Locale: Located in the Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve, the community of Las Terrazas was founded in 1971, with about 40-45 pioneering families; today, about 267 families live here. Almost half of the community’s income is derived from tourism; other sources of revenue include agriculture and honey production. Prior to the Cuban Revolution, this area had suffered major deforestation and thus soil erosion; the forests had been logged and turned into coffee plantations, the land had been devastated by hurricanes, the campesinos were mostly illiterate charcoal makers. Decades later, after work brigades created terraces planted with millions of trees, carved out roads through the mountains, and built a village of homes and schools, the community is thriving. The biosphere came under UNESCO protection in 1984, following the successful reforestation project; it is now home to 117 bird species, including 12 that are endemic.
Weather: 80s. Sunny.
Itinerary: From Soroa to Las Terrazas, then northeast to La Habana
Overnight: Meliá Cohíba
Excursions: Birding from 5-7 am in the hotel vicinity, buffet breakfast at hotel, tour of Las Terrazas community (visit pre-school, coffee shop, local artist), lunch at Cafetal Buenavista, visit farm, depart for La Habana, short stop at Revolution Square, dinner at Paladar Woo, Calle L y 25, Vedado
Habitats: Tropical dry forest. Tropical wet forest. Farmland. Disturbed habitat.
Bird Species (partial listing, by family): Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris), Scaly-Naped Pigeon (Patagioenas squamosa), Greater Antillean Nightjar (Antrostomus cubanensis-glimpsed only), Cuban Emerald Hummingbird (Chlorostilbon ricardii), Gundlach’s Hawk (Accipiter gundlachi-glimpsed only), Broad-Winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus), Barn Owl (Tyto alba), Stygian Owl (Asio stygius), Cuban Green Woodpecker (Xiphidiopicus percussus), Red-Legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus), Black-Throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens), Cuban Grassquit (Tiaris canorus), Yellow-Faced Grassquit (Tiaris olivaceus), Western Spindalis (Spindalis zena)
Other Species: Leaf-cutter ants (either Acromyrmex or Atta)
Guides and Driver: Angel, David, Liu, Idalmys and Carlos
Observations: The specialty coffee drink at Café de María was wonderful.
Our group sang a song in English, Eensy Weensy Spider, for the pre-schoolers, to thank them for singing for us.
I admired the work of paper-maker and artist Ariel Gato Miranda and bought a small notecard.
Revolution Square is quite as I imagined it: a vast area of pavement and thus impressive for its sheer size.
Reflections: As far as Cuban cuisine goes, I wasn’t expecting much. I thought I would be fine as a vegetarian, because I eat a lot of rice and beans here at home! But the food has been quite good, both varied and plentiful. I’m not a vegan, so I do eat eggs and dairy products, and I have to say, I do like the Cuban eggs and cheese (blue cheese–mmm); the ice cream is also wonderful! I’m also a carbo junkie, but unfortunately, the bread and pastries have been mostly bland and uninspiring. We were told not to eat uncooked vegetables, and that was okay, as the cooked vegetables were usually tasty (white sweet potatoes!). I did eat some of the fresh fruit, because it was always peeled (pineapple, bananas, mangoes, papaya). I’m not a big drinker at home, so I can’t comment on that aspect — I do like rum though, and Cubans drink a lot of it. In the States, we drink Bacardi, and that’s all there is to it. Or so I thought: apparently, there is a trademark dispute between Bacardi and Havana Club, so perhaps we’ll see the Cuban brand on our shelves some time in the near future.
Images:
Our guides pose for a photo: David, Angel, Idalmys, Liudmys.
We see these horse-drawn vehicles everywhere in Cuba.
Argentinian Che Guevara is a national hero in Cuba.
Plaza de la Revolución was empty when we visited on this late Thursday afternoon.