My Trip To Cuba

I did one of those all inclusive deals to Cuba. All you can eat, all you can drink deals. I was hesitant at first because I didn’t like the idea of living like a self entitled royal in a resort bubble while people behind the scenes are slaving away for less than a meagre wage. But I figured this could be an opportunity to meet some insiders and learn about the reality of the 2nd most visited Canadian destination. Plus, I always wanted to escape the harsh winter and this seemed to be the safest way. So here is my day to day:

Day 1.. At the Airport…

My partner and I arrived at the Santa Clara airport. Yes, it was nice to feel the heat in December. But the surprise didn’t end there…

 

Culture shocks:

A uniformed airport employee gets cozy on a bench with his arm around a female colleague. Later on, another female colleague joins him on the other arm.

A well groomed female employee had a very visible moustache, otherwise she had her hair tied up nicely, jewellery, makeup, neat clothes and all. I wrote it off as maybe a strange exception, but then I saw two other pretty women with moustaches. If only this trend was in Canada, I would save so much time and anguish!

And other observations:

Toilets were like North American ones, but they had no lids. I had to squat. This could actually be good for working out some important muscles, and its more hygienic because your arse does not touch a seat. But one wrong move, and then its havoc for the next users…

The roads were empty with the odd old-timey car. There are no street lights.

 

Finally at the resort…

Our resort is in a rather isolated island, miles away from any Cuban community. We had to pass a police check point. I thought that this was a place where Cubans were not allowed to go, but then I found out they were, but only if they paid like any other tourist. And some actually do (apparently, though I didn’t meet any).

As soon as I arrive, I drank myself silly with pina coladas, and throughout the week I fine dined as much as I wished, lobsters, shrimps, salads. There wasn’t one minute where I felt hungry. Even at breakfast time, I was still full from the dinner the day before. I found the food relatively good. I don’t know why many reviewers online said otherwise. I was happy.

Beware, the internet is flippin’ expensive and really slow! 12 CUC per hour! (which is around $15 CAD)!

 

In the bedroom…

It was relatively clean and spacious, but there were some minor problems, like the water pressure was low, and the toilet didn’t flush. A technician had to come a few times that week to fix the problems.

 

The next day…

In the morning, I could hear exotic birds chirping. It was like the sound of a pet shop, but better.

They made it a point to keep their guests of all types happy in the resort. Food, entertainers of all sorts, there’s a beach, volleyball, a ping pong table, even bingo. Oh and there was a gym, and a lot of stray cats around for people to pet. I found a room with a piano that I got to play with. But still, that is not what travelling was for me, so we bought these two day excursions.

 

 

Excursion 1 …

It was very well organized, in eight hours:

• I sailed on a boat (it’s a type of boat called a Catamaran)
• Pet the dolphins
• Had a lobster lunch
• Then went snorkelling and saw exotic fishes and corals.

 

 

Excursion 2… The Jeep Safari

They gave tourists a fleet of jeeps to drive. In 8 hours we got to…

• Visit an old village.
• Drink mango juice
• See a cockfight. Apparently a man died of a heart attack just minutes before we got there. His rooster won which meant $1000 cash. It was a very macho atmosphere with men hollering, shouting, alcohol, fighting, all that. Not my scene, but that’s what was included.
• Drink sugar can juice.
• Play with a parrot.
• Eat an authentic Cuban meal (which is rice and beans). It was by far the best meal. I liked the beans so much that I asked if I could buy some to take home. The guy gave me a bag full.
• We went horseback riding
• We jumped into the water by the falls.

The best part of driving of the jeep safari is seeing all the kids running out to wave to us as we were driving by. I wish I had presents for them!

 

The last few days…

We were beach bumming around.

We snorkelled some more, I got used to it and saw a lot more interesting fishies.

 

 

 

Notes:

No, not everyone speaks English. And the workers are limited to the vocabulary of their jobs, “yes”, “no”, “Wine please”. I brought a dictionary with me, which was useful at times. I wish I took a Spanish class before coming. I could have gotten way more insider information!

There was a TV in our room. There were some English programs. We saw an interesting documentary about Hugo Chavez. Very interesting person.

Cubans are paid around 12 pesos a month. Housing included though…

We tipped tooth brushes and tooth paste since those things are luxuries. Apparently they could also use floss.

If you are in Santa Maria, buy your rum and cigars at the airport! It was expensive at the hotel and the “shopping mall” (an oversized gift shop for all tourists on the island).