end is a recreation of a Palenque de los Cimarrones.  Escaped slaves merged with the local Taino Indian population.

Not quite the Budweiser Clydesdales, but she'll do.

I have to hand it to some of our group who partook of the bar in the morning.
I guess Tim and I haven't been sailing long enough yet.

Sculpture in the cave.
Designed to scare the crap out of you. (or at least me)

Recreation of the settlement with dancing and singing.

Another sculpture showing slave rebelling.

From the Palenque we walked down to a tobacco farm where we got a tour of the growing/drying and rolling of the cigars.  80% of the farmers crop goes to the state, the other 20% he makes his own artisanal blend from by soaking the leaves in a mixture of coffee, vanilla, cinnamon and other spices.  All of which he grows on the farm.

Drying of the leaves.

Outside of the drying shed.  Completely made from palm fronds.

The tobacco here was hand harvested. He has a small knife on his thumb.

Me being an asshat, takinga  picture of the Cruising World photographer John
taking a picture of momma cow.  Momma cow was not happy and had already
started stomping her feet.  I was hoping to get a picture of him being
chased by the cow.
(I told John this story later-he laughed)

Rodents Of Unusual Size. aka Hutia. aka dinner most likely.
Bonus points if you got the Princess Bride reference.

Pressing fresh juice from the sugar cane for drinks.

Nice. That's all I got.

Small banana grove.

Our tobacco farmer. 
Or somebody called up from central casting. You decide.

Besides the ubiquitous cattle, chickens, dogs and cats, they also had some very large rodents called Hutia in a cage.  The tour guide said they were pets, but I researched that later and I'm pretty sure they were going to be dinner (and why not?).  Cubans are not allowed to raise cattle for beef--they are used for the production of dairy products, only very few have the license to raise beef for consumption.  Even then, I think a lot of the beef comes from other countrie

After visiting the tobacco farm we went back to the village of Vinales to have lunch at the Finca Agroecologica El Paraiso.  A family run restaurant in which every menu item (except fish) is grown on their farm.  Everything is completely organic, no pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

In a word. Delicious.  Simply the best meal hands down we had in Cuba.  There was plenty of it.  Everything is served family style with what is ready to go that day.  We had root vegetable stew, 3 different salads, 2-3 appetizers, the ubiquitous rice and beans, plaintains, chicken, pork fish and flan for dessert. Also included is their special Anti-Stress Cocktail'.  Basically it is a pina colada with their own special blend of herbals (yerba buena, mint, basil, anise, etc).  It is served to you virgin and then they plop down a bottle of rum for you to doctor it up yourself. The rum is 'Vitamin R'.

The restaurant overlooks their farm and the presentation garden of veggies and flowers.  Just a stupendously beautiful view out over the valley.  It was an amazing experience.  The family is delightful and you feel like you are at a big family dinner with them.

The gang trying to keep up with all the food.

 

View from our table.

Daughter of the original owner. Sassy one, adorable.

Part of the farm available for tour

View of the restaurant from below.

Typical traffic in the area.

These busses actually take workers to the farms.
(I thought they might be for prisoners at first--whoops)

 After a brief stop in the downtown area of Vinales to walk off lunch, we made one last stop at the Mural de Prehistoria. The mural is a bit of a misnomer since it ISN'T prehistoric, but more of a modern art interpretation of prehistoric life done in the '60s. It's quite....um......colorful?  if you ever want to entertain yourself, read the reviews about it online.  Especially those who expected to see real prehistoric art. 

There is a restaurant/bar/gift shop there also.  Another small bar featured pina coladas for 3 CUC--you add the Havana Club.  Delicious.  Everything is made from fresh pineapple and coconut milk.  I must have offended the bartender on my pour size because he shook his head at me and gave me another shot.  Yep, I'm sleeping on the way home!

The mural.

Pina colada--medicate yourself.

Welcome Party

At the captains' meeting I noticed that they were preparing a big charcoal pit and had a WHOLE HOG on a spit.  Oh baby, is that for us? Bring on the carnage.  Later we check on the pig, James and Jana where giving the rotisserie to spin.  It was for us.  Slow roast pork.  YAY!

Jana also got excited with all of the old Czech cars that Cuba has. So of course....photo op! Our Czech with the Skoda!

 

The welcoming party was good, Commodore Escritch went a little Telemundo on us with his speech and I kept cracking up.  Also, joining us was the vice They had free drinks, heavy appetizers and of course, Mr. Pig.

Chicharrones fresh off the hoof!

Later they had an all girl band and the dancing started, I think some locals were invited to help with the mingling and dancing.  Some just hung outside the yacht club and had their own party.