Cuba Days

Cuba Day 4 and 5
The Keys..
Part 1

You will all be happy to know that my Grandmother's birthday turned out great.. The party was a huge success and the family enjoyed themselves to the bitter end which was a little after Midnight.. It hardly seemed like we were in the island nation celebrating with a mariachi band and the entire family at a restaurant that overlooked the entire city. It was a magnificent site... Everyone was happy and had a great time.. The drinks flowed, the food was fantastic, and the cake was absolutely amazing...

Today we are in the tourist rich Keys... An area that immediately looks different then the entire island.. From no where large foreign and cuban owned hotels that are every bit as nice as any in the states pop up, air conditioned Chinese made copies of Toyota busses everyehere and everyone seems happy and content, not to say thats not the case elesewhere because from what I have seen it is.... This is a beautiful place where we packed up 15 of our family members and came to the beach for a full day of all inclusive activities inclusing drinks, food, rentals of equipment, beach equipment, and everything you can possibly think about.. and of course lets not forget about the reason for coming here the pristine beaches that seem like crystal glass filled with water.. Its a beautiful unexplainable site that one must be here to fully grasp the way this place looks... 

We will be here modst of the day and even eat a late dinner at 600 PM before we leave back to the city.. On the way back we will pass the same citiues and provinces we did on the way here but the lack of almost 1,000 people waiting for rides into the touruist areas.. I actually thought they were waiting on the bus, that s until our guide explained that there are no buses and rides are searched for by the locals on the side of the road.. we later saw one such bus, a huge cement truck packed with people who had been on the side of the road earlier.. 

So you see, even if you work in these areas getting here and then getting back can be a real mission.. But all and all, the Cuban government does a very good job of maintaining these places, with an airport, good roads, and even great accomodations and tourist rich activities. With what little they have they have managed to create tourist rich zones on the island and even to paint most cities so that tourism continues for many years to come.. 

Until tomorrow when hopefully I will be able to send some pictures...

Beautiful Island of Cuba

A big hello from Cuba..

i am writting all of you from the beautiful island of cuba where I could not have imagined I would even have this level of access to write these blogs. I arrived yesterday on the island in Havanna, drove to Santa Clara where my family is from, and am today at a government run internet site posting this blog.. Simply amazing..

Its so hot in cuba and very few people know the existance of AC however for the most part `people seem very happy and honestly the island has unimaginable places that you cant possibly imagine unless you are here in person.

There are beautiful beaches, Island inland getaways with views only seen on this island, and then there are the millions of friendly people who greet you with open arms and are there around the corner to make sure your stay is as memeorable and enjoyable experience. Alrady I am having a great time here...

i am staying with my entire family in the city of Santa Clara at a hotel named after the city called Santa Clara Libre, ironically enough it means The Free City of Santa Clara. The city has got some of the better preserved building anywhere I have seen. Coming to Cuba is like time warping back in time as its many colonial buildings are still in place and intact, as if you had simply gone back in time. Very few modern, concrete buildings have been built that hamper the beautiful views and city scapes of thse great cities.

As soon as I can I wilol send some pictures to share with all of you on this city so you can see for yourself what beautiful views and infestructure it truly has..

Until tomorroew enjoy the rest of today.. and remember I have an entire webstore that has rtecently been completely updated and is ready for new customer.. 

Cuba Days, Tourist Stuff With Family and Friends

Cuba Days 6-9
Tourist stuff with Family and Friends

The last few days on the Island have been mostly spent onn going around and seeing what each family household needs. In other words, a window that needs repairing oor replaced, a rooof that needs fixing, a household that is shoort on food, one that needs plaster or paint and then have been going around and trying to find these items in a country where these things do not exist or are hard nearly impossible toi find