April 2017<\/p>\n
As we were planning our Cuban adventure we all agreed it would be great to leave the city of Havana for a couple days and explore the inland rural area of Vinales.<\/p>\n
We had booked a Casa Particular which is Spanish for private home. \u00a0Casa Particulares are private home stays, very much like a Bed & Breakfast. \u00a0Private citizens are allowed to rent out rooms in their homes for tourists. \u00a0Casa Particulares can be found throughout Cuba and are identified\u00a0by a small sign on the door, with two blue triangles (“roofs”) against a white background.<\/p>\n
To get to Vinales we had to secure a taxi in Havana to drive us the 180 kilometers. \u00a0The other trick was to communicate that we wanted them to come pick us up 2 days later and negotiate a price. \u00a0All with broken Spanish on our part and no English on taxi drivers’ parts. \u00a0The night before we were to depart, Ron negotiated with a driver and thought it was all arranged for the old car of his choice and a rate he agreed to. \u00a0In the morning, we discovered that wasn’t necessarily the case.<\/p>\n
After readying the boat for our 2 day absence, tying fenders at multiple heights to protect the side of the boat from the rough concrete dock and allow for rising and falling tides, asking our neighbors to check on it occasionally, we made our way to the planned taxi pickup area.<\/p>\n
![\"_DSC0279\"](\"http:\/\/dreamtime-sailing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/DSC0279.jpg\")
<\/a>We waited and still no taxi. \u00a0Ron walked down to the taxi depot in the marina again, and discovered the preferred taxi was there, but the driver was not the same and this driver didn’t know anything about the prearranged deal. \u00a0So…. more negotiations occurred.<\/p>\n