With horses booked for 10am, breakfast is set at 9am and once again our wonderful hosts have provided a spread that is enough for an army. These people really go all out to make sure that you don’t leave the table with an inch of your stomach empty.
Fruit, omelets, coffee, juice, bread and jam and we’re full. I kinda feel sorry for the horse that now has to carry my bulk.
Carlos arrives promptly at 10am and asks if we speak Spanish, Elena mentions she speaks a little and Carlos admits he speaks a little English, however his English is better that he allows himself to believe and we conversation flows smoothly.
Carlos has a farm that’s not too far from where we are staying. His horses are saddled and ready for us to mount and head off. Elena’s a little scared as it’s been a while since she’s been on a horse. Carlos assures her that all the horses are quiet and that she’ll be fine, but even with the comfort from Carlos Elena keeps a tight grip on the reins.
The limestone columns and mountains in this area are impressive and you won’t find this type of formation anywhere else in Cuba. It reminds us of Phang Nga Bay in Thailand and is a picture postcard photo in every direction. Although the track is boggy and the fear that my trusty steed will fall and I’ll be like a hog in a mud, my horse takes each sure step as he’s done hundreds of times before. I hardly have to steer as my horse instinctively knows the direction and all I have to do is hang on for the ride.
It’s 3 1/2 hour journey we’ve decided to take and after an hour of trekking through the countryside past tobacco plantations and fields of maze and sweet potatoes we reach the tobacco farmers drying shed and we dismount.
With our horses tethered to a nearby tree Carlos introduces us to the grower. He explains that tobacco takes six months to grow and harvest and then its given a treatment of several flavours. This particular grower uses lemon and honey to create a flavour that unique to his cigars. Each grower has their own enhancements and no chemicals are used in producing the cigar. Unlike cigarettes, these cigars are more pure. The veins of the tobacco leaf are removed as they contain high volumes of nicotine and spoil the flavour of the cigar.
Then comes the moment where the grower offers me one to try. He explains that these cigars are for the locals and are not to the quality that’s required for export. I accept the offer and he cuts and prepares the cigar by adding honey to the end I’m about to put in my mouth. Then he explains how to smoke the cigar.
It’s been several years since I gave up smoking cigarettes and to be honest this cigar won’t get money lining the pockets of tobacconists any time soon. I’m not a connoisseur of cigars so I’m not going to pretend that I totally enjoyed the experience. But I came to Cuba to experience everything that Cuba has to offer. That crazy hazy felling in my lungs and mouth reminded my why I gave up smoking, but I have to admit I did enjoy the smell.
I had to decline the generous offer to buy direct from the farmer, as I really have no friends that smoke and for me a cigar is only something you would smoke when a baby was born and even then with trends changing, the tobacco industry must be suffering. I wonder what the crops will be replaced with that once there is no more demand. Saddling up again we bid the grower goodbye and tracked on through the valley with limestone hills surrounding us.
Rounding a bend in the track we noticed new power poles and linemen working on installing a new line. Carlos explains that his valley is for the first time installing electricity. So many changes are coming swift and fast to Cuba, if you want to see it in it’s raw beauty come now, in fact if you haven’t booked your ticket yet it’s probably too late…. times are changing….fast.
With Denis offering me a top quality Cigar a couple of days later I was able to compare and honestly the farmers cigar is way too strong, this one was better, but I’m still not convinced I’m going to be taking cigar smoking up any time soon.
I came, I saw, I smoked… Cuban Cigars…. Done.
