Cuba

Early November. The first snowfalls were beginning. Jeff had finished work for the season. The boat was hauled out of the water and about to be shrink-wrapped for the winter. The American election, which we really were preferring to avoid (no offence to our American friends!) was set for November 8th.  What to do?  What to do?We decided to treat ourselves to a week get-away at an all inclusive resort in Varadero, Cuba.  We'd never done anything like that and we weren't sure what to expect.

It was lovely. Most of the week was spent lazing or playing ball by the pool or on the beach.  There was a show every night which was actually pretty good!  One was a show in the pool with synchronized swimmers dressed in sparkly costumes.  Of course Jeff and I had a blast making complete fools of ourselves trying to replicate some of the moves the next day in the pool (not to mention sinuses full of water).

We took two excursions, one to Havana with a couple we met from a small town outside of Edmonton and their two teenagers, Christine, Peter, Korban and Kindra.  The other excursion was a jeep safari, where we got to drive our own little 4-wheel drive.  We shared our vehicle with a sweet young couple from Toronto, Taylor and Hamad.  On the agenda for the day was a visit to a spot for snorkling, an underwater cave with a natural, crystal clear pool for swimming that was absolutely beautiful and probably one of the most refreshing experiences in a long time, a little fishing boat we used to take a spin up a river, and a farm, where I got to ride a bull (Save a cowboy, ride a bull).

Here are a few highlights:

Every day was warm and sunny, with only a couple of very short rain showers all week.  

Days were spent playing ball on the beach or in the pool and chatting with other vacationers.

Many long walks along the shore were enjoyed.  One day we went out on little hobby cat, with feet dangling in crystal clear turquoise water. We even stayed up really late and danced a few nights away in the disco!!  And guess who was leading the congo line (Hint: Jeff).  It was a nice escape.