Blogs from Central America Caribbean - page 17

Yes, it sure rained last night, judging from the huge and deep puddles, and was still doing so this am. So we got to poke around the room in the early hours – including doing some much-needed laundry (there are laundry rooms on every other floor of the building). The locals made it sound like today would be dreadful, but it cleared off and, while the winds were still up and coming from the “wrong” direction, it has been a lovely day. We checked out our Tres Trapi place (where we saw Hungry Boy turtle) and the waves were crashing over the rocks! We then stood and watched the kite surfers and wind surfers enjoying the winds at Hadicuri. Then we visited the Holiday Inn, where Tom and Amy had stayed about 30 years ago when ... read more

8:30 am and we are off and at’em, with a quick trip to the Huchada Bakery to get a frappochino each to go. But it turned into NOT such a quick trip. Yes, it’s always been busy – with maybe 4 people in front of us, but this was PACKED. Was David telling people about them too? Anyway, frapps in hand, we drove to Baby Beach, but not on Big Mama’s side, but on the n.e. side, near the padi dive shop. We had been recommended to try it for turtles. There were lovely sea oat trees for shade, and a sandy entrance. We did not see any turtles though, although conditions were lovely and calm and warm and not very deep. Then a huge black cloud finally drew near so 3 of us got out ... read more

We were all up and at ‘em to go snorkeling early again – would the sea lice be the issue again? NO, it was the abrupt change in wind direction and speed. There are white caps on the ocean at Eagle Beach and all up the usually leeward side of the island! So, it was off to Linda’s for Dutch Pancakes rather earlier than we’d planned. Mary Jane was there and liked her little gift of maple syrup. And the pancakes were delicious – we split the brie, walnut, and honey, Tom had the same, and Amy a gluten-free banana and honey. With the nice wind we thought it would be a good time of day to visit the Alta Vista chapel, built originally in the mid 1500s. We were inside the cozy contemplative chapel with ... read more

The other tour that Renata and I decided to go on was a Sugar, Rum and Tobacco Tour. Our first stop was a sugar cane museum. At the museum, we saw a collection of locomotives used in sugar production and learned how sugarcane is grown and processed. We even tried Guarapo, a sweet drink made from sugar cane We then enjoyed learning about and tasting the local rum while getting drunk in the process and we tried our first Cuban cigar (Definitely not for me). I can see why sugar, rum and tobacco play an important role in Cuban culture and enjoyed learning and trying their local products. So that marked the end of our Cuba trip. Definitely relaxing and a great getaway from everyday life. The cars, the people, the drinks; Cuba was a fun ... read more

Canadians love to go to Cuba for vacation. So, we decided it was time Renata and I finally visited Cuba. For the first time in Cuba, we stayed at an all-inclusive resort. We heard good things about the Melia Resort chain from our friend Andrea, who was travelling with us. We decided to spend a week at the all-inclusive resort Melia Los Americas in Varadero, Cuba The Resort The first couple of days were pool days, where we explored the resort, relaxed, and enjoyed Pina Coladas and other alcoholic drinks by the pool. The beach was stunning. The creepy critters were about and the local cats provided great entertainment. It provided a great mental escape from the everyday work life in Canada. The resort had a display of vintage motorcycles and cars one day and a ... read more