Hi Clare,
I am back and I am peeling!:-( There goes my tan!
We got back on Thursday and it was a great time.We went to Varadero last year as well.So the airport or Veradero wasn't that new to me but the resort was.
Nothing really exciting happened.Going through Customes in Cuba can be a little annoying b/c they stare at you for a few minutes to make sure that you are who you claim you are.Even when we arrived at the hotel the people at the front desk kept our passports over night.Do you think I would have made it this far if I really wasn't LoriHart? My Dh also got his Walkie Talkies taken away from him at customes.Apparently you are not aloud to take them into Cuba.
The resort we stayed at was further out on the Pennisula then last years resort so it was a little winder.But it was o.k b/c the temp was around 30 degrees and it could be very hot if the wind wasn't blowing.
The people were very friendly.I am so amazed that these people make such little money.I know they do good with tips but still.The govt.down there also owns all of the homes so the resistents do not pay mortgages or rent.If they want to move to another home they have to apply for a move.The bartender at the swim up bar (his wife also works on the front desk)and they have 3 kids, between them they make $25/month.I am assuming that the govt.must pay for their groceries as well b/c there is no way people can live like that.
I also really noticed this time that I think their manners may be a little different then ours.If we went to one of the restaurants,stores,front desk..etc....you had to wait for them to finish talking on the phone or talking to their co-workers.We would never get away with that here.Can you imagine being at work and telling a co-worker what happened last weekend and not helping out a customer instead? But I guess that is the way they do things.
We went off of the resort on tuesday.It was even hotter at the flea market.There was no wind and no releif from the sun.A few people asked for money but nothing we didn't expect.There were alot of horses,scotters,and really old cars.But then a a big 4-Runner would go by and we would be saying, "who in the world owns that"?
They speak very good english in Cuba.I think Cubans are VERY smart people.They guy that worked at the fitness centre was studing to be a professor and his wife is a Dr.
The food in Cuba is very blah.They use little or no salt and the same with sugar.The desserts looked good but they all tasted the same.I lived on pasta,bread and pineapple.
They are also WONDERFUL dancers.And they all love to dance.They could be dancing while they are cooking.Its all in the hips.
The resort we stayed at was a beautiful one.It was also like a small town.It was made up of complexes instead of one big hotel.There were 3 pools,alot of bars and the a few restaurants.
They are also very aprticular over their cigars. they only sell them for a few hours aday,thent hey put them in the back room to "rest".Not quit sure what that meant,
anyway,I have to run,really I am going for run...if there is anything else you want to know,just ask!
Lori
