Hello dear Pinmapple traveling friends. I hope you are having a very nice day. Today I come to share with you the wonderful experience that my partner and I had this weekend in Viñales, Pinar del Río (Cuba)
Pinar del Río is one of the provinces of Cuba, it is located at the western end of the archipelago, constituting a mostly rural place, where you can enjoy the best fields in Cuba and the customs of the area.
A MORNING TO PRACTICE YOGA
To begin with, the main objective of the visit was to go with a group of friends to receive yoga classes in Viñales, seeking contact with nature and for breathing during exercise to be much more fruitful, taking into account the pure air there. you breathe.The first thing we did when we arrived was to look for the best place to start practicing what had united us all in that place, yoga. We begin the day with a simple Surya Namaskar which is nothing more than a greeting to the constant solar cycle that gives life to the Earth and a metaphor for the inner Light that practitioners acquire who persevere in the practice of yoga, what we know as Salutation to the Sol. Then we continued with a little more complex practices, but it was truly a very healing moment, since many of us who were there did not exactly lead the healthiest lives, including me of course hahaha. Later we went to have a snack with local fruits such as mango, guava and pineapple and green tea, which everyone enjoyed.
PREHISTORY MURAL
Then we began to enjoy the place, appreciating one of the most emblematic pieces of art in the history of Pinar del Río and Cuba in general, The Mural of Prehistory, created in 1959 by the painter Leovigildo González Morillo. It has a length of 120 meters high by 160 meters wide and, to achieve it, it took four years and at least twenty farmers, making it one of the largest open-air paintings in the world. Before beginning to develop the work, the stone was washed and prepared to prevent erosion from deteriorating the paint, and later a fauna that included dinosaurs, snails, giant marine reptiles and humans was captured on it, drawing with a brush. The purpose is to represent the evolutionary process of life in the area from the artist's point of view and for us viewers to later give it our own interpretation. A visit to this large complex, full of bright colors, is one of the best ways to get closer to the art of the inhabitants of Viñales.
WALKING AROUND
We continued walking around and decided to take some photos of the flowers that we found around the place and discovered that we could also take a short horseback tour through the Viñales Valley. We took some photos of the children who were going to explore the area on horseback. the horses Caramelo and Diablito, that's what their owner called them. We really couldn't go on this journey, since when I was little I had a small accident while riding and I haven't wanted to do it anymore since then, but at least I was able to enjoy the beautiful Viñales horses, as I mentioned in my previous post, they are one of my favorite animals.
PINAR DEL RÍO, CAPITAL OF TOBACCO.
Well… we had already left the healthy life behind when we decided to visit the best cigar makers in Cuba hahaha.From my presentation in Hive I talked to them about my passion for tobacco and what the ritual of lighting and smoking a good Habano tobacco means to me as a Cuban. Pinar del Río is known by many as the capital of tobacco in Cuba, since it is precisely here where the plant that makes us unique in the world is grown. Here they explained to us a little how the entire tobacco production process works in the area. They talked a little about how tobacco is chosen, twisted, ringed and packaged, achieving a product of the best quality and ready to taste. In Pinar del Río all types of tobacco leaves are produced, but not all lands have the optimal conditions that a Habano requires. The plains of San Juan y Martínez, San Luis, Pinar del Río and Guane are the most privileged. We decided to take a few home to later enjoy them with a red wine or a whiskey as we usually do, but well, in the place we found where to taste a tasty Pinar del Río espresso coffee with which we enjoyed one of these delicious tobaccos.
THE INDIAN CAVE
Then we went on to enjoy the Indian Cave, which constitutes an ancient indigenous habitation, forming part of one of the most important cave systems in Cuba. Inside the cave we were able to see spectacular cave paintings and also some archaeological remains from pre-Columbian Cuban cultures. The San Vicente River flows through its interior, through which we were able to tour a section of the cave in a wonderful motor boat while we greatly enjoyed the experience. magic that this place has.
TIME FOR LUNCH
It was time for lunch and our stomachs were crying out for good Creole food hahaha and of course it was very easy to find. We enjoyed a plate of Moro rice, a mixed salad with cabbage, chard, tomato and cucumber, it also included yucca to accompany, which as you know is one of the sacred foods for Latin Americans, we couldn't live without some good buttery yuccas hahaha and on the plate strong what we know here as old clothes, which is nothing more than beef in tomato sauce. Of course lunch included beautiful countryside views.
INDIGENOUS TRADITIONS
After a while we went to have some beers at a bar that was also a cave, as I mentioned, this place is home to one of the most important cave systems in the country. Leaving this cave, there were people dressed as aboriginals waiting, with whom we had a very nice moment, recreating the traditions of our ancestors, such as the areito, a type of religious song and dance performed by the Taíno people of the Caribbean. The areíto was a ceremonial act that was believed to narrate and honor the deeds of ancestors, chiefs and gods. It was a very emotional moment,
CANOPY
Finally, we discovered that in Viñales we had where to practice Canopy, in my previous post I told you that it had been my first time and that it was a little terrifying for me, but this time I enjoyed it a lot, we left with another group of people for this new journey , we had to do a little hiking between sections, which we really enjoyed.
Well guys, that's it for our trip through the Viñales Valley, I hope you enjoyed the images and the anecdote as much as I enjoyed the moment. All that remains is to wish you all a very nice day and I hope to continue sharing with you my travels around the country. Greetings to all.
Edited by Canva
Photos of my authorship (Samsung Galaxy A51)