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El
Corazon de Cuba
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Topes de Collantes |
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  The
road is challenging enough that the average bicyclist might want to opt for
hiring a car, at least for 20km. This does make it harder to study the details
along the road - nuances of vegetation and beauty. |
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 Bicycling
to the pass does
a lot to justifies carrying around the small chain rings on the bike -- that some rarely use.
It also justifies "cross-training" or a slow walk up the mountains to enjoy the
views (while pushing your bike). It is a grunt but the significant climb
is less than 10
km (6 miles) and only reached about 3000 ft (920 m). With a little perseverance
most people
can fell the success of making it on their own power.
At any rate, the elevation is sufficient to create a totally different climate. In the mountains it was lush and cool. A couple of the dominant crops are coffee and guava. Orchids perch themselves in the trees and the Royal Palms of the forest. A half-dozen varieties of moisture loving ferns could be seen at the lowest level of the forest. My favorite of the highland botany was the giant ferns, which are described as living fossils. They stand 15 feet (5 m) high and look like something out of Jurasic Park. Similar ferns can be found at at higher altitudes and cool climates in tropical Africa. |
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 Topes
de Collantes, which is partly known for a waterfall is also the
site of a health spa community. The complex is accessible to Cubans and foreigners alike,
but we were lodged at different hotels and ate in different dining rooms. We did share
the same swimming pool. Near
the main road is a large community herb garden of long raised beds with
mint, tilo (an herb that makes a chamomile-like tea), and another plant
that looks like an aloe. A man
happened along at that moment who told us that the flesh inside the leaves
was diced up and refrigerated, eaten as a tonic for ulcers and upset
stomach. |
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 North
of the pass, the road is never as steep and the micro-climates don't seem to be
as pronounced. For 25 km (15 miles) it is one of the most beautiful, paved road,
rides in the country - and the 50 km (30 miles) beyond this are darn good as
well. |
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| (Above, from left to right) In the hills there are homesteads and farms. Along the roads there are fruit stands. Both orchids and birds compete for rights to the power lines. And, a row of beehives is home to the local pollinators. | ||
 We
made a stop at a small coffee farm.If you ever have the opportunity to smell coffee blossoms don't pass it. Actually, if they are in bloom, it is very hard to miss the strong and sweet aroma. If you know the smell you are likely to be hit by it before you see the flowers. |
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 Without
any forewarning of our visit (though we knew our hosts), without hesitation,
they hand-grown some coffee (left) and brewed a pot.The refreshments included a plate of sugar apple. |
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 The
hidden gem of the coffee farm is the dazzling stream that flows through the
property. The owners have developed the estate with trails, viewpoints and
pavillions. So, fresh coffee, fresh fruit, and verdant pristine environment,
what about this isn't paradise? |
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 Back
on the road, and more snapshots into the economy and culture of rural Cuba. In
this area there are variety of farm animal, assorted village and every farm is
cultivating a different mix of crops. |
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 This
is an hour-plus long visit to a family medical clinic and a meeting with part of
the medical staff. The discussion covered many aspects of their program; clinics
involvement community health care and prevention, prenatal care, infant care,
students’ health, adolescent health issues, women health (breast exams,
cytological tests, HPV), pregnancy management, general adult health issues,
lifestyle issues (hypertension and diabetes), communicable diseases (TB, AIDS,
STD), family planning, mosquito borne disease (dengue, Zika), medical record
keeping, consultation and examination rooms. Immunization program: polio,
typhoid, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, rubella, measles, mumps, tuberculosis,
hepatitis B, haemophilus influenza B, meningitis B, and meningitis C. Common themes throughout the discussion
were prevention and early intervention. |
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 We
took advantage of the health care services to get a blood pressure check and to have a
little road-rash expertly cleaned.
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| Public education and prevention are strategic priorities. In line with this, all the family doctor clinics have a variety of health education posters. It is interesting that the selection of posters differs from clinic to clinic. The Ministry of Health must have produced dozens and dozens of posters. There is no discernable pattern on why a clinic has its particular collection of broad signs. | ||
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| The premier cash crop in this area continues to be coffee. It is all shade grown coffee. Some of the shade is being created by banana trees. At one point, there was a pack-train of horse, carrying bags of coffee. Presumably, this is the best way to bring the beans out from more remote farms in the mountains. Along the main road is a coffee processing plant. It was not active at this time, but you can get a sense of their capacity from the several large drying areas that stretched around the back side of the factory. | ||
 Colorful
geology (left)Two student who wanted to be photographed (right). Now their picture is on the Internet. |
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 Field
of mature malanga (taro) left.Cashew nut tree (right) Castor tree (far right) |
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