Turkeys Cuba 11-2-20
The itinerary today is to take a first look at the tobacco industry – at source – with a tobacco farm. Around the edge of the tobacco fields there are a number of turkeys looking for sustenance and the owner has a collection of other animals in a small petting zoo.
Tobacco in the wild 11-2-20
Tobacco has long been a major industry and clearly remained important at the time of our visit despite the constant preaching against smoking in most places. The plants grow quickly and reach maturity for harvesting in around three months – so more than one crop a year. The tobacco is dried and fermented in bohio where the leaves typically are left for three months before being sprayed to impart some sweetness and then allowed to remain for a further three months to ensure the right flavour is achieved.
Bohio tobacco drying 11-2-20
By this stage I think we have all been infused with the smell of tobacco. They did demonstrate how to roll a cigar but I have to report that the photographs are poor due to the light levels.
Soroa Orchid Gardens 11-2-20
We move onto the Soroa Orchid Garden which we wander around before reaching the waterfall which enabled me to identify just where we were through a reverse search as all memory of the orchid garden had deserted me!
Soroa Waterfall 11-2-20
I am also convinced that first thing this morning we visited a tobacco factory in Vinales itself – but I do not seem to have any photographic record of this and it is possible that photography was not permitted within the factory itself.
A slight disclaimer, this has been written over 6 years after the journey concerned so is very much based around the photographs taken on the day.