Cuban Wildlife: A Jungle Expedition!

Ever since I was little I've been obsessed with wildlife; binge watching David Attenborough, going on woodland walks with my butterfly net or filling the boot of my dad's car with seaweed and shells. For years I was convinced I was going to be "an explorer" or failing that a biologist who would be lucky enough to go on field work around the world searching for strange animals and plants... but then life happened. I grew up and went to uni to study History and Spanish, two subjects I am incredibly passionate about and wouldn't have changed for the world, and the little naturalist part of me just got quieter and quieter fading into the background as exams, friendships, year abroads and job hunting took over.

This summer though something happened that re-awakened my inner wildlife lover in all her over-excited, jumping up and down, slightly nerdy, wonderfully happy glory. We went to Cuba. CUBA!!! A real caribbean island just crawling with crocodiles, bugs, frogs, birds and butterflies and surrounded by warm seas full to bursting with tropical fish. It was a childhood dream come true. After a lovely couple of days in Viñales we moved on down the coast to an area known as Playa Larga where we got up early one morning to bump down the road in a rickety old car and begin our Cuban jungle expedition!

There had been a storm the night before and clouds of mosquitoes were billowing through the trees in the sunlight. I had taken no chances and was drenched in repellent and wearing trousers tucked into socks and long sleeves...all to no avail as we'd find out later. We had been chatting to our guide for literally less than 10 minutes when he brought out a small gadget that played bird calls into the air and one of my favourite creatures of the whole trip appeared. The tiny Cuban Tody, (pictured above and below) also known as "fluffy butt" for a while as we forgot his real name, flitted around on his thorny branch then disappeared into the forest.

While we walked slowly through the trees we came across some beehives being attacked by crabs. Crabs are EVERYWHERE in Cuba; they dig burrows and live almost like rabbits along roadsides and in muddy banks.

 

 

Cicadas were whirring from the branches above us and we also spotted a strange corridor of mud running up a tree trunk to end in a football sized termite's nest.

After a short while we reached a hole in the ground between 2 great rocks and followed our guide down a ladder tacked together from bits of dead wood to stand in a real life bat cave.

An incredibly clear underground lake filled one corner of the cave while the air was filled with the squeaking and shuffling of hundreds of Cuban fruit bats that flew around our heads and clung to the ceiling in the pitch dark.

 

The flash from my camera lit up the cave walls and our guide spotted a baby Cuban Screech Owl crouching on a ledge:

I felt a bit sorry for him actually... his poor nocturnal eyes being blinded by the bright light! As we scrambled back up out of the cave our guide casually pointed out the body of a huge python that he explained had its head inside the cave stretched out in the dark with its mouth open to catch unwary bats.

Over the next hour or so we saw hermit crabs, countless lizards, woodpeckers, chocolate orchids and turtles.

Jungle expeditions are not quite as glamorous as I'd imagined when I was little...mosquitoes and stifling heat lead to some sweaty not so comfy situations...(we had not been swimming before this photo...)

 

 

 

 

We came upon a swampy area criss crossed with wooden walk ways and our guide suddenly pointed excitedly into the tree tops and hopped up onto a root for a better look. He had seen a "colibrí" or hummingbird; two of them sitting on a twig and preening each other, something you don't see everyday he explained. I can't describe to you how much I wanted to see a hummingbird! While the others carried on walking I was really reluctant to leave in case they reappeared and just as I was about to go I spotted a tiny flash of shining green amongst the leaves.

 

 

I only managed a few shots before he whizzed away but I was so happy that I finally saw one! Later in the market in Trinidad I bought a little wooden colibrí to hang in my window at home. We made our way back to the waiting taxi and were met with a lovely sight; Cuba's national bird the Cuban Trogon was peering down at us.

 

 

This trip was one of the highlights of the whole holiday for me; my childhood dream of exploring a tropical jungle came true! We headed back to our casa for a rest in our gloriously air conditioned room where we compared mosquito bites (the little whiny blood sucking bastards!) and later headed out onto the verandah to watch the sunset and sip mojitos.

 



 

Viñales - A Trip to the Jardín Botánico

In my opinion a trip to Cuba is not complete without a visit to Viñales; this gorgeous sleepy little town is about as far from the frenzy of La Habana as it's possible to get. Once you've enjoyed a morning's horseriding, a little birdwatching, soaked up all the afternoon sunshine from the terrace of your casa particular and settled down to watch the shooting stars and glow bugs light up the night your mind will turn to the next day...and what you plan on doing.

As travellers it can be hard sometimes to resist the urge to spend our time rushing from guidebook suggested site to tripadvisor recommended restaurant but Viñales is one of those places where this kind of attitude doesn't really work. The pace of life, the size of the town and the incredible natural beauty wherever you point your nose really just encourages you to go for a wander and see what you find... What we found was the gorgeous Jardín Botánico, or Botanical Garden, a perfect place to spend an hour or so (and a haven for photographers with its vast range of plant life).

You make your way through a rickety gate up towards a low house and knock on the door to be greeted by your guide. During our trip we were shown around by the young man of the house accompanied by two tiny and very naughty dogs that yapped and scuffled in the undergrowth for the entire time we were there.

The garden was started by the grandmother of the house around which it sits and is absolutely full to bursting with plants of every shape and size and from all around the world. There are also a few novelties such as the doll's head tree...

There are huge chocolate pods and delicate chocolate orchids that smell so delicious it's a wrench not to bite them off their stems:

Knobbly Durian or Jack fruit with their repulsive scent of dead flesh, bright forest flowers and sharp thorns...

Suddenly we heard an awful strangled scream from above our heads and looked up to see a large green lizard with a tree frog clamped in its jaws:

I've since found out that the lizard was a Cuban Knight Anole which is the largest of this type of lizard in the world. Not a pleasant sight to be honest but an incredibly interesting one! (More posts on the fantastic cuban wildlife we saw coming soon).

I'm so glad we stumbled across this gem of a place; it is actually in our lonely planet guidebook but we must have missed it the night before. Entry is free but you're encouraged to make a small donation at the end of your visit and after all the in-depth info given to us by our guide we really couldn't grumble. (2-3 CUCs should be about right)

Afterwards we headed back to the town for lunch and what better way to round off our morning than with fried plantain stuffed with ham and melted cheese accompanied by an incredibly flamboyant piña colada and a scrummy strawberry daiquiri!

El Jardín Secreto

Tucked away at the top of the Salvador Bachiller building in Calle Montera is Madrid's worst kept secret - El Jardin Secreto. This bar/café is so popular that I've been turned away several times as all the tiny tables were packed with people. Persevere though, or better still make a booking, and you won't be disappointed.

 

 

The partly covered glass roof, along with the greenery and most importantly the ice cool water spray that mists in clouds periodically from the walls mean that the temperature here on the roof is kept comfortable while the sun burns from on high.

 

 



 

The garden theme runs throughout with flowers on every table, a rope swing, leaf shaped coasters and of course the pots and pots of plants. The waitresses in their red air hostess uniforms (something that I didn't completely understand) are kept busy ferrying glass after glass of fruity iced cocktails, lemonade and milkshakes to and from the bar at one end. I only briefly glanced at the menu as we were there just to grab a drink but it seemed fairly wide ranging with plenty of sandwiches and light meals.

 

 



 

If what you're after is a good view of Madrid from on high then head elsewhere as this place is mainly surrounded by trellis and only faces the busy Calle Montera at one end. (Look out for a future post on the terraza at Palacio de Cibeles!)

 

 

 

 

The lovely garden theme is what makes this place well worth a visit and it's perfect for a first date or a birthday lunch with friends. If you arrive and there's a waiting list don't despair - we were kept waiting for only about 20 mins and then led to our table. You'd be hard pushed to find a better place to relax over a cocktail or a cup of tea!

 

 

El Jardín Secreto is located on the roof of the Salvador Bachiller building at Calle Montera, 37.

 

Córdoba - La Fiesta de los Patios

The second stop on our Andalucía trip was Córdoba. I remember seeing pictures of La Mezquita (Córdoba's giant Mosque-Cathedral) back in a Spanish lesson in year 8. Then while I was working at the Museo Sorolla here in Madrid one of the staff told me about the huge flower festival that takes place there in May and I was desperate to go!

After only a two hour bus journey from Granada, Chris and I arrived and found our new home for the next couple of days. It was just a family house but had a lovely patio of its own and a sweet little old Spanish lady to show us in.

 

 

 

 

We were starving so headed out for some food. Following a small procession and the smell of incense through the streets from the small church at the end of our road we came across a Roman Temple...

 

 

...and its resident cats:

 

 



 

The streets around the temple are full of little bars and we had a lovely evening that ended in a Jazz Café on the way home.

 

 



The next morning the search for Patios began! La Fiesta de los Patios lasts for several weeks throughout May and is one of the prettiest festivals around. Families fill the patios of their houses with as many flowers as they can fit in and set water features and flamenco soundtracks going ready for the public. This was the first one we saw, complete with terrapins intent on escape...

 

 

 

 

The next one we found is definitely one of my favourites from the whole two days:

 

 

 

Next stop that morning was La Mezquita which is down in the old jewish quarter of the city.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The building has been in turns a Mosque and a Cathedral and then both. Nowadays it serves as a Catholic Cathedral and the moorish architecture blends seamlessly into the Christian half.

 

 

 

 

After La Mezquita we hopped over the Guadalquivir river and across the Puente Romano or "Roman Bridge" for a quick drink in the shade.

 

 

 



 

 

After lunch we headed to the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos which is just a little way along from the Mezquita.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can also go underground to see the Arabic baths:

 

 



 

 

The view from the roof takes in the Caballerizas Reales or Royal Stables and the Alcázar's gardens.

 

 

We popped into the stables a little later and saw them exercising the horses:

 

 

 



The gardens of the Alcazár are just like all gardens in Andalucía in May; absolutely lovely:

 

That evening we just wandered about and went for a meal of roast lamb at a restaurant called El Rubio. The sun was setting and the city looked beautiful in the dusk.

 

There were lots of happy geckos scampering about the restaurant's lamps:

 

 

 

 

The next day we devoted to seeing the rest of the patios. I'd heard that the best ones were to be found in the Judería (the Jewish Quarter) and down by the Alcázar so we followed the map we picked up at a stand in the centre. La Fiesta de los Patios is definitely my favourite Spanish festival so far - I have never seen so many gorgeous flowers!

 

 

I'm so glad I was able to make it to Córdoba for the festival as I've been desperate to go for months. The city is typically Spanish; all cobbled streets, whitewashed buildings with coloured shutters and tiny churches. If you go anywhere in Spain next year make it Córdoba in May - you won't regret it!