Moskvitch to Pinar del Río, weekend destination

My husband usually travels every month to Pilotos, a town in the municipality of Consolación del Sur in the western part of Cuba, to visit his brothers and nephews.

On this occasion I also traveled with him to spend the weekend and get out of my daily routine and get in touch with the nature of the Pinar del Rio.

The day dawned with a lot of fog, a sign that it would be a very hot day. We took the national highway towards the province of Pinar del Río and the whole trip we were talking and contemplating the wonderful scenery. This province has always been known for being one of the most beautiful in the country, for its tobacco plantations, the best tobacco in the world and for its landscapes.

We made our first stop at a kiosk and bought yucca and cucumbers. Whenever my husband goes there he always brings supplies for his family. We already had a lot of stuff in the trunk of the car.

The next stop we made was at a very nice place: the Parador "las Barrigonas", which serves as a tourist bureau and provides detailed information about the places to visit, either for their beauty or for the history they treasure. There is a map of the province and very detailed information on each of the places of tourist interest.

They show us the different facets of the Cuban tobacco manufacturing process from the sowing to its completion in gigantographies. Also the beautiful beaches of the Guanahacabibes peninsula, where marine species are protected, its mangroves, its forests that treasure timber trees of incalculable value, as well as its exuberant vegetation and what to say about the birds that inhabit this region; endemic birds and others that migrate at different times of the year and arrive to our coasts.

Why is this place called Parador "Las Barrigonas"? This can be seen with the naked eye. Because it is built with palms of the barrigona (pot-bellied) species that exist in this area.

In the small tour we saw the restaurant, cafeteria and small kiosks where they also sell natural juices and Piña Colada, a drink very demanded by foreign and Cuban tourists. The store, meanwhile, sells souvenirs, rums, coffee and cigars, t-shirts and caps with images of the province.

There is an artificial lake where you can see around the royal palms, symbol of our country. On the way out, we took a picture of the ox team with which the Cuban peasantry prepares the land for their different crops, and which is widely used in this area.

At the end of the trip we arrived at the family's house and while my husband talked with them and told them how my daughters and grandson were doing, I took the opportunity to take a little tour of the garden and the patios and delight my spirit with the flowers and the fresh air emanating from the countryside.

Orchids bloom a lot at this time of the year and I particularly like them very much.

This way I completed my desire to distract myself during the weekend.

I hope you liked my post and know a little more about a part of my beautiful country.