A Mountain Adventure on an Old Russian Army Truck in Cuba

Day 4 – Mountain tour

Boarding a 1980's Russian army truck for a mountain tour in central Cuba

We were up at 7:00am this morning getting ready for our mountain tour at 8:45am

After our buffet breakfast with some freshly made papaya juice, we climbed up to a 1980 Russian army truck and way we went into the mountain area of Cuba.

The ride up to the mountain was rough. 

We had a good view of the scenery on our tour.

Sitting on metal chairs and without seat belts,  we were thrown like a sag of potatoes on the vehicle. 

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There were about a dozen of us with a child on board.  

It was a miracle that no one threw up throughout the entire 1.5 hour  ride into the mountain region.

After about 45 minutes, we stopped at the Information Centre.

Stopping at the Info Centre

Though there were no access cards available at our resort, there were plenty at this info centre.

Without wifi cards to access the internet at the resort, we were cut off communication with our loved ones back in Canada.

Buying wifi access cards at a Cuban information centre

  

Anxious to get online, I bought five cards at a peso each which would give me 60 minutes of wifi time at the resort.

Kurhotel Escombray located in a lush surrounding

Close to the Information Centre, we saw a huge building looked out of place in this lush surrounding. 

We thought it was a big building for tourists. But the tour guide told us that this place called Kurhotel Escombray, used to be a hospital for patients with mental illness and that it is still being used today.

We made a stop at a coffee museum/ cafe.

The tour guide gave us some info on the old machines and method used in coffee production in the past in Cuba.

We enjoyed an espresso at the Museum Cafe

After the short information session, we were treated to an espresso at the museum cafe.

A display of old coffee making utensils at the Coffee Museum in Cuba

We learned that there are more than 40 ways of making coffee in Cuba!

On our way up the mountain, we passed by a stall selling fresh fruits and some local sweets and crafts.

I bought some local sweets and a necklace made of colourful seeds, very pretty indeed.











We passed by coffee plantations,

and a couple of villages where the coffee farmers live. 

I was curious if there was a school for the children.













 I was happy to learn that the two villages with about 400-500 inhabitants do have a school for their children who can attend school for free in Cuba.




R.T.
Mountain Region
Central Cuba