Varadero

VARADERO

My first impressions of walking out onto the nearly empty white sand beach was that it reminded me of Indonesia; Thatch huts, palm trees, and very little development on the actual beach. It was weird. It felt more like being in South East Asian than in the Caribbean. But all of the wonderfully beat-up vintage 1950's American cars colour coded like summer popsicles put a weird time warp spin on the place that wouldn't make sense in any fictional novel. 

Normally I avoid the souvenir stands in the tropics as they are filled with what my Father calls, "trinkets and trash" but in Cuba the usual made in China junk is replaced with mass produced but hand crafted junk that is much more charming. Again, the money that tourists use, the Cuban CUC, is on par with the US dollar. And with the exchange rate and fees that meant that Canadians were getting about 63 cents on the dollar. Cuba wasn't cheap. It was cheaper. If you want cheap you'll have to head to south East Asia or Mexico.

The highlight of Varadero is when my oldest brother Kurt got to play guitar live on stage at a packed out door club! He played, "You Really Got Me" with the local classic rock band (including the solo!) in front of several hundred people at an outdoor patio restaurant called The Beatles. He told me later that he hadn't played with another musician let alone playing live for several years. At the end of the gig he told me in all seriousness, "I don't think I'll be falling asleep early tonight." When my Dad was recording the event on his camera at the front of the stage he mentioned to the woman beside him that it was his son who was playing the lead guitar. She replied, "Your son is fucking awesome!" My Mom later joked, after we all shared a bottle of rum in the park like teenagers, that her sons are all fucking awesome. Thanks Mom!

Golfing in Varadero is exceptional. The ninth and eighteenth holes are right along a cliff that drops into the wave crashing Caribbean Sea. Our sunset sundowner cocktail on the outdoor patio along the same said cliff at the back of the Dupont Mansion while smoking a fine Monte Cristo cigar was for me, sublime. I had the best lime Daiquiri ever and watched the colour of the clouds change. All with my family for once!

Even though the weather was crap I still managed to go for a quick chilly swim three times. Nothing beats swimming in a warm ocean with it's frothy waves, sun, and white sand. And afterwards, the relaxed feeling flowing through your bones. I can't wait to jump in again. Hopefully soon!