We load
up in the van in the morning and set out westward
of Habana on the Autopista. Outside is extremely hot and all hitch-hikers (and
there are a lot of them) are concentrated in the shady spots. From time to time
we pass by Chinese Automotive Corp.'s 4x4s, strongly resembling the Russian
UAZ, which on their part have borrowed a lot from the first Toyota
Landcruisers. Long live the copyrights!
Our
first stop is the Orquideario de Soroa – one of the largest orchid
gardens in the world or at least according the Cubans. There, we are being told
that the last hurricane have blown away a significant part of the flora.
Luckily, the plants, for which was thought that will need years to recover,
have shown remarkable signs of revival just months after the calamity. We visit
some wooden sheds, where are shown the blooming orchids. ATTENTION: some kind
of botanical lecture will follow. As the roots of the orchids need lots of air,
the plants are not planted in pots with soil, but are rather in a peat
substrate or they just have attached to a piece of wood, hanging in the air.
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| Green waterfall |
