Captivating Cuba

Hi,

Friends of mine know how much I love to explore so it seemed rather apt that on my last trip to Cuba I got to experience a part of the island which isn't usually visited by tourists, Baracoa.

Perhaps the reason that this place is not usually seen is because it is so impossible to get too; in fact until 1964 it could only be reached by the sea making it one of the most remote places in Cuba. However, I'm not the only explorer that likes to visit the Baracoa region; Columbus discovered this land in 1492 and instantly declared it to be the most beautiful land that he had ever seen. However, it was one of the more unusual stories of this region that prompted my visit.

Five centuries after Columbus had first landed on the shores of Baracoa, Che Guevara opened a chocolate factory in the region. The chocolate factory known as Duaba Farm is still functioning to date and I decided that it was definitely worth a visit on my next Cuba holiday. The small farm not only produces cocoa which is imported out to all the major chocolate factories in Switzerland, but is also a great place to sample the local coffee and fruits of the region including coconut, mango and bananas.

Duaba Farm has its own local cafeteria, which serves delectable food, such as deserts using the farms own pineapples and honey. The deserts may have been incredible, but I definitely made sure that I had enough room left in my stomach to try some of Che Guevara's legendary chocolate.

Before the taste test I was luckily enough to join a group of Canadian tourists and watch the entire process of how the fruit of the cacao plant is made into chocolate. The process was time-consuming but in the same measure equally fascinating and by the end of the demonstration I could hardly wait any longer to try the chocolate, but luckily the chocolate was well worth the wait. Its high cocoa content and rich flavour set it apart from many well-known brands of chocolate and Jasna definitely agreed with me, wolfing down the small bar that I'd brought her from the gift shop in seconds! Now she's decided that she wants to visit the Duaba Farm on her next Cuba holiday!

Peter

posted at: 16:11 | path: /peter | permanent link to this entry | 0 comments