Vinales (Cuba) 19-23/12-06

The weather at my stay in Vinales have been very nice. It have been some showers, but they have not lasted long. However, if you are out walking on the red fine grained soil that most of the tracks consists of, the track will turn into a slide if it rains a little bit.

At the Casa Particular that I stayed the food was really good, but I always got way to much. The 19'th I decided to see if I had a chance to clear the plates. That was absolutely not possible for me, and I ended up going early to bed unable to move due to the dinner. The next day I was up early studying, before I went for a walk east of Vinales. The area I walked would be great for dirt riding, eighter with a motorbike or a bicycle. In the afternoon and evening I continued studying Spanish and just ate some bread for supper.

In the middle of the night I woke up and my stomacke felt a bit odd. Instead of waiting for more information arriving my half asleep brain, I just rocketed into the bathroom and it turned out that that was a very vice decision. This put a stopper for further explorations of the country side surrounding Vinales, but I had some small trips around in town and did my Spanish studying morning and evening the next days.

I usually never have problems with what I have consumed, but it seems as if the bacteria flora here is in a totally other league compeared to what I am used to. I am still not sure what made me a victim of the toilet god, but I have a sneaking suspicion that a home made fruit drink I drank for dinner the 19'th is the guilty one for my stomacke problems.

Another interesting topic about visiting the toilets here are that the toilet paper is put in a basket beside the toilet and not flushed down. The reason for this is that the pipes gets blocked quite easly I have heard. In the beginning this was a very odd thing I thought, but now it is totally normal. So do not keep your laundry basket to clost to the toilet next time I am visiting.

In warmer countries it is very common to have a shower just before going to bed. This is very refreshing after a sunny and sweaty day. The temperature have in Vinales been around 30 degrees Celcius during the days. And with some showers that do not last to long the humidity is quite high here. For instance the paper is very soft and to dry clotes out of direct sunlight is not possible.

I still struggle with falling asleep with only those thin sheets as a blanket. I usually use an extra blanket for falling asleep, and throw it away sometime during night.

Everything is so loud here in Cuba. At night the sounds from the insects is overwhelming. At day the sounds from dogs, pigs, hens, veachels and the population is just enormous. People often stand on different sides of the streets and shouts to each other. And if you are in a rush and meet a person that you would like to have a chat with, it is just to start talking before you meet, and continue after you have passed each others.

I have not in my entire life seen so many strange veacheles as I have seen during one afternoon in Vinales. Here everything from brand new lorries from USA (!) to fifty years old motorcycles from Germany is on the roads. It is almost no limits for what can be put together and used for transportation.

Some of the old american cars are just beautiful, and looks as if they just have been transported here by use of a time machine. Others are a ugly mix of a nostalgic old car and new popular things like flashing light in different colors and car horns that sound like the sirena of the police or some strange bird. And green neon light mounted under the car have also arrived Cuba. It seems like there are no limitations of what can be mounted on cars here.

I was told that motorcyclists three months ago did not need to wear a helmet, and that it is still no law saying that the passanger need one. -Or how they should sit on a motorbike.

Also the smells here are much stronger than what I am used to from Norway. I totally understand people that travel to Norway and say that nothing smells there now.

In Vinales all houses have a porch which have a roof where people sit and relax and looks at the people that are passing and shout 'Hola' to each other. I think this is a great way of meeting your neighbours, but no option for Norway due to the climate and the mosquitos.