• Submitted by: manso
• Travel and Tourism
• 05 / 19 / 2011

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STUDENTS have ridden on the back of a Cuban farmer's bull as part of a trip to discover the heritage and history of the country.

Truro College students travelled more than 1,700 miles by bus across the Cuban landscape.

The journey began in Viñales with a visit to the World Heritage site, where Cuban artist Leovigildo González, disciple of the Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera, painted a 120m-high mural depicting the animals and creatures that inhabited the valley in prehistoric times.

While at the mural the group's tour guide introduced them to a local farmer and his bull. He enthusiastically invited the students to take short rides on the back of the impressive animal.

Ploughs

Student Alys Pink said: "The Cubans have these bulls to pull their ploughs and work on the farm land. Cubans are really not big on petrol and you hardly see any cars outside the cities. Instead you just see these massive bulls."

The group spent a further three days in Havana meeting locals at community arts projects and were even serenaded by a Spanish rap artist.

The houses and walls that snake through Havana have been transformed over the years through various arts projects and have become a people's art gallery, cultivating and reinforcing the strong sense of community that can be felt today. Trip leader Moneeza Masood said: "It was a really important experience for the group to spend time in the Havana neighbourhood. The Mural Project gave them a chance to witness a positive and creative response to economic hardship."

Source: www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/education/bull-rode-farm-beast/article-3566506-...