Broken things be repaired in Cuba

We throw things that are broken generally away

In Cuba is a shortage of everything and therefore broken things be repaired, which is also better for the environment

In Baracoa we saw these men who sew garden chairs by hand

If you look closely you see the green plastic tub is sewn with great stabbing but can still function to keep shellfish in

The Malecon in Baracoa

When you hear Malecon you probably immediately think of Havana

Malecon however means seafront boulevard and can be found in many places

In this video you see the quiet Malecon in Baracoa

Plaza de la Revolution in Guantánamo

Every town in Cuba has its own Revolution Square

In my video you can see the quiet Plaza de la Revolution in Guantanamo

Cuban life in the streets of Baracoa Cuba

Click on the movie and you see the Cuban life in the streets of Baracoa

Baracoa has stolen our hearts with its tropical surroundings, beautiful beaches, laid back atmosphere and friendly residents

Before the Cuban Revolution the only access was by sea, but in the 1960s a 120 km long road from Guantánamo named La Farola was built through the mountains, which was one of the showcases of the revolution

Restaurant Rancho Toa in Baracoa is beautifully situated on the river Toa

We visited in Baracoa restaurant Rancho Toa

It``s a tradional peasant farm with different offers and services

The restaurant is beautifully situated on the river Toa and from here you can also take a boat trip

They have typical local foods like spit roast pork, vegetable salads, fruits, fried pork meat, rice with vegetables, coconut and good coffee

In Baracoa, we have visited a coconut plantation

It was lovely walking under the palm trees on the

coconut plantation in Baracoa

This was the "coconut graveyard" called

Under the coconut shells live scorpions and tarantulas

After visiting the plantation we were invited to the peasant home

We got a fresh coconut to drink and could eat as much fruit as we wanted

The house was made ​​of the wood of the palm trees and

the roof of dried leaves

The Toa river is well known for its crystal clear water

Click on the photo to enlarge

The Toa is a river located in the Guantánamo Province of Cuba,

which flows across the country

This river is 131 kilometers long, has 72 tributaries and crystal clear water

In Baracoa we sailed in a rowboat on the river Thoa and it

was a wonderful experience

All you could hear were the paddles through the water and the

singing of many tropical birds

The area around the river is home to many species of endemic flora and fauna, including at least 1000 species of flowers and 145 species of ferns

Tocororo

Species in danger of extinction, such as the Tocororo (which is also the national bird of Cuba) and the Hook-billed Kite,

are also among the fauna of this area

In Baracoa, we saw the process from cocoa fruit to cacao

In Baracoa we visited Finca La Esperanza to see how cacao grows and is processed

Theobroma cacao also cacao tree and cocoa tree, evergreen treeIts seeds, cocoa beans, are used to make cocoa mass,

cocoa powder, and chocolate

Cacao trees grow poorly in full sun and therefore cocoa usually grown under shade trees 

A cacao tree can be over 50 years old, up to 10 meters high and has a moderately thick trunk 

If the tree is about 4 years old, he is going to flourish and the flowers are produced in clusters directly on the

trunk and older branches

The flowers are small with pink calyx

While many of the world's flowers are pollinated by bees (Hymenoptera) or butterflies/moths (Lepidoptera), cacao flowers are pollinated by tiny flies, Forcipomyia midges

The fruit, called a cacao pod, is ovoid, ripening yellow to orange/red,

and weighs about 500 g (1.1 lb) when ripe

The cocoa tree yields only 30 to 40 fruits per year

(1 to 2 pounds of beans)

They are picked and broken open

The pod contains 20 to 60 seeds, usually called "beans",

embedded in a white pulp

The seeds are the main ingredient of chocolate, while the pulp is used in some countries to prepare refreshing juice, smoothies, jelly

Each seed contains a significant amount of fat (40–50%)

as cocoa butter

Their most noted active constituent istheobromine,

a compound similar to caffeine

The beans are dried in the sun

A ball of pure cocoa

The dried beans are then roasted

The chocolate milk was made ​​from pure cocoa and tasted delicious

Of course we bought a supply of chocolate in Baracoa