Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2015 | Page 63
TRAVEL
all seemed delighted with our arrival and
our general interest in the production
process and I was offered many free
samples prior to purchasing a box of the
finest on departure.
In addition to its cigars, Cuba boasts
some of the best rum in the Caribbean.
The history of rum making dates back to
the early 1500’s and white rum (known
locally as silver dry or Carter Blanca) is
consumed more regularly than dark.
Many of the bars in the old city use
this white rum as a base for a variety
of cocktails, all served cold with lots of
ice. The white rum is produced in local
distilleries known as Havana Club. These
were open to the public from 9am till
midnight, to demonstrate how the
Island had developed this wonderful
renowned international drink from a by-
product of sugar.
We were advised not to leave Havana
without visiting the Malecon, the
seafront promenade area that stretches
for four miles along the city’s historic
quarter. The busy attractive buildings,
giving a striking overall effect.
I was interested to note that the word
Malecon means traditional religion to the
people of the city. Different religions exist
in Cuba because of its history, and we
were told that offerings to the Gods were
often thrown from the parapets of the
seafront promenade, into the waves.
During our stay we also ventured
into the less populated areas of the
countryside, seeing the beauty of some
of the richest plants in the West Indies.
Thanks to its hot and humid annual
temperatures, the western area boasts
some of the finest tobacco and sugar
plantations, and an array of wonderful
tropical flowers and an extraordinary
variation of bird life.
Our stay concluded with a memorable
boat trip to observe the western coastline
from the sea. We were able to hire a local
boat owner, who took us to one of the
tiny unnamed Islands. This allowed us to
take in the wonderful vista from the sea
and enjoy watching shoals of barracuda.
We also witnessed our Cuban host dive
for fresh lobster - and then sampled it on
board his boat, eating it with salad, hot
potato and wine all provided by him!
Although we had only seen a small
fraction of this largest of the Caribbean
islands, it has certainly left a lasting
impression on me.
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