Latin America 2014: Day 24: To Venales

Uneventful trip to Venales, but for a too-old-for-it couple billing and cooing in the seats in front of us.

Nice view entering the Valle de Venales...
Vinales 1

which was formed when porous limestone strata collapsed, leaving karst ridges and cliffs that make up some of the most beautiful countryside in Cuba.

Which of course means tourists, who come in droves to what is really a small country town. Without developers, that has resulted in a booming CP industry, with nearly every family in town jumping into the market. This creates quite a scene when the Viazul arrives.
Vinales 2

As hopefully can be heard on the video, some folks use English to gain an advantage. Interesting how strong the appeal can be when you hear your own language in the midst of a chaotic situation. We were grateful that we had arranged a place in advance, and saw our names on a sign, although we did look around for a better place after checking in, without success.

We grabbed a quick lunch at an ostentatiously ecological vegetarian place - I had an eggplant "stek" (for stack)...

which was quite good.

After lunch we checked out some tour options at the Infotour office, with a very sharp clerk who hung up her phone and greeted us the second we walked in. What a refreshing change!

We opted for a guided walk through the countryside, and happened to draw a history professor who guides four days a week, teaches one, and who was probably a good fit for that, but who I felt was a bit too full of himself.

The scenery was quite nice...