Cuba Blog At Last

Okay, it's been weeks since I got back from Cuba and I am long overdue writing about it. Life has kind of got in the way, and I have been adjusting to some changes at work. Think I am just about doing that, so I am more able to work on my computer in the evenings now. Here is the first part of my Cuba write-up.... and there are going to be several more, with a few pics along the way. Hope you enjoy it.

I am also going to be writing in my Blog more regularly now about day to day things. It's hard to get a writing schedule going (as all busy Bloggers know), especially when you have other projects on the go.... but I am going to do my best.

Anyway, onto Cuba

Saturday June 14th, 2008

Cuba is not a country I had ever considered before. I've done a lot of travelling - not as much as many people, but I don't do badly. My destinations of choice have always been Greece (lots and lots of the islands over 22 years), Ireland (Dublin mainly and, once, Galway), the US (countless states and cities like Boston and my favourite, New York) and Canada (Vancouver). Cuba kind of happened by accident. Keith (my husband) and I were looking at going on holiday to Greece, but the Euro was doing too well for our liking, so on a whim, we decided to look for All Inclusive holidays in the Caribbean, as we know they can be great value for money. First we looked at the Dominican Republic, and then, we took a look at Cuba. To our delight, we found a fantastic deal on a hotel called Sol Rio De Luna Y Mares.

Thinking it was too good to be true, we tentatively checked out all the reviews we could find on the internet, and we could not find a bad review! Oh, apart from the people who complained that the sea was too wet and the sand too fine! That kind of thing! So.... we booked it. It was really exciting to be going to such a different country, and when the day came, we were raring to go!

You can't get Cuban currency outside of the country, so we took sterling to change when we were there. But, we didn't need much, as our holiday was an all inclusive deal, which meant that all our meals, drinks and snacks were paid for in advance.

The flight with First Choice airlines was relatively painless. For such a long flight, you always expect a bit of pain, but the aircraft was so comfortable, with lots of legroom, that it was not bad at all. Apart from the fact that it was FREEZING cold, and several people had to ask, time and time again, for the air conditioning to be turned down or off. Eventually, the message got through to the captain, who did the honours for us..... but this was after hours and hours of being cold. Oh well, a minor point I suppose, and at least all the complaining passed some time!

When we arrived the weather was glorious - really hot. I had been warned though, about the humidity, and the fact that I would have to put up with "bad hair" days for two weeks!! But I could put up with that to be away from the unpredictability of the British summer. Cold and rain was far from my mind!

Immigration in Cuba is much more relaxed than when you go to the US. No reams of paperwork to fill in, or questions about whether you are a terrorist or a Communist (ha ha!). The female official who dealt with our visa was wearing a VERY short skirt and black fishnet tights! I think all the men appreciated that after a long flight.

The journey to the hotel was just over an hour by bus, and it was very enjoyable, because we got our first glimpses of this beautiful country. The countryside was so lush, with many very colourful flowers, and lots of crops like bananas, avocados, corn etc. There were lots of people out walking, and taking shelter under trees. Animals like goats, cows and horses were tethered at the side of the road, thin and bony with ribs and hips (do animals have hips?!) showing. But this is a different life, a different climate. A fat animal would probably die of heatstroke!

One of the most noticeable things when driving in Cuba are the many old American cars. Up until the revolution in 1960, Cuba was the largest importer of American cars. Of course, now there is no trade allowed between the two countries, so the cars that remain from those times have been lovingly preserved and are driven with pride. They affectionately call them "old timers", and there were certainly a lot of them about.

A Cuban "Old Timer"

As we drove along the roads through the province of Holguin, we got our first glimpses of the Cuban people, and the impression we got from them during this time was the impression that stayed with us the entire two weeks. The people were friendly with very open, smiley faces, boundless curiosity (they gawped at us new tourists) and great senses of humour (we got saluted and kisses blown!).

When we reached our hotel, we knew we would love it. It was a pretty orange building, fringed with white, and like many of the hotels in Cuba, was an "open" hotel, meaning that there were no doors to enter it, it was just a big, open plan space in the lobby. There was a circular drive leading up to it, and lots of palm trees and flowering borders of many beautiful colours!

The beautiful "Sol Rio De Mares" - Holguin, Cuba

The sky was blue and on the air the sound of birds singing! Absolute bliss..

We were a little disappointed when we got to our room. It was pretty enough, but the view was non-existent, and all we had outside the balcony was a jungle of palm trees. We changed it the next day, but for now this was the first of FOUR rooms we had in total during our holiday!

Our first balcony view!