來到Vinales 看圓球形Mogote 小山的特色風光，請導遊帶領走一圈，介紹當地農產、藥用植物，和參觀種植香菸農場及雪茄製作，是古巴雪茄的重要產區。
香菸農莊由獨子繼承父業，他本身是英文老師，訴說種植香菸工作辛苦，沒有兄弟姊妹分擔工作，得請人幫忙。
農場風光優美，在那環境下工作，看似不差。解釋下知道古巴的制度，是所有農場的蔬菜、水果、香菸、牲畜等等生產，九成由政府購買，所付價格低下，用以外銷，或作為人民的配給物資。
香菸葉發放到工場，製作雪茄，包裝成為古巴品牌，在市場出售及出口外國，歸國家收益。
而餘下的一成，這農場以傳統方法發酵香菸葉片，歷時三個多月，再慢慢風乾，全部天然成份，所製成的雪茄，不能加上品牌，不能在商場銷售，只可以在農場購買。
這才明白，為何行街時，常遇到有人兜售沒有包裝的雪茄。
年輕園主，自然一肚怨氣，覺得自己的辛勞，未有得到足夠回報。
來到古巴，起初以為這樣的熱帶天氣，應該會有好多蔬菜水果吃，而民宿主人，說什麼都缺乏，農夫少收益就不願工作。
現在才明白內𥚃細節，針冇兩頭利，要人人收入平等低下，怕富起來會弄權，就少了盡心工作的動力。
Cuba tour 3 - Vinales
An area with interesting geological formation, Mogotes, rounded hills with steep sides on flat alluvial plains, magical scenery.
Hired a guide to show us agriculture in the area and visited a tobacco farm, this is a famous area for Cuban cigar.
It is fascinating to see farm fields being ploughed in the traditional way, using two oxen to pull the plough. The farmer controls by telling the oxen to go forward or turn round.
Fantastic big hibiscus like flowers Mahua, used as a drink for soothing asthma.
Main crops are corn, yam, yucca, beans, banana and tobacco at the current dry season.
Tasted honey from a wild hive in the Mogote, open combs being built in a hole in the north facing side. Honey is viscous and has a herbal taste.
Being a poor country, Cuba is famous for not using chemicals fertilisers and pesticides in agriculture. Tobacco rotates with corn in the same field, as they complement each other. Bean is a companion plant with corn, providing corn with nitrogen, bean plant gets less pest attacks and use corn as support.
Tobacco plants are grown from tiny seeds, planted out at around 45 days old when a few inches tall. Takes another 3 months to grow to maturity. Flower heads and side shoots are removed regularly to channel all the energy for leaf growth.
Harvested in pairs of leaves, they are hang in the shed to dry, slowly in natural humid air to retain more oil.
Next is soaking in a solution of mixed fruit, honey, vanilla etc to enhance flavour. Then wrapped in palm leaves to ferment for 3 months.
Another slow process to dry before being hand rolled into cigar, each one using 3-4 leaves.
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