The roosters started at 4am. With earplugs and a pillow over my head, I was able to tough it out, and got up around 7. I went for a short walk around the neighborhood, hoping for pix, but didn't get any.

I had a nice breakfast at the casa, then was picked up promptly at 9 by my guide and his horse. It was a very relaxing morning riding the trails around the farms, seeing people at work in the fields, and admiring the beautiful scenery in the background. The mogotes are karst outcrops the size of small mountains.

Our first stop was at a drying house for a tobacco farm. I had a private explanation of the cultivation of tobacco and a demo of rolling a cigar. I got some good pix. When I turned down his offer to purchase some cigars, I did not get the heavy sales pitch I was expecting.