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So, yesterday we visited La Coincidencia Farm and then headed to Cardenas and Casa Dupont.

The above picture is our Cuban guide, Liban, and Odylas, the lady who owns the farm. She and her husband and three sons and one grandchild live here. They live off the land and give the extra to the community. They are artists, sculptors, and make money from their art as well. When they bought this land, it was wasteland and it is amazing what they have done with it in 25 or so short years.

Grove of Mangoes. They are experimenting with keeping the trees short and some of the fruit can be up to 4kg. huge. Wish it was ripe!

They grow bamboo which they use for supports for the mangoes and some of the other crops. They get fish in the little river above.

They have a pet falcon which was brought to them with a broken wing some years back.

They also have a pet tree rat. Super cute rat. Eats Norfolk Pine.

This is one of the sons using a pottery wheel. The wheel is made of many different things, including a motor from a Russian washing machine! The Cuban people are nothing if not resourceful.

 The ladies room.

 Liban let us see his I.D. The picture doesn't do him justice. This badge (from his old place of work) is like our passport.

We stopped at the Dupont mansion for lunch. OMG so beautiful. Dupont built it for himself and his friends but when the new government started nationalizing some of these grand estates to share with the people, he abandoned it. It is now a hotel.

 I think that is a NC Wyeth over the fireplace but the signature was too faded to see.

 This is the view. Incredibly beautiful, right?

 The wine cellar.

 The bar is up 3 sets of very narrow stairs and sports a gorgeous view of the Caribbean Sea.

Vitamin R in it's many forms.

 We had lunch on the veranda by the sea. Such a sweet bunch of people I've been traveling with.

 After lunch, a rum tasting with 7 year old Havana Club and a cigar demonstration. Got me a Romeo y Julieta.

This is the life, baby!

And what a treat. Full moon to bid us adios on our final night. 

Danny, our American tour leader with yours truly.