Back From Cuba and Couldn't Be Happier To Be Home…

For the most part we had a lovely trip, but I have to say that nor Patrick or I would recommend Cuba. There was nothing absolutely terrible about it, but out of all the places we've been it is pretty low on the totem pole of places we'd recommend ;)



We departed on Monday, January 19th out of Vancouver on a direct flight to Varadero. Our tour operator was Sunquest and we flew with Air Transit. The flight was uneventful enough - Air Transit had none of us sitting together…including Patrick and myself, nor my sister and her husband. Not sure why air transit didn't "link" us together…

We stayed at what is now called "Oasis Hotel Turquesa" which is a 4 star resort…although the rooms were clean (my sister's room had a few bug problems) and spacious, they we dated. Each room was fitted with two double beds that could (?) be pushed together… Despite our generous daily tips for our maid…there were often not enough towels, and at one point no clean towels just a bunch of dirty ones left on the bathroom floor (?). The in-laws had a bit better experience - they were left with notes from their maid…how nice, eh?



The resort was on the smaller side and only offered one buffet and one a la carte restaurant…the buffet was TERRIBLE (in my opinion)…it smelled disgusting (yes...I used the "d" word, and left your clothes smelling) and after a few days I couldn't even go inside of it without having an upset stomach. My family teased me a bit about brining snacks (crackers, chips, nuts etc)…but they were my saving grace! They did have a snack bar available…where I ate many of my meals, but even that was tiring after awhile.

Because it was a smaller resort, it was uber easy to get around, which was nice. Our room was only a few steps to the pool, which was only a few steps to the buffet and entertainment area. This was a good thing as I opted to use our room bathroom instead of the pool/buffet/entertainment one which was nearly always out of toilet paper and often flooded (once it even flooded into the entertainment area - EW!).



The beach area was beautiful though - probably one of the nicest on the strip. The sand was lovely and the water was gorgeous…when the sun was out that is. We probably went on one of the worst weeks of the year…we only had about 2 good hot/sunny days out of the 7 that we were there for - which was a bummer. The evenings were all cool and one was down right freezing…we huddled in blankets to stay warm…lol:



On the first cold-ish day we went into the little town of Varadero. We wanted to take the double decker bus, but because we were among the last pickup spots on the strip the bus was full by the time it got to us…after waiting a good 45 minutes we opted for a regular tour bus to take into down…it was $5 each. $5x7=$35 for the group of us…we should've taken a taxi…hind sight is always 20/20, right?



The tour bus stopped in front of the Varadero primary school. The kiddies were outside for what I'm assuming was recess. When we stepped off the bus they ran to the fence asking for candy. Some people had some…I felt badly as I had left my fruit snacks at the hotel when I could have shared them with the children…

We walked around Varadero towards Jonsone Park. There wasn't much to see along the way. We stopped at all of the little markets…which of course sold all the same souvenirs…lol…at this point, these Caribbean countries have begun to look all the same to me…terrible, I know. One thing that was noticeably different from the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Jamaica, were that nobody was harassing us to look at their wares for sale - this was a treat I have to admit.

Once we arrived at Jonsone Park, we were able to make Patrick's wish come true…we rode the park's resident camel. Yes, you read that right. Patrick's wish was to ride a camel…random, I know. At $5 a ride, it was a pretty good deal. Patrick, myself and Meg and Pat's Mom all hopped on a camel and enjoyed a tour of the park.



This park was likely the only worthwhile thing to see in the town of Varadero…that and the town provided us the opportunity to forget about the buffet and enjoy a couple of the restaurants which were pretty tasty. We lunched at one of the restaurants in the park and then took a horse and buggy ride back to where the bus was to pick us up.



When we were dropped at the bus stop, Patrick's Dad went to use a washroom…the next thing we know, we see him driving by waving in a taxi - lol…luckily he was kidding, and he wasn't going to leave waiting for another bus… I think the taxi was about $14-$20…Patrick's Dad treated, so I'm not sure of the exact cost…but I think it was well worth it.

On one of the more sunnier days Patrick, Meg and I rented scooters. Well, Patrick and Meg rented scooters while I just rode on the back of Patrick's. It was a pretty cheap ride - $12 per scooter for 2 hours. This included the cost of helmets…which were really glorified baseball helmets. The plan was to head to Cuba's "largest" mall and perhaps stop at some of the local caves. Well, of course the scooters had just enough gas to get us to the nearest station (how convenient…). It was cheap to fill up…but hard to find a station… On the way we stopped at "mansion"…which is now a ritzy bed and breakfast (if they even have "ritzy" places in Cuba…). The view was beautiful though and again, the colour of the water was gorgeous. Compared to the DR and Mexico, the roads felt relatively safe to drive on…we didn't see anyone on a scooter transporting a microwave with 4 little kids on it (we actually saw this in the DR and something similar in Mexico).



