Hola Cuba! ~ My Lessons Learned

Hola Cuba! My Lessons Learned
by Ayla Coles

Get out of your comfort zone and get into the world. 

As someone who was born and raised in the United States (and used to the standard of living such an upbringing entails), our initial arrival in old Havana was quite a shock. After getting picked up by our taxi from the airport, our driver drove us through the city to eventually drop us off at the Casa Particulares we were staying at. At first glance, all I saw were the crumbling buildings and stray dogs patrolling the street. But as we got settled and familiar with the city, I began recognizing the deep and rich cultural history found in our surroundings. The buildings, although in disarray, were monuments of another era. Many of them had been converted into museums- showcasing the histories of previous owners, natural sciences, or Cuban history. The cars were a similar story.. their bright colors and antiquated styles had our group feeling like we’d been transported 50 years into the past. It took a little while to get comfortable, but once I got over my preconceived notions and ideas about how life in Cuba ‘should’ be, I was able to see it for what it was: beautiful, painful, deep, and rich.

Local Experiences are the best experiences!

Because our trip was curated by a tour company (and guided by the restrictions a US visa carries), we didn’t have much time to explore on our own. Therefore, it was crucial to interact with locals whenever the opportunity arose. Luckily, since we stayed in Casa Particulares, we were able to meet and hang out with local families that gave us unfiltered insights into everyday life in Cuba. Additionally, we visited a few cultural projects on our tour- one site in particular allowed us to meet and speak with one of Cuba’s most renowned artist- Lester Campa. While visiting Lester, we were able to ask him about his opinions of the world, his life in Cuba, and his political inspirations as an artist. It was experiences like these that really captured my interest and sparked my love for this complex but loving country. 

Stop What You're Doing, Get to Viñales!

This winter, twelve GWU students, two faculty members, and one chaperone toured Cuba for ten days… leaving with rum, cigars, and the memories to last a lifetime. Entering the country on educational visas, our group was escorted through four different Cuban cities via Intrepid Travel’s Hola Cuba! Tour. Although each stop on our trip was incredible, I’ll never forget our trip to the Viñales tobacco farm.

Famously known for the top-of-the-line cigars produced in this region, Viñales, (a rural farming town in Western Cuba), is the perfect combination of natural beauty and cultural wonders. Life in Viñales revolves around agriculture, so visiting the incredibly lush and abundant farms in Viñales was a no-brainer for our group.

However getting there was another story…

Our journey to the Correa family tobacco farm was not an easy one- but fun none the less! After being deposited by a bus on a never-ending stretch of dirt road, our group began the hour and a half-long trek up the mountain. Luckily, we had an incredible guide that spent much of the trek teaching us about the flora and fauna of the area, the history of Viñales, and day-to-day activities of farmers in the region. 

He let us stop at various points so that we could fully take in the incredible views of the valley’s famous limestone ‘mountains’, and was very patient with our group of animal lovers- giving us time to visit with ALL of the animals.

Finally, after making our way through steep mountains, lush rain forests, and tight cave-like passages, we made it to the Correa family's farm- a small but beautiful facility at the base of the limestone mountains. We were immediately greeted by the farmer’s mother with small cups of farm-produced espresso and rum. After a quick tour of the facilities, we met with Wilfredo and learned about the art of cigars, the production process, and the Cuban government’s involvement with cigar factories. We even learned the recipe to the farm’s secret cure-mix for leaves! (think: rum, lime, honey)

After the lesson, we hung out with the farmer, smoked a few cigars, visited the curing facilities, and began our trek back down the mountain. Of course, not before saying bye to all the farmer’s furry friends!

All in all, our trip to the Correa‘s farm was a huge highlight for our group! The only downside was that a few of our members were sick and couldn’t join us that day. As far as recommendations go, there really isn’t much I’d have wanted to do differently… except maybe horse-ride. The area is known by tourists for horse riding, and perhaps the members that couldn’t attend that day may have been up for coming had they not had to walk.