Cuba - January 13th-20th, 2012

So I had a couple of hours to finish packing after doing Grandma's funeral (January 12th) earlier that day and then we were off to Toronto. I mostly just shoved stuff into a bag but we didn't forget anything so God must have been helping me pack. We checked out at 4 am the next morning (which went smoothly) and all 9 of us got to the airport with the huge airport bus. They finally get through the line to check the luggage and we had lots of wiggling to do with the carry-on as they were weighing it as well (never had that happen before). We finally made it through and off to Cuba we went. We arrived in Varadero Cuba airport and got our luggage without a problem. We waited in line to check in and only two of the room were ready. So we were taken to our rooms by golf cart The kids wanted to go swimming right away so we tried to find all the bathing suits and towels and we hung out at the pool the rest of the afternoon. We discovered at dinner that the kids have a kids disco every night at 8 pm. So we went and the kids had a blast. It was a hit every night. We didn't stay for the other night entertainment the first night but we did stay for some of the others. The shows didn't start until 9:30 so it made for late nights. We did go to a Grease production one night and another night was a fabulous trick bikes act with two guys. The next day we had breakfast at the buffet (lots of choices), Jamie went to order some tours and dinners at the a la carte restaurants, we walked around the resort a bit and played on the beach (it was a very wavy and a red flag day so no swimming). We had lunch and then took the double decker bus to the town of Varadero. It cost $5 each adult and the kids were free. We went to a park for a while, to a market and then just walked to see how the people lived and happened to find an amusement park of sorts. Then we headed back to the resort but were on the long bus ride back. Ethan had had a nap on the bus so he was able to to the kids disco afterwards. He had a great time dancing away following what the other kids were doing. Sunday we had a lazy day just staying around the resort. We went to the beach bt it was quite wavy. The kids played in the sand for a short while. That night Grace and Henry took the kids in our room as we had to leave early in the morning for our tour to Habana, the capitial city of Cuba with my mom and Avie. We left the resort at 7:30 am and on the way to Habana the tour guide, Xavier explained the Cuban life/culture. It was nice to hear. Interesting how a 1985 car can sell for $15,000, how most families need more than one income so they live with their extended family (parents, brothers/sisters) and hence the need for several floors in a home, how they have free university education but have mandatory miltiary service and so on. When we got to Habana we stopped at the old castle just outside Habana. It was an interesting building made of all stone and cannon's everywhere. If you look over the water you see the "old Habana". We stopped there after seeing the castle. Xavier showed us many different buildings within the old city. After being in the old city we drove for lunch in the newer part. We had a traditional fried chicken with rice and black beans dish. The bathrooms in Cuba were interesting as many of them had their toilet seats stolen (Xavier said they can get $35 for one) and there is no toilet paper or towels anywhere. There was also a lady that stood outside the door for tips to use the bathrooms despite the lack of paper products. I not sure exactly but I guess they see it as we clean the toilet and you pay for it. We also visited the capital building and then the tower with several government buildings. We had a long day as we didn't arrive back at the hotel until after 7 pm, had dinner and went to the kids program again. The next day, Jamie, Avie and I did a morning tour to swim with dolphins. The bus ride was fairly short and then we travelled by boat for 30 minutes with 25 other people. Once we got there we were let off onto a platform set in the middle of the ocean. We each had a 30 minute session with the dolphins. Avie and I went first and then Jamie. We split up so we could get lots of pictures. This was only a half day tour so we were back for the afternoon with the kids. Stayed at the pool. Wednesday and Thursday we spent the whole day at the beach. These were the best days weather wise. Wednesday there was slight waves but on Thursday there were no waves at all. Jamie mostly built (the kids and the rest of us helped a bit) two huge sandcastles. One of them got modified into a princess bottom dress for Kendra (complete with sand for boobs). We went out in the kayaks and the paddle boats too. We did witness a wedding on the beach, a guy came out with some pelicans (he had fish you could buy from them) and also a photographer with an iguana. Lots of fun just hanging out together. The last day, Friday, we had to leave from the hotel at 7:30 am so it was a rush to pack everything and eat in the morning. I handed out some of my gifts (kids clothes and some soaps) to the staff (which most of them spoke English very well). I'm sure these people are well off Cubans but hopefully they were able to pass some of it along to others that need it. Our group was seated all over the plane but we were all tired so I don't think it mattered. It was a great time to reflect on Grandma's death and just be together at the same time.