Once gassed up and finally found the "largest" mall in Cuba (which was really quite small, expensive and not really worth the stop) we ate a HamiHarri Special pizza at Pizza Nova…it was divine! And for anyone wondering what the heck a HamiHarri Special is, it's pepperoni, green peppers and tomatoes - yum, yum!



By the time we finished lunch our two hours were up, so we didn't see any of the caves…I don't think we missed much though.

That evening we were booked into the Italian a la care restaurant (you were only permitted one visit per week). Unfortunately my brother-in-law got sick…not sure if it was the food or the flu…at any rate, he ended up missing dinner…which was a shame because it was a nice change from the buffet.

The next morning, Patrick's parents headed home…it felt like we had just got there and were sad to see them go (but didn't miss the smoking Martin!!!) - that aspect of the trip was really too short. That was the day we had also booked the "Havana Special" day trip. Other than seeing the in-laws, this was truly the highlight of the trip.



With the currency conversions, the trip was a little expensive (about $200 CDN) it was still good value for the money. We departed at about 8:15am and had an excellent tour guide. The trip from Varadero to Havana is about two hours (we made a quick stop along the way for refreshments). This was the perfect amount of time for our guide to tell us a bit about the island and its history.



Random facts I remember:
-Cuba sits on a lot of oil…soon enough you might find oil rigs on resort property (how nice, eh?)
-There are no private business' in Cuba. All are owned by the government.
-Any private business you might find on the island are illegal and are part of the "black market"…for example $10 CUC lobster dinners often found in Varadero or Holguin = illegal

-If you are a regular citizen of Cuba you cannot purchase a new vehicle, nor a new engine. When asked why this was the case, the response was "I don't know"…

-Only the government can slaughter cows. If a regular citizen does slaughter a cow they may face up to 15 years in prison - yikes!



-The divorce rate in Cuba is over 66%. The cost for a divorce in Cuba is ~$5 - wow!
-It is nearly impossible to build a new home and impossible to purchase a previously owned home. As a result there is a serious housing shortage. Most homes are passed along form generation to generation. Many homes house several family units. Ex. Grandparents, cousins, in-laws, newlywed. Possibly the cause of such a high divorce rate?!

-Regular residents of Cuba do not have access to internet.
-It is very difficult, if not impossible, to make calls outside of Cuba while in Cuba.
-Catholicism is the national religion, yet the least practiced. They've only been celebrating Christmas since 1998…

At the half way point on the drive to Havana we made a stop at a little roadside snack bar. I went to buy a juice box for $1.50 CUC and was nearly scammed out of $5 CUC. I paid with a $10 CUC bill (it was all I had) and received only $3.50 CUC back…of course she had already put the $10 CUC in the till and clamed that I only have her $5.00 CUC and proceeded to ignore my protests, suddenly not understanding, nor speaking English when she had been able to only moments before At that point Patrick came over to see what the problem was and it wasn't until he started to raise his voice demanding the money back did we get it - so lame!

Anyway, once we arrived in Havana we were given a little tour of Old Havana…it is a lovely little city. It has old cobblestone roads, old and somewhat maintained buildings, and an interesting cast of characters residing in it.

During our tour we came across the exactly lady pictured in my Lonely Planet Cuba travel guide - I kid you not!



For $2.00 CUC we were able to take a picture with her…man is she old…lol We didn't mind paying her…but we did have issues with paying this woman caring a mop and bucket sitting beside her. I love it when people expect tips for doing absolutely nothing for you - we ended up paying her as well though…

After our little photo op we carried on to see a big ole Cathedral in one of the town's squares and then onto Hemingway's bar.






Along the way there was a "talented" caricature-ist that drew my sister's picture and proceeded to demand payment for his work…she obliged and is now left with a lovely "realistic" picture of herself.

There were also two musicians who attempted to serenade Meagan (much to her avail) and then also demanded payment. She tipped one of them expecting them to both leave her alone and split the tip. Once I saw her pay, both Patrick and I figured we might as well take a few pictures of her "enjoying" her serenade…they two musicians then proceeded to demand payment from us…we declined explaining that we were her family and taking pictures for her…even after much harassment from them.



We ended the little tour in a government owned cigar shop. Apparently this is the best place to purchase cigars as "black market" (because everything none government owned is part of the black market) ones are known to be made using banana leaves. We purchased a few cigars for the Tropicana Show later that night, as well as some cheap rum ($3.50 CUC for a 750ml - so cheap!).

At that point we were given about an hour and a half of "free time" before meeting up for lunch and getting a tour of New Havana. We stopped at one of the tourist infested restaurants (which was part of a "ritzy" hotel) for a mojito and a bathroom break. The toilets had no seats and no toilet paper :( Meg had remembered to bring some to Havana, but left her purse at the table and forget to bring it in with her…lol. One of the "bathroom assistants" tried to charge us for being shown how to use the hand dryer…we declined to pay…

We all ordered a mojito from the restaurant, supposedly "one of the best." It was sub par at best…not that it stopped me from drinking both mine and my sister's… I think they were about $4.00 CUC each and I don't think they contained any sugar, very little rum, and no lime… In fact, the entire time we were there I didn't get to sample an "authentic" mojito. All were made with tons of fresh mint leaves and rum…but no sugar muddled with lime wedges…this was a bummer as I LOVE mojitos!

After our little sit down we ventured into the market. There was tons of art and little crafty nick knacks. We bought some Cristal coasters (the name of a Cuban beer) for Patrick's "man's room" and some little parrot salad tongs. It was a jam packed market. As we walked through the odd Cuban person whispered "cigar lady" into my ear as I passed by…attempting to sell me some black market cigars - no thanks!

From there we met up with the rest of the tour and carried on to lunch. There were a few choices for lunch, but I opted for chicken and Patrick opted for beef. Both were served with rice and some sort of roasted squash…lunch was tasty enough, but a little off putting with all the cats roaming around - eek! During lunch, in another part of the restaurant they were setting up for what I can only assume was a child's birthday party…it looked like a brightly decorated wedding reception it was so elaborate…it was a Disney theme with about 15 cakes in total and tons of balloon decorations…it was craziness. For a country that carries on that they don't have access to varied food an supplies this child's birthday didn't indicate that this was so…unless it was for a Cuban Prince…



After lunch we moved onto New Havana… We checked out the square where Fidel made his 7 and a half hour long speech as well as the Capitolio…



I wish we could have spent a few more hours roaming the Capitolio area to get a real taste of Havana and not just the touristy areas…but it was not possible...



We also made a stop at the Christopher Colombes cemetery…where *supposedly Christopher was to be buried…apparently his remains are in the DR though…who knows, and frankly, who cares!

After this part of the tour we were dropped at a hotel to freshen up before the Tropicana Show. We were asked to form groups of 8 to share the hotel room…the five of us (hubby, sister, sister in law and brother in law) joined with two other women who were vacationing as a birthday trip. I think we lucked out on the room arrangements as there were some old bitties I wouldn't want to have to share such tight quarters with!

The view from our room:




Once we were all changed into our dress up clothes (and long pants for the men…opposed to short pants…lol) we had a drink in the lobby whilst waiting for our 7:00pm dinner…at, you guessed it…another buffet! I was able to find a charm in the hotel jewellery store for my bracelet…Cuba's national stone is a simple black one…

The dinner buffet was a big improvement from our resort's…but it was still a buffet. Our waitress was a miserable old grinch that couldn't seem to crack a smile if she saw cute little bunnies frolicking under a rainbow…oh well

After dinner it was off to see the Tropicana Show which touts itself as "World Famous." After paying $5.00 CUC for the privilege of using our camera (we opted out of taking in our digital recorder as it would have cost an additional $15 CUC to do so) we settled down into some of the worst possible seats available at the show… I'm sure some people at our table were able to see, but Patrick, Meg and I were out of luck! Luckily we were able to move to another table with a much better view.

The Tropical Show was pretty impressive, but some parts seemed a little tired. We compared them to the dancers at our resort (which were surprisingly very good) and they just didn't match up. The costumes however, were much better…one thing they don't seem to lack in Cuba are sequins!!!



All in all the first part of the trip was worthwhile as we were able to spend time together as a family. However, I don't think we'll be back to the Caribbean for a very, very, very long time. It is all beginning to look the same and feel the same… Perhaps this is because we ended the trip in a very negative way, or perhaps it is because we've only been spending our vacations on various little islands instead of experiencing new areas of the world such as Europe…if we crave sun and sand we'll be heading to Florida, Cali, Spain or Greece…or back to Hawaii…but I think we've seen enough of the Caribbean…

Even though it wasn't our favourite destination of all time...I'd still rather be doing this


thank sitting here watching TV in chilly Victoria ;p