A hike into the mystical Viñales Valley (Cuba) with Jesús Arencibia Coro (high-definition version)

Welcome to the verdant landscape of Pinar del Rio, Cuba-- a courtryside where the simple gifts of campesino living are still celebrated, along with cultural icons such as Polo Montañez (1955-2002) who made this area famous. (Read a tribute to Polo at http://www.cuba-junky.com/cuba/polo.html.)

This video features scenes I captured during a hike into the countryside with Jesús Arencibia Coro--a resident and licenced guide of Viñales, Cuba. The video starts with Jesús singing Russian songs that he learned from eight years of study and work in the former USSR. Perhaps the uncanny acoustics can be explained by the fact that the cave in which he is singing extends 40 km into the limestone mountain!

Jesús, who was born on Christmas Day, is a gentleman in his seventies with eccentric passions and prodigious energy to pursue them. He designed the "national reference prehistoric park"—the garden adjacent to his casa particular, where we first met him. He delights in conducting tours of the garden and explaining all of the plants, rocks and fossils. We engaged Jesús for a whole afternoon to guide us on a hike to a cave. By flashlight, we walked several minutes until we reached a body of water where some hikers take a refreshing dip. That's where Jesús regaled us with two a capella songs that are recorded for this video. The fee for his guided tour was whatever we decided we wanted to pay him, which ended up being 20 CUCs (approx. CDN$22)--or the average monthly state-regulated salary for professionals in Cuba.

Advised that his wife Tomasa is a spectacular cook, we reserved a date for dinner, which we enjoyed with the couple, their daughter and son. It was a lively event including more singing from Jesús and his grown children. Tomasa's baked chicken was divine, and the accompanying comida criolla was delicious: black beans and rice, rice, plantain chips, and salad.

We didn't actually stay at Casa Tomasa, but we spent considerable time with Jesús and Tomasa in their scrupulously maintained home. Sometime in 2011, they will complete construction of a self-contained room with private entrance, located behind the main house. The new rental space will feature access to a rooftop deck with a commanding view of the surrounding valley and distant mountains.

Casa de Jesús y Tomasa
Adela Azcuy No 6, Norte
A costado del estadio de pelota (near baseball stadium)
Viñales, Pinar del Rio, Cuba
Tel: 52 23 8857
Proprietors: Jesús Arencibia Coro, wife Tomasa, daughter Luisa

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