Honeymoon in Cuba

Hola!

Kim and I have just returned from our Honeymoon in Trinidad Cuba. We went with our good friends Bob and Susan who were our witnesses on our wedding day. Trinidad is a city of over 70, 000 people established in the 16th Century by Spain on the south side of the country cooled by beautiful Carribean breezes. It is known primarily for sugarcane and is filled with amazing Spanish Colonial architecture. The mansion near Plaza Mayor is preserved as a museum. Climbing its tower allows for a panoramic view of the city. (tower is pictured)

Our trip started at Pearson with the flight to Santa Clara lasting 3 and half hours then a bus ride through the (Pinar) Mountains for 3  more hours. We stayed at Brisas de la Mar on the Ancon Pennisula.  A resort of 241 rooms. Our room had a view of the beach. You have low expectation foodwise but we were surprised by the quality at the buffet, snack bar and al a cartes. The rooms were similar to most resorts although water presure was sometimes an issue and the place was 220 volt only. I couldn’t use my 110 volt battery charger. Luckily I had lots of spare alkalines for the camera. There are always little inconveniences in Cuba.

We met so many wonderful couples from Canada. One couple from Pt. Colborne was visiting for the 15th time. You would wonder why until you learned they were like family to the staff. We felt like family after a couple of days. Eosbanyo, Tony, Ernesto(who turned 44 on Saturday, so we celebrated with him while he worked at the piscina bar with song and cake), Douglas, Roberto, Jose and Angelo just to name a few, treated us better than we have ever experienced in Cuba. Tony even had us to his home for a lagusta (sp)/lobster dinner. His home is modest. He has been building it for 7 years. In fact, he has built on top of his mother’s home. It has marble tile floors and ceramic walls. The house is sparsley furnished. The kitchen doesn’t have a stove yet, so they cook outside on a propane cooktop. Across the alley is his mother-in-law and sister-in-law. He is married with 2 children, a daughter – 9 and a son 2 and a half.

Tony works as a waiter and bartender. He make 300 pesos a month, his wife makes 500 as an engineer. A peso is worth about 15 cents. When you tip in convertable pesos equivilent to a $1.04 cdn. its like giving them more than $15. The tips allow him to afford more of the luxuries of life… like shoes. Shoes are very expensive in Cuba. Most only have one pair of good shoes to last the year. Paper is rare. So we took excersise book for the school children. Tourists soon learn to carry toilet paper with them when out on excursions. Our excursions included a 6 hour steam train ride into the sugar valley (the train was working that day)and 2 trips into Trinidad to shop and see the sights. One of the best things for me was swimming in the Carribean sea. I love salt water. We went snorkling one afternoon in crystal clear water on the reef. It was a metre to 3 metres deep. We were surrounded by tropical fish.

This vacation gave us a better taste of the real Cuba. We went into more impoverished neighbourhoods than previuos trips to Veradero. In Trinidad, we experienced citizens constantly begging. They would tap you on the arm saying “Canada, Canada, peso por favor?” It is difficult to ignore but you would be without money by the first block if you gave to everyone.  That aside, we always felt safe and for a couple of pesos (cuc) a local, Ramone showed us around.

We had a great time and will likely go back to the same resort to see our Cuban friends. Despite the lack of things we take for granted, the Cuban people smile, laugh, sing and dance with real joy. They are as curious about us as we are of them. And as much as our lives are so full of wealth, I envy how they make the most of simple pleasures. Gracias to my new Cuban amigos!