The DER below is from the expedition to Cuba that began on March 8, 2017.
From our base in Cienfuegos, we traveled a short distance to the Bay of the Pigs (Bahia de los Cochinos). This long, narrow bay became famous in 1961, when, at the height of the Cold War, CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched an attack on Cuba that was defeated by the Cuban armed forces, headed by Fidel Castro. We had the chance this morning to visit a fascinating museum on the subject, that helped further our understanding of those pivotal events.
Along the bay lies the Zapata Swamp, one of best wildlife reserves in the Caribbean, where a total of 19 of the 21 endemic land bird species of Cuba can be found. Some of us left before dawn to reach the area at daybreak, where we met with Orlando, a local park warden, who managed to show us 10 of those 19 bird species! It was beyond our wildest expectations – in about two hours we saw the Cuban trogon, Cuban tody, Cuban parrot, Cuban parakeet, Cuba screech owl, Cuban vireo, Cuban oriole, both gray-headed and blue-headed quail doves, and even the smallest bird in the world, the bee hummingbird!
We later headed to Punta Perdiz where we snorkelled and SCUBA-dived in crystal clear waters, among the corals and fish of the Caribbean Sea. Lunch at Tiki Restaurant in Playa Larga was followed by a fascinating presentation about the diversity and conservation challenges of the Zapata Swamp National Park by one of the park managers, Armando.
We continued our day with another wonderful people-to-people experience, as we visited the Korimakao Community Centre for the Arts, a place that gathers many of the most talented young people from around the country to create innovative art in many fields: painting, theatre, music and dancing, among others.
