Cuba tour 4 Playa Larga 古巴遊之四 電力配給

 

Came to the southern beach and mangrove National Park, famous for sandy beach with clear water, and fly fishing for Bone fish in the mangrove.

The beach at Playa Larga is pleasant, being long with fine sand and no rocky areas. There are a few bars and restaurants serving grilled fresh fish, lobster and squid. 

Joined a walking and bird watching guided tour to Enigma de las Rochas. It is and area covered by irregular well eroded lime stone, which were the sea bed 3500 years ago.

There are a lot of pools, fed by underground water, pristine deep blue water, one pool is easy to get down for a swim. 

Bird watching is great, close encounters with Cuba National bird Tocororo, and very cute looking bright green body with bright red chest little bird Tody, and many others.

One spot within a short ride is recommended for snorkelling or diving is Punto Pesce. The sand is super white and water super clear, a fantastic view. 

Unfortunately being a rough rocky shore, eventhough there is set up for bathroom and bars, but no platform is built to get in and out of water. 

Especially when the wave is a bit strong, getting into water with flippers and snorkel was a struggle. The under water view is great, with some area having a decent concentration of coral fish.

古巴遊之四 Playa Larga 電力配給

來到南部有名的陽光與海灘區，沙細水清，附近亦有沼澤國家公園、行山徑，風光和觀鳥都理想。

其實不全為游泳而來，起初是伴侶想來古巴，為了在這沼澤區以flyfishing 釣 Bone fish, 是釣魚界知名的玩意，我看到古巴有這麼多UNESCO 城市，才決定把旅程拉長。

民宿由中年夫婦打理，十分盡心，早餐麵包和小糕點都自家做，蔬菜水果在親友家取得，兩個冰箱放滿本地大魚、龍蝦、各種肉類、蔬果和醬汁。先生愛煮飯，樂於為人客做晚飯，當然也是搵真銀的方法。

傾談下知道先生原是獸醫，太太是遺傳科醫生，負責處理孕婦肚內嬰兒的基因問題。十年前政府開放民宿生意，先生退下工作，買破屋地建屋做民宿生意。

太太以父母年老要照顧作理由，申請每星期工作兩天，方便打理民宿搵真銀，為此每月工資減至十二美元。

為何仍然留守工作？因為可望作為「出口」醫生，在其他國家災區參與國際humanitarian aid 工作，出國見識。

離開Havana 後，差不多每天都遇上停電情況，每次四小時，有時每天一次，有時四小時後又再次停電，循環不斷，是政府控制用電的方法。

為何每次四小時？因為冰箱內食物，不常打開櫃門的話，仍然可以保持良好！也算是有點計算，為民著想。

唯一麻煩是停電就沒有WiFi, 不少地區電訊網絡欠佳，就真的有點與世隔絕的感覺。

Cuba tour 3 Viñales 古巴遊之三 針冇兩頭利

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.

Cuba tour, Las Terrazas 古巴遊之二 搵真銀

 

A planned project in the 70’s to reforest and repopulate the area after sugar cane plantation and refinery finished. Hotel, lake and housing estate were built in a style of that era, now a bit run down.

It is a biosphere with bird watching excursion.

There is also a walk down to San Juan river park, with karst type mini waterfalls. There are restaurants, places to sit and changing room for getting a dip in the  clear water.

Stayed in a local house within a fruit orchard, mango, avocado, guava, star fruit, orange, coffee and almond, though it is not the season for fruits. There are really free range chicken for eggs in the morning.

古巴遊之二 搵真銀

 

在Havana 住民宿，女主人是前會計師，在兒女移民後，出租房間「搵真銀」。

她解釋自五九年革命後的配給制度，和近年如何物資（食物、藥物和日用品）嚴重短缺。

乘的士西去百多公里外的Las Terrazas 自然保護區行山觀鳥，個半小時車程美元六十。

中年士司機英語流利，是名前水利工程師，為了女兒，近年轉揸的士「搵真銀」，目標是三年後女兒十八歲，有點積蓄移民西班牙。為了轉行，得先靠朋友安排到哥倫比亞做水利工程三年，蓄夠錢買的士才成。

說近年經濟轉得更差，看不到前景，覺得幾年內定有動亂。

在Las Terrazas ，住進在果園中的民宿，由年輕夫妻負責。先生帶領參觀小果園，混合種了咖啡、芒果、牛油果、番石榴、橙、檸檬和杏仁，他自己是木匠，亦看了他的工場。

要請政府導遊帶領觀鳥，三小時每人廿美元，很有水準，多次看到古巴國鳥Tocororo和其他鳥兒，介紹花、樹，十分滿意。

導遊先生六十六歲，有二兒三孫，主動來到民宿找我們參加導賞，費用全歸政府，這樣積極，因為可望有貼士，「搵真銀」。

前會計師，前水利工程師，他做稅務官的太太，和導遊，人工都屬中級，每月工資約廿五美元！

數天來看到的古巴物價：

官價1美元/歐羅兌120披索

黑市價（和民宿換錢）1美元/歐羅兌260披索

民宿雙人房間連私人浴室40-60美元

民宿早餐每人5 美元

民宿晚餐每人10 美元, 主菜蒸雞，味道似鹹風雞

餐廳晚餐每人10-20 美元, 廚師穿上整齊制服，味道不錯

咖啡1 美元

雞尾酒4美元

豬肉5美元一磅，早晚天氣清涼，不見蒼蠅

香蕉1美元一大堆

木門一扇零售美元120，木匠收60

政府中級職員人工每月25美元

私家餐廳侍應人工每「天」6至9美元

古巴教育在中美洲有名的高水準，公共設施可能破舊但清潔少見垃圾。近年是崇尚做私人收美元/歐羅的工作，更有錢途。創業不容易，好多限制外，且硬件（的士、建築維修物料、傢俬、器具等等）全部入口，都昂貴。