Hotel Los Jardines – Vinales, Cuba

Time for something completely different. This ones from the archives. 2005 in fact, way before I had a digital camera. This is the spectacular view over the valley  of Vinales, located in the Pinar Del Rio province north west of Havana. One of Cuba’s greatest natural attractions, the valley was declared a National Natural Monument for its remarkable landscapes.Apparently  it is the finest example of a karst valley in Cuba, where mogotes (the knolls with rounded tops and steep slopes you can see in this shot), contrast with cultivated lands-mainly tobacco, taro and bananas-and scattered peasant houses, all forming a rural landscape of great beauty. We loved our time there (though the food wasn’t brilliant!). Technical: Nikon F80, Fuji Reala 100 (though this is processed based on a terrible Jessops scan of my negative. Dont let Jessops scan your film!). Single jpeg tonemapped, minor adjustments in lightroom.