By Nancy Willis
It is morning high on a pinnacle of the Sierra del Rosario mountains in Cuba. In the early mist, turkey vultures glide silently on the updraft, and soft, muted smells of coffee plantations and tropical forest waft upward from far below.
Behind me our horses are snorting softly, their bridles jangling now and then as they shift their weight, ready for another day on the trail. I throw my leg over the saddle, and those of us going by horseback today wend our way down into the Vinales Valley with the sun warm on our backs. Passing out of this declared Biosphere Reserve, we amble by sparkling waterfalls, and orchid gardens boasting over 700 species. Bird calls cascade around us amidst the drip of the morning dew as we head through the back country of an exquisite region of Cuba 50 kilometers west of Havana.
We are crossing Cuba by horse and bicycle — and what a fantastic way to go!
The countryside is among the most beautiful of Cuban landscapes, and as each day of this remarkable tour across the western end of the country unfolds, each sight and experience is more entrancing than the one before.
One day we travel by horseback, wending our way through tiny, immaculate villages where we stop and hunker down in the early morning sun to chat with women as they sweep their dirt yards until they gleam.
Inside the homes there are no frills, but they are clean and welcoming with dignity shining. The sun filters through palm frond roofing and passes hazily across photos of Cuba’s heroes Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. Here, foreigners seldom come. The narrow winding paths will not accommodate cars, and even bicycles find it a difficult go.
The next day we will head out by bike, riding up into the gentle mountains, and soaring down into valleys through tropical forests with trees towering 40 meters tall. Few passenger cars share these roads, yet they are alive with Cuban workers traveling to and from cane fields, tobacco plantations, and rich, organic private and communal farms. Now and then ear splitting, mufflerless logging trucks or worker transports come thundering by. But by and large most of the traffic encountered throughout all of rural Cuba is pedestrian, or folks on horseback or bicycles that call out “Ola!” as you pass by, and welcome you into their realm.
Along the road to Vinales, we stop at a sugar cane shack where a man and woman are threading large stalks of just-cut green cane into a hand-turned crusher and catching the crystal clear juice in glasses. This mainline hit of pure sugar liquid turns out to be one of the most refreshing drinks imaginable, and jolts our systems into ultra high gear.
Reaching a nearby village, I lean against the door of a school house. A fly buzzes and the voices of tiny youngsters in red and white uniforms rise and fall in the afternoon warmth as they recite their sums. They are en route to joining the educated adult Cuban population which now boasts a 92 percent literacy level, one of the highest in the world.
Then it is off again to explore rivers, waterfalls, caves and seasides, and an endless range of tropical birds and plant life. Each night this skillfully laid out tour brings us to one of the country’s historic resort hotels left over from the days of flamboyant Mafia ownership in pre-revolution Cuba.
With its new focus on tourism, the Cuban government is revitalizing these luxurious sites to attract visitors and provide them with the kind of accommodations to which they are accustomed. These are spread across the Cuban landscape, and the government is now renovating them as it looks towards tourism as its major industry in the next 10 years.
This horse and bike tour is created by Canadian owned MacQueen’s Adventure Bicycle Tours of Cuba, and is a Cuban holiday unlike any other. It goes far beyond the traditional fare of repetitive days in beach chairs drinking Mojitos in the sultry sand. It offers that and much more. This tour takes you into the virtual heart and soul of Cuba.
MacQueen’s is a Canadian-based Prince Edward Island tour company, whose founder Gordon MacQueen has put together an unparalleled travel experience that propels you into the very essence of the tropical island’s gentle mystery. Either by horseback, or superb quality bicycle, or a combination of both – it’s your choice – you are able to leave the standard tourism resort routine behind.
As you travel the back roads into the interior you experience, first hand, the warmth and compassion of the Cuban people. Although living in relative poverty in material terms, these healthy, friendly, well-fed, well-educated people are eager to share knowledge of their country, and their experiences over the past 40 years since the revolution. Travellers are safe here, and crime is minimal. Only in downtown Havana at night, does extra care have to be taken. It is also assuring to know that there are no large wild animals or major predators. There are no poisonous snakes and no species is a deadly threat to humans.
Working together with the Cuban Ministry of Tourism, MacQueen has meshed his operation genuinely with the Cuban milieu and economy. In a country renowned for its red tape and impossible barriers for outside entrepreneurs, MacQueen has triumphed. He has placed all the on-site guiding and administration of his operation in the hands of his children Danny and Kristen. Both young people are in their 20s, both speak flawless Spanish, and have imbibed the Cuban spirit. They are embraced by the country and its people.
The experience they offer is flexible and creative. Evenings find participants at either a baseball game or ballet in the heart of Havana, or dancing the salsa with local folks at a village fair in some outlying rural province. Others might spend an evening at poolside discussing the economic and social fabric of Cuba with a professor from a nearby university.
Each Cuba by Horse and Bicycle tour is kept intentionally small, with eight to 10 participants maximum. It is a tour for everyone. A recent excursion included four Americans and four Canadians and a Japanese, all of varying ages and fitness levels. The six men and three women ranged in age from 13 to early 70s. The top notch bikes on hand allowed every cyclist to participate at their own endurance level. Available cycles consist of everything from technically sophisticated cross trainers, to a hybrid variety with an auxiliary motor that kicks in when the bike senses too much effort on the part of the rider.
MacDonald’s restaurant mogul Al Bennett was one of the riders. He owns a string of MacDonald’s Restaurants in Boston, Massachusetts. He described his Cuban adventure as a pure, unadulterated “anti-stress vacation.”I sure needed that. It put things into perspective, probably because it is so physical and different. Nothing relates.” Will he come back for another trip? “You bet your life,” he said.
Diana Ward is a businesswoman from Ontario. She and her 13-year-old son Andrew Keogh revelled in the Cuban experience. Phil Hall, a 70-year-old retired farmer from Raymond, Washington led the pack in almost every day’s run. Chizuko Sasaki, a Japanese lawyer living in Paris, France and her New York lawyer partner David Wall bracketed the full range of participation. While Wall rode hard and seriously, Sasaki spent most days on foot walking through the countryside from destination point to destination point, jumping on and off the tour’s accompanying bus along the way.
On the way back to Havana, we stop in Pinar del Rio where the deep mellow scent of just cured tobacco raps itsself around your head and lures you into the Fabrica de Tabaco where the world’s best hand rollers and leaves combine. Rich brown fingers deftly fold the sensuous leaf into the famous Cohiba and Monte Cristo cigars prized around the globe.
The last night we are on our own in Havana. Some head to theater, others to the baseball park for a tumultuous game in the Cuban playoffs where Fidel Castro sits behind home plate along his fellow Havanians. Others with the tour take this final night to wander the streets past Hemingway’s famous haunts and drink a quiet beer while mulling over the realities of this extraordinary island.
The scarcity of housing in downtown Havana, the dramatic lack of material goods, and semi-restrictive travel laws are all still there, and will be for some time. But the progress made to date in the face of unfathomable international obstacles overshadows them, as does the enthusiasm of the people for their aging leader, and their continued faith in the direction he is positioning them.
The whole experience leaves us all with a remarkable respect for the Cuban people, and for their country which an ocean-weary Columbus described in 1492 as “the most beautiful island ever seen.”
