our trip to cuba, part two - las terrazas

las terrazas, a unesco biosphere reserve, is an eco village that has been in place since 1968.  the village is picturesque and overlooks a small lake.  it was designed with nature preservation in mind making its natural surroundings ideal for hiking.  the sierra del rosario was once full of booming coffee estates (back in the early 1800's) and efforts are being made to grow more coffee on site.

speaking of coffee, patio de maria is a small coffee bar overlooking the lake and, according to stefan, makes a really good cuppa.  not surprising since the beans are grown right there in front of the terrace. 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





this vegetarian restaurant uses solar energy and their own home-grown  vegetables.  the bread was to die for, so good!



  

 

 

 

 

 

we really wanted to stay for longer however hotel moka was completely booked up.  hotel moka is cuba's only eco hotel with lovely flower gardens, a pool (bonus for kai!), and a tree growing through the lobby.  the view from the shower was lovely thanks to the huge window!



hiking in las terrazas is guided.  we traipsed through the mountain, passing by two coffee ruins - san idelfonso and el content - which are immersed in the jungle.  we learned about the local fauna, food, and animals too.  when our guide pointed out an avocado tree, he was shocked to know that i pay four dollars for two small avocados.  can you guess how much avocados cost in cuba?  a mere twenty cents for a gigantic one, crazy, right! 

anyway, we made our way to a local home where banana stealing roosters, an ugly turkey, and a cute kitten live.  here, we drank coffee, sampled honey, and ate the most delicious bananas.  kai had his banana stolen right out of his hand by a rooster, he was giggling so hard that such a thing happened! 

the lovely 10km hike ended at idyllic natural swimming pools... naturally.  the baños del san juan was a lovely site to while away an afternoon.  and, some really delicious (unbelievably good!) chicken was eaten :)))



 

 

 

 

 

 



 



coffee plant





 

 



my boys jumped and jumped and jumped some more...



  

 



las terrazas was kai's favourite place. if we had more time there he would have happily hiked and swam his days away.  me too!

our trip to cuba, part three to come next week.