Cuba 3

 A night out in Santiago using a Classic American Chevy as transportation. Bought back a few memories.

 On our last day in Santiago we took a trip high up into the Sierra Maestra Mountains to visit an early coffee plantation which is now a world heritage site. The mountain range is where some of the best Arabica coffee beans can be found. We were travelling in jeeps fortunately as a suitable four wheel drive vehicle was necessary to negotiate the bad road conditions higher up the mountain.

 This bright orange type lichen was quite spectacular around the ruins of some of the buildings.

 The Proprietors house at the oldest coffee plantation ( now a museum )

 The outdoor circular platform used for crushing the coffee beans. ( the long wooden rod was pulled in a circle by horse with a stone wheel in the track crushing the beans )

 A local Guide.

 A traditional concrete drying platform for drying coffee beans in front of the Proprietors house. The view from up there was spectacular and the air lovely and cool. It made a pleasant change from the heat and very high humidity at sea level.

 An eye catching large fruit growing on a tree which I was informed is not edible.

 Only one slave quarter building remains at the old plantation. Some very terrible stories of how the slaves were treated in those days was really sickening to hear.

 A very large mortar and pestle.

 On the way down the mountain we stopped at a roadside stand where a local family grew their own  coffee beans. They had been roasted and ground and then made into coffee for anyone who was game enough to stop. We did try but it was so so strong and bitter there was no way I could have enjoyed a cupful.

 They were also selling bags of coffee beans and cigars and a few pieces of handmade jewellery and trinkets.

 A typical farmhouse of the many we passed.

 A sculpture on the out skirts of Santiago was very impressive but not sure what it was actually depicting but could have had something to do with the end of the revolution.

 Not sure whether theses lounge chairs were actually for sale or whether the family had extended their lounge to outdoors.

 A lizard that came down a tree as we walked past while we were visiting botanical gardens.

And so its goodbye to Cuba. Its been very interesting what we did see but hopefully we may get a chance to revisit sometime so that we can do it in more depth.