Pilote's Travel Blog no. 4 - Pre- La Havana

Stating the days won’t be helpful since I will be posting these on my blog upon my return, if nobody reads them so be it.  They will be a memento for me, memory gets very spotty as one ages.  A few days ago I was finally able to hit the pool, completed 15 laps but the water was very cold.  Swimming in the ocean was a no go as the waves were still too big and the wind too powerful.  Not an ideal day but we made time as best we could and the Russians kept on coming.  There seems to be two somewhat distinct groups, a younger set with the girls all willowy and the guys all fairly muscled up or skinny as well.  The second set is older and of the more paunchy variety for both sexes.  They pretty well stick to themselves which is understandable, the linguistic barrier is a hard one to overcome and they’re not all that friendly in any case.  

The weather improved remarkably after my pool expedition and we were finally able to lounge on beach chairs in the sand and play in the ocean which is basically what a tropical vacation is mostly about.  The water in Varadero is the nicest we have ever had the pleasure of swimming in.  It’s warm, the waves are gentle, there’s no garbage and the color is unbelievable.  The sand is white but not as powdery and fine as the one in the Yucatan, here nature hasn’t quite finished pulverizing the rocks and the shells which can be painful to walk on if you’re not careful.

A few words about the food.  This all inclusive is probably on the lower rung of the echelon of all inclusives the quality of the food being a dead give away.  No croissants, no bacon, no sausages, no French toast for breakfast but the usual eggs (plain) and omelettes with an assortment of recycled whatever food is left over from the dinner of the night before such as macaroni, yes they serve it  for breakfast!  This particular macaroni has been reincarnated many many times in a variety of fashions with a variety of sauces none of which are remotely appetizing.  Generally food which is grey and black and semi-gelatinous looking is not appealing to the taste buds, we did have a dish which fits this description.  The lunch and dinner don’t vary too much from each other except at dinner you can expect something grilled like fish or a big ham or turkey. The salads are non descript, the cheese is wafer thin and we saw a mouse jump out from the ornamental bread display. O.K. that wasn’t pleasant but hey take it in stride, I’m sure the 4 and 5 stars outfits have mice too they just keep theirs better hidden.  The resort employs a lot of people although it's difficult to figure out what they really do.  They walk around and fill out a lot of forms and appear very busy or not depending on the time of day.  They’re all working for the government since there are no huge corporations or mega enterprises here. A recent article on Cuba in the National Geographic had this telling quote: "We pretend to work and they pretend to pay us".  The state is definitely in charge nevertheless small c capitalism has made some in roads in mom and pop type businesses which is a good thing.  There are two types of economies and currencies in Cuba.  There is the regular economy for ordinary Cubans who get paid and buy their stuff with the Cuban peso and then there is the peso Cubano convertible which is the currency all foreigners use.  Cubans can also use this currency if they can get their hands on it.  Since the average wage is very low about 300 pesos a month mas o menos there is a definite advantage to scoring those convertible pesos which allow you greater buying power and access to better goods but more on that later.  Tomorrow we’ve booked a trip to La Havana so breaking down this post into two. See you in Havana tomorrow, Cuban style.

Before tackling Havana wanted to add a few more comments about the food.  Came back from another excellent dining adventure (chuckle, chuckle) actually there was rice and fresh fish, the tablecloths even looked fresh and we risked having another glass of white wine which was a tiny bit better than the last time we had it.  It’s either a different batch or our taste buds are adjusting.  The mood was very convivial which is the plus side of being in a smallish place, it’s not very formal at all which we like.  A couple of guys with guitars and strong voices show up almost every evening to sing classics like Besame, Guantanamera, La Bamba and by personal request Hotel California, yes that song has “legs”, it’s made it all around the world more than once and it just keeps on going.  Listening to news of snow in Quebec on CTV, very very shitty reception but caught enough of the weather forecast to make us feel happy that we’re here and not there.

La Havana: