Eco Tourism

Tuesday, Oct. 10 was a holiday in Cuba, celebrating the declaration of independence from Spain during the first revolution, in the end on the 19th century. I wouldn’t have noticed (except classes were canceled) because there was a complete lack of commercial advertising for things you could buy in honor of the holiday. No “buy this 12 piece grill set for your classic American barbeque this Fourth of July!” Since we didn’t have classes, we went on this trip to a place called las Terrazas (the terraces) in Piñar del Rio. This is a river basin in the middle of a mountain range that has recently been protected from further development. In the early part of the 20th century, Cuba had a huge problem with deforestation because of the outside pressure to produce sugar cane. Thousands of miles of land were destroyed because of this. But during Castro’s rule, a huge reforestation project began all over the country, corresponding to the loss in value of Cuba’s sugar cane crop. Now, a lot of the land has almost been restored to its natural habitat. This created a new type of tourism for Cuba, eco-tourism. Piñar del Rio is one of these sites, though I think it was originally destroyed because of coffee production, but I’m not sure. Anyway, in 1968 the government started to reforest this river basin, and now its original biodiversity is almost completely restored. Besides a small community that lives and works in the reserve, no development can occur in the area. It is entirely devoted to eco-tourism. And it’s gorgeous. Thick, deep green jungle envelops a clear bluish-green river, speckled with smooth rocks and frequently interrupted by waterfalls. In several places there are natural pools that are deep enough to dive into, off the top of the waterfalls. I really liked it because it was totally different than going to the beach (which is closer and easier for us to visit). The water is a lot colder and the sun is not quite as strong. The beach is amazing, but the problem is there isn’t much shade, the sun is really intense, and the water isn’t very cold. Don’t get me wrong, I love hanging out at the beach, but las Terrazas was a nice contrast. As you can see, I finally managed to add pictures! Enjoy.