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Places Visited: Varadero, Havana
For our second trip to the Caribbean we planned it with friends. We had never been away together as a group and thought it would be fun; although with our group of friends we start off big and all gung ho but only a small number of us actually went. What became nerve-racking was that during our planning phase, September 11th happened.
January 2002
Cuba si...
The smell of the warm Caribbean air in Cuba made Dar and I nostalgic for the Dominican Republic. It was a familiar feeling being at the Brisas del Caribe Resort in Varadero - we were back in PARADISE! It was another 7-day all-inclusive package yet this time we were with 6 other people (Al, Er, Caro, Bobs, Trish, and Ar).
Brisas del Caribe was an older resort divided into the original and a newer section. There were several restaurants (the grill being our favorite), several pools, all you can eat and drink, and everything else the 4-star resort had to offer. Funny thing about being in those all-inclusive resorts; what makes them so appealing is that as long as you remain at the resort you can eat all day long, lie on the beach all day long or occupy yourself with every activity under the sun all day long and you don't have to carry around one single penny! It's amazing!
We could not leave Cuba without a day trip to Havana. A beautiful city with so much history behind it, we learned so much from our tour guide Rafael. Our first stop was a fort to take pictures of the Havana coastline and then on a walking tour of Old Havana. The Spanish colonial architecture was simply remarkable. We even got to see the café where Ernest Hemingway frequented. After a quick bite to eat we headed to the Cemeterio Cristobal Colon (not quite sure why a cemetary was on our route but it was educational nonetheless with the story of the Milagrosa) and then to the Plaza de la Revolucion, site of the renowned speeches given by Fidel Castro. Other points of included El Capitolio, the Canadian Consulate and the Cuban Air Force Museum.
To our delight my cousin and her fiancée decided to get married while in Cuba. On a beautiful hot January day they said their vows as Dar and I stood witness. It was a special occasion for all of us made possible by the resort. There was even a wedding planner to assist with any and all bridal needs. A lovely ceremony complete with a 3-piece Cuban band playing "Besame Mucho", their first dance song. After stuffing ourselves with champagne and wedding cake we did what any wedding guests and newlyweds should do...head to the beach!
Cuba libres! Mojitos! Cigars! And of course salsa, merengue, mambo, and cha-cha! Since our Dominican Republic trip Dar and I started taking latin dance lessons and now we needed to put it to good use. We love to salsa, bachata, merengue, and cha-cha and the Mambo Club in Varadero was the spot where we partied and danced til the wee hours.
Bring on the sunshine...
Varadero was great for the sandy white beaches and refreshing Atlantic Ocean. Although the weather did not always agree with us we did manage to get in a few sunny days towards the end of our trip. Sunbathing on Varadero Beach, cooling off in the water, hydrating ourselves with tons of rum punches and pina coladas - what more could we ask for? "This IS the life!"
For the third year in a row and for the third vacation in a row, I became discouraged upon our homecoming. It wasn't enough that once more we returned in the middle of winter in Montréal, but that the very next day I had to leave for Ottawa as I was now working and living there. Being apart from one another was torture and not knowing where our relationship was headed since we were living in different cities was pure anguish.
Everything finally worked out later that year when I changed careers for the second time by finding a job in my hometown and moving back. By year's end I had the accident and by early 2003 he had proposed. Saving up for our wedding, we postponed our yearly trip for 2003 until our honeymoon the following year. I truly do believe everything happens for a reason!