Cuba Day 10 - Vinales

Having spent a day looking at the valley, today I'm going into the valley, by horse. For just $20, this 4 hours deal I think is pretty fine. The guide spoke little English, so I again had to rely on single Spanish words and sign language. The tour begins just off the main road. We rode through farm lands and beautiful landscapes, Riding horse is not my usual activity, and it took a little more getting used to than I thought. First is the control. My horse wouldn't listen to me at first, 'cause I didn't know where to kick it, or how hard. I think I've confused the horse quite a bit. Then is the seating, how not to kill my butt. We made a stop to talk to a tobacco farmer, who showed us how to wrap a cigar, also had a coconut with rum to cool it down. Then we continued and reached the big cave. A guide was waiting with two lamps, but I got my own so my horse guide can use it. This one is much bigger than the Indio cave and gave more a raw experience 'cause there's no wall lamps, you have to rely on your own flash light. There are many pillars, and interesting looking rock formations. It's a 5-10 minutes walk, and we reached the end where there's a lake in long rectangular shape. I can't tell how long the lake is because the other end can only be reached by water and my lamp is not strong enough to see all the way through. The guide said it is save to swim in it. But my guts tells me not unless I have a waterproof lamp, which I don't. Anyway, we stopped for a couple minutes to just admire the wonders of nature, then we walked back out. We continued on with our horses on the circular route and rode back to town.