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Leaving the hustle and bustle of Havana behind it's a short hop on a perfectly air-conditioned tourist bus to the Valleys of Vinales.

Every country has its own take on the mellow chill-out town, and Vinales is the best of the many the Cuba has to offer. Where as it may not have all the hippy prerequists of other Caribean islands it makes up with the pure friendliness of the people. Rocking chairs come as standard with the houses and in the evenings everyone sits on their porch watching the world go by.

Moving from the initial tourist hotel into the more Cuban Casa Particular (essentially just a B+B) was a pleasant change, the people are great and the food superb (apart from the birthday cake which pretty much consists of magnolia flavoured sugar meringue)

A moped ride is a must in any country and the afternoon was spent checking out the mogottes and authentic cave paintings…

Although the next days horse-trecking allowed things to be seen at a slightly more sedate pace.

The major product in these hills is tobacco and the plantations stretched on for miles

interspersed only with sugar cane to keep the local rum drinkers watered. Telling people you don't smoke in Cuba brings about a strange look as Cigars are the norm in these parts, might have to get me one just to chew on for that authentic Clint look

Breaking in to the local resort to cool down in their pool was a life saver, along with the next days adventure to the coast and Cayo Levisa. Although the tranquility of most of Cuba's best beaches is spoilt by the resort hotels that take up much of the sands and views. Even the concept of ripping off a captive market is not lost of these people with even a bottle of water costing 3x as much as it does on the mainland.