On the morning that we were planning to leave Havana by bus to Vinales in the eastern peninsula, our Casa owners (Ana & Rodolfo), decided that they would go there for the weekend too... so they invited us to join them in their vehicle for the same price as the bus... fabulous! What a great invitation! So off we went through beautiful terrain with our own built in tour guides...
Rodolfo took us straight to our reserved Casa where we got settled before meeting them later in town.
View from our Casa.
Street scene with bikes, pedestrians and oxen all in the same area.
That night, we went to the Artex bar that they were familiar with. It had great Cuban music. Later we went to a dance bar where we twirled away to salsa and rock music. Shayne with Ana and Yvonne with Rodolfo. Was great fun! They sure can dance!
The next day Ana & Rodolfo invited us to join them again at one of their favourite beaches north of town. What a gorgeous ride past remarkable mountains...
Playa Jutias, is 1 1/2 hours from Vinales following rough roads, windy roads, small towns with lots of oxen
pulling carts and oxen working in the fields.
In order to access the beach, you have to cross a causeway that has a guard. Ana had to register with him because she is Cuban. Some beaches still do not allow Cubans to be on them... this was one that she could go to. And what a gorgeous beach it was!!!
Had some good snorkels here seeing coral, starfish and camouflage fish.
It has a nice restaurant where we shared a meal with our two friends...
Then the rum came out, on the beach in a 26er, 2 glasses and a pop can. They mixed and poured and remixed for us to enjoy a homemade pina colada on the beach. Yum!!
Our time together with our wonderful new friends was coming to an end... back to Vinales...
Our time together with our wonderful new friends was coming to an end... back to Vinales...
Left Vinales the next day and headed to Havana in a 1952 Ford taxi.
As we were leaving town, our driver kept stopping to pick other people up. In the end, we had 3 other people
plus a dog in the trunk. The first hour was uneventful, but then .....the car made an emergency stop when smoke started pouring out the dash...seems some wires were overheating. We were worried we wouldn't make our bus connection to Varadero but he kept reassuring us that we would soon be on the road and there was nothing to worry about .... in about 10 minutes we went on our way again ...the dog managed to escape the trunk while we were pulled over....we noticed her and the sack rolling away down the shoulder of the road... Ha.
Cubans have learned to be resourceful with everything they own... they can fix anything!!!
The Autopist (freeway) from Vinales to Havana
Once in Havana, we tried to bargain a taxi driver down to take us to Varadero... no luck this time, so we took the Viazul bus instead. Three hours later we were at the Varadero bus stop with Lidia, our new Casa owner, waiting for us holding up a sign with our names on it. She took us to her Casa surrounded by beautiful gardens and outdoor living space - All for $30 / night and 4 blocks from the beach.
Casa Lustre - Calle 21, 4th Avenida y Autopista #402
Our garden breakfast spot
Our room entrance
Our breakfast frittata along with fruit, toast, coffee and juice!!
Lidia, our Varadero Casa owner, was a nuclear scientist and was on the design team for that nuclear power plant we mentioned several weeks ago in Cienfuegos....she is a great lady. She no longer works in that field because
she is able to make more money working in the tourist industry than as a scientist. Ha!
During our travels throughout Cuba, we asked many people about the economics of the island. Most were consistent in saying that the average wage here is under $50 / month!!! Consequently, those that are able and have marketable skills (ie speak another language), can earn more working in the resorts or in private Casas than in their area of expertise.
Our last few days in Varadero were spent mainly at the beach.
Mi Cuba es tu cuba...and it has been a remarkable 50 day trip through this fantastic country...Cubans are warm, generous and loving.... We'll be back, for sure!!
Ciao Yvonne and Shayne
PS - if you have any questions about anything, don't hesitate to ask.
It has been a pleasure showing you the beautiful sites of this wonderful country!!
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