Much more of Cuba · Feb 19, 04:22 PM

Well, I guess I’m not the ideal guest at an all-inclusive resort. None of us are. We had half a day of sitting around and we were all ready to get out there and explore this island.
On our first full day here we rented scooters in the afternoon and rode an hour to the next big town and you know, they’re right when they say if you don’t leave Varadero you won’t see what Cuba is really like. We rode into Matanzas, had a look around, ordered some pizza (which is really basic and is everywhere!) then rode home.
The next day we spent a bit of time lounging on the beach and organizing the rest of our trip.

Tuesday we rented a car in the morning and drove into Havana and it was fantastic. We got a bit lost on the way but with a little help we were back on track in no time. When you enter Havanna, you go through the tunnel (El Tunel) and it pops you out right in old Havana which is really beautiful. Old, colonial style architecture, long, skinny streets and lots of people around. I felt very safe there and enjoyed it immensely. We did a little walking tour on our own, watched the sunset on the Malecon (seawall) then had a great dinner with live musicians and very strong Mojitos. Jess was our designated driver and we got back to our hotel late that night without any problems.

Yesterday was a beach day and it was a great one! We managed to make it to the breakfast buffet just before it closed at 10am (it seems to be a challenge most days!) Then we sat under palm umbrellas and read our books for a few hours, played in the surf, had a short spanish lesson and watched Jess and Colin face off on the giant chess board. There is lots to do here and the hotel is packed. It’s kind of like a Sea Lion colony (but less smelly) with lots of noise but mostly just people laying around everywhere.

Last night we ate at the Japanese restaurant (which you have to make a reservation for in advance because it’s always busy) and sat around the big grill for Teppanyaki (Japanese-Village style). It was really, really good! We’re pretty sure the guy who hosts “Daily Planet” on the Discovery Channel was sitting across from us with his wife and 4 kids (3 of them triplets). Jess also struck up a conversation with the couple beside us in French. Then he went into Varadero (the town) for a street party with them. What a party animal. The rest of us slightly regretted not going…but were happy to have an early night for once.

Today we headed to Bahia de Cochinos, otherwise known as the Bay of Pigs. Yes, it is famous for a battle but I won’t explain that now because you can always look it up on Wikipedia. One of the guys who does tours from the hotel took the four of us to his favorite spot there for some snorkelling. It was pretty good snorkelling and at the end Jess and I saw a Barracuda. It was really big! It looked long and thin like a swordfish and was probably four feet long. We saw him right at the end of our snorkel and I was kind of glad to be done at that point. We drove back and stopped at a little place to order some pizza. It really looked more like a place with 3 or 4 empty market stalls but they did have some food and it was pretty good. Nowhere to sit – this was an eat-and-lean kind of place. And they were cutting up a huge slaughtered pig there too. Kind of interesting but I didn’t look too closely. The guts were already gone so it wasn’t too gross but I was happy to watch from a distance. On the way home our awesome guide told us lots of stories and stopped to chop up some sugarcane for us to eat. It sure makes a difference to do an excursion like that with a local, and with a small group. We learned a lot about Cuba.

We have a few days left and intend to spend them doing a lot of nothing. If you’re reading, leave me a message. Adios from Cuba.

1. Sounds heavenly.
   Aloha.

   
   — Lara    Feb 19, 06:47 PM    #

2. I’m so envious!!! Have some rum for me :)

   
   — Bonnie M.    Feb 24, 05:34 PM    #

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