Cuba 2014 - Part 3

Back again! Here's the last installment of photos from my trip to Varadero, Cuba. 

The second to last day we spent on the beach. Feeling the impending doom of returning to cold, snowy Canada, we wanted to soak up as much sun, heat and loveliness as possible, and I think we were all a bit tired from the previous days' action.. It was also Valentines Day! We figured the trip was present enough though, so no huge romantic gestures or events for the boyfriend and myself ;)

Just the boyfriend and I at breakfast. It was a low-key morning :)

The waves were huge this day and really fun to jump in!

We relaxed on the beach all afternoon. It was "Cuba Day" at the resort and they had a yummy barbeque by the beach, which we enjoyed. 

Our plan for the evening was to go into downtown Varadero, to a restaurant recommended to us by one of the resort staff. She said they have the best lobster in Varadero. 

 Again, no pictures of this unfortunately.. Too busy living life I suppose ;) We took taxis into downtown, and shopped at the large market square they have there. We bought some souvenirs for ourselves and friends/family.

I love these salad tongs, for my sister and her husband.

And a little t-shirt for my soon to be niece or nephew! (excitement!!)

A car made out of Coca Cola cans! I thought this was awesome haha. For my little cousin.

After the market we made our way to the restaurant, which was small, but you could tell the food was going to be amazing. If you're ever in Varadero, it's called La Rampa Restaurant on 43rd Street. We all ordered the 2 lobster tails (15 pesos) and some beers. We all scarfed it down pretty fast and it was really delicious. The lobster was cooked in tons of garlic, and it came with sticky rice and some vegetables. We all enjoyed it so much, I wish I had a picture to show you!

After dinner we decided we didn't want to pay for taxis back, and we knew there was a double decker bus that takes you back to all the resorts for 5 pesos a person (6 of us), as opposed to 40 pesos for two taxis, we'd seen it dropping people off outside the market, so we were going to walk back that way. But then one of our friends saw one of the charter type buses parked on the road and there were no passengers, only the driver. So he went and asked if he would take us back to our resort and the driver said yes! And only 3 pesos a person. I don't think he's normally supposed to do that sort of thing, but he made a few extra pesos for himself. It was one of those funny, spontaneous things that happen when you're on vacation..but I definitely wouldn't always recommend getting into a strange vehicle in a foreign country. We recognized the company of the bus he was driving though, so we felt safe enough. 

We spent our final night in Cuba on the beach after dark, (drinking of course) and we built a shelter out of the stacked beach chairs because it was a really windy, kind of chilly night. 

Two security guards came by and we all had a really nice chat with them, they hung out with us all night until we left. It was interesting to talk to them about their lives, and if they enjoy their work, etc. They said resort jobs are pretty good jobs to get in Cuba, if you can. The language barrier was kind of funny, lots of miming and hand gestures. The security guards were very friendly, and both had families, so we gave a lot of the clothes and things we'd brought, to them to take home. They were very grateful and gave one of our friends a nice bottle of rum! 

It was a great way to spend our last night. Chatting and drinking with friends, old and new, reminiscing about the trip, and life in general. 

The beach after dark. No one around but us!

  

The next day was our final one in Cuba. Our bus to the airport didn't leave until 6pm, so after breakfast and checking out, we stored our luggage at reception and spent the last hours by the Rock Pool. We were all a bit hungover, and just wanted to relax before our flight. We discovered a giant checker board outside by the Rock Pool, so a couple of us played while the others watched from the shady benches. We were all pretty tired from the last couple days, so we actually napped by the pool, under a small hut/umbrella, it was actually really nice. 

Goodbye Cuba!

Eventually it was time to get changed, and hop on the bus to the airport. Our flight was a little bit delayed, and we got back to Canada around 2am. Needless to say, we did not accomplish much the next day haha. 

It really was a great trip. It was my first time traveling with friends as opposed to family or significant other, and I really enjoyed it; lots of memories made. We've already been talking about where we'd want to go next year! Any suggestions?

All photo cred. goes to my boyfriend and myself.

Cuba 2014 - Part 1

Hey guys!

So a couple weeks ago I went on a trip to Varadero, Cuba with my boyfriend and some of our friends. It was my first time in Cuba and I was really excited to experience it. We arrived around 10pm on a Friday; two of our friends had already arrived and they brought us drinks while we waited in line to check in (talk about friendship). After check in we all dropped off our bags, had showers and got some more drinks; ready to start our vacation off right!

 We spent the first day at the beach.

The beach was beautiful!

 And the second day at the pool!

So was the pool.

Unfortunately on the second morning I woke up feeling like I was getting a bit of a cold. I think from the climate change, but thankfully relaxing by the pool isn't too strenuous ;)

The next morning I woke up feeling even worse! A mixture of a night of partying, and a suspicious ham and cheese sandwich, shared by the boyfriend and I. Let's call it a poor tummy day and leave it at that. Cuba isn't known for having the best food.. After a nap I eventually felt better and joined my friends on the beach!

Two stray dogs came along to visit with us; they were so cute! 

I've imagined this doggy fairytale, where the two of them met, fell in love and live on the beach happily ever after :)

We also saw a wedding on the beach! Lots of odd spectators but romantic nonetheless. 

Next day we took it easy on the food and drink, and we spent half the day on the beach and half by another pool at the resort, which we dubbed "The Rock Pool," due to the massive rock structure you can walk through!

This was more of a family pool; less rowdy and party hardy than the first.

After our day in the sun we cleaned up and went to dinner. We had reservations at one of the à la carte restaurants on the resort. The food here was better than in the buffets, and we all had a good time. I got the fish while everyone else had chicken. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of this night, (bad blogger! But hey, I'm new.) though sometimes you just have to experience life, instead of documenting it, right? I think a friend might have snapped some shots. We all called an early night, we had to be up early the next day..

I'll end part one here, because next up is the most exciting day: the Jeep Safari!

All photo cred. goes to my boyfriend and myself