No Cubans Allowed

(Cross-posted at Babalu)


Photo courtesy of mabut via Google Earth

Representing the west side...

Of Cuba that is. The Viñales Valley of Pinar Del Rio in all its glory. The strange rock-like masses sticking up like huge thumbs from the red pinareño earth are called mogotes. They are limestone formations, each with its own micro-environment.

Only 20 miles away from my grandfather's birthplace, you can bet that this will be at the top of the list of places I will visit in a free Cuba. A FREE Cuba, no sooner.

Why? As Val and Firefly pointed out in the comments to the Babalu post, Viñales, as all tourist attractions in Cuba, is off-limits to Cubans. You can blame the embargo and travel restrictions for everything your heart desires, but when the Cuban government denies its own people from travelling freely and seeing whatever they want, there's something seriously wrong that has absolutely nothing to do with United States policy, or lack thereof.