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Vi̱ales РDavid Salisbury

On Saturday January 13th our group took a trip to Viñales in the western-most province of Cuba, Pinar del Rio.  This was our first trip outside of Havana, so I had no idea what to expect. The nearly 2 hour trip by itself displayed a whole different, unique Cuban lifestyle.  Instead of seeing cars,buildings, and crowded streets, we saw horse-drawn carriages riding down the street alongside pigs, goats and many other animals.  The scenery of the western Cuba mountain ranges was one of the most gorgeous things I have seen and it gave off a rather peaceful vibe.  When we finally arrived at Viñales, climbing up the winding, spiraling mountain, the lushish green landscape was breathtaking.  Aside from the beautiful landscape, we visited runaway slave routes through the caves,Indian caves, and the area’s finest agricultural product: tobacco.  This first experience outside of the Havana area was not only necessary to grasp the entire Cuban experience, but also it portrayed a completely different, difficult lifestyle of Cuban people.