Perhaps no other part of Cuba is as well known for its hospitality than the mountains of Oriente province. After hiking up and down from the Gran Piedra, a natural monument in the Sierra Maestra, my fellow Cuban-American friends and I discovered that we had run out of water. No problem! responded our always resourceful driver and beloved guide, Ernán Hernández. After stopping the car and calling out a few times, we suddenly found ourselves with not one, but a whole posse of machete-carrying Cubans. They helped us knock down a few young coconuts from the ubiquitous groves of trees. Then, taking their blades, they sculpted a fine hole and drinking spout at the top of each one. Wow! Forget what you thought was coconut water—and after you drink your fill, don’t forget to split them open to suck down the tender, sweet masa de coco you find inside. Sierra Maestra, July 2016.
