Yesterday we returned from a weekend in Viñales — a farm town to the west of Havana and a tourist trap. I became ill yesterday afternoon and have been sick all of today. It is evening now and I am beginning to regain some strength. Due to my sickness, there isn’t much information to recount from today. I’ve been in bed and missed out on a talk. So, I’ll reflect on the weekend. After spending several days in a tourist oriented town, its become more and more evident that the government’s allowing for a mini-capitalist market within the tourist industry has benefited Cuban’s within that market. The center of Vinales is a large community of Casas Particulares — bed and breakfast like homes that cater wholly to tourists. As we emerged from the bus on friday, about 30 people rushed us, holding up photos of their casas. They were all mostly very similar. That afternoon, while horse back riding, we stopped in scenic locations, where we were pressured to buy drinks and cigars. Most of us bought a drink or two — which were about $3 each. The cigars were about $30 for a pack of 15. While we rode, we saw many other “yumas” in similar situations.
Vinales didn’t feel like the Cuba I imagined. I don’t mean that negatively, but only in the sense that I had no idea how strong the tourist industry was in Cuba. This could be because many people from the US have an idea that Cuba is more like North Korea. Again, I didn’t have this idea but perhaps my thoughts were influenced by it. Anyway, we continued our weekend with a cave expedition, which was enjoyable and exhausting. On the following day, some of us went on a short walk to the Tobacco fields. When we returned, I got sick and am almost recovered.