So off we went to Havana and walked up and down the streets carrying our backpacks and looking for our next Casa Particulaire. Havana was intoxicating with it's lively music, old colonial buildings and warm and inviting people. Many people told me that it was dangerous to travel at night in Cuba and I actually felt very safe walking the streets of Havana at night. We visited the Revolution Museum and were intrigued with the history of Che Guevara & Fidel Castro & not surprised it was oozing with anti-American sentiment. We also went to the famed Cabaret show in a dark, underground bar frequented by locals. We ordered a bottle of Rum and watched the Cabaret show that was quite entertaining and exciting.

After 2 days in Havana, we headed to Vinales, a tranquil small town in a beautiful valley surrounded by tobacco fields.

We spent the next day horseback riding through the hills, visiting a tobacco plantation and took a mini tour of a cave in the hills. The cave was cold and wet and about 20min into the cave, to our surprise was a pool of fresh water that the Cubans convinced us, well Forbes, had "healing properties". Forbes dove right in while I stood lookout for the lockness monster that I thought would emerge from the dark murky water below. The lockness never showed it's face but Forbes did get to spread stinky mud all over his body that was supposed to exfoliate his skin.

Our Cuba trip was coming to an end and I spent my last day on Varedero with my backpack in the stinking heat, wishing I could just dive into the cool, blue water staring back at me.

Part of the joy of backpacking is that you can never leave your backpack with concierge of your hotel while you take a stroll around....
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