Exploring Old Havana

Our first breakfast in the home stay was amazing! A selection of fresh fruit including guava, mango, papaya and pineapple, as well as toast, coffee and omelets. We were picked up, our bags were loaded on to the bus and we headed to Old Havana for a walking tour.

We explored the narrow cobble stoned streets filled with brightly coloured Spanish style buildings. Many of the buildings have been or are undergoing restoration. When the area became a UNESCO site a school for restoration was set up to assist with the process. There certainly is an air of frantically trying to prepare for the influx of tourists.

Cuba's only mosque is in Old Havana. Apparently, Castro said that Cuba's Muslim community could have a mosque, but only if Sunnis and Shias cooperated and used it jointly instead of segregating themselves from each other.

We stopped for a drink at the rooftop bar of a hotel. The plodding queue for the iron-gated elevator was teeming with overheated tourists, so we took the stairs - 6 floors, but the views of Old Havana, the harbour, the Morro and Cabaña fortresses, were a great reward. We ordered colas, and when the familiar-looking red cans arrived we realised they weren't Coca-Cola, but Tukola. This is a Cuban soft drink, a refresco nacional. It was a refreshing surprise to find a haven (largely) free of the brands that have become ubiquitous in the rest of the world.

Our final stop in Old Havana was a visit to the Cathedral. Constructed from blocks of coral, it is a fantastic example of Baroque architecture. By this time it was extremely hot and humid so boarding the bus for the drive to our first overnight stop was a welcome relief.

On our way out of the city we made one last stop: the Plaza de la Revolución we had passed in the taxi the day before. Here a huge ornate obelisk towers over a statue of Jose Martí, a revered Cuban writer, thinker and warrior for independence during the 19th century. In front of the monument is a large plaza where political rallies are often held, and on the buildings opposite are large stylised portraits of two dead heroes of the Cuban Revolution in the 20th century: Ché Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos. Both commanded columns of the Revolutionary Army during its advance towards Havana, and both are still revered today. Fidel Castro is not represented in the Plaza because he's still alive.

It was interesting to leave the city and get a sense of what the countryside is like. We had lunch at a small roadside restaurant which Tony explained was the type of place Cubans eat at. The food was delicious - tamales made from corn meal, fried plantain, smoked pork, roast pork, fish, and salad.

On our way to Viñales we visited an orchid garden in Soroa. As well as many native Cuban orchids their collection includes many international varieties - one which was currently in flower smells like chocolate. The garden was set up by a private collector and is now operated by the university. As well as the orchids there were a number of other tropical trees and plants all set with beautiful handmade limestone brick pots and water features.

We arrived in Viñales in the late afternoon and met the families we would be staying with. Most casas only have one or two guest rooms so we were spread out in separate houses. We were in the same house as one of the solo travellers who hails from London. Our host spoke no English although she still managed to communicate with us and Ed's Spanish helped a lot.

We had time for a quick walk around town to see the main street, plaza and market area - the town is only three streets wide so it was very easy to navigate.

Dinner was at the guest house - once again it included so much food it could barely fit on the table. Many of the dishes were similar to lunch and there was also delicious soup and mango puree with cheese for desert. We tried the local Cristal beer as well.

At 9pm those in the group who were interested headed into town with Tony to check out the local night life at a bar frequented by locals on the main square. Most of us ordered Mojitos - the drink of tourists. Cubans are more likely to buy a bottle of rum and a bottle of mixer - both are about the same price in Cuba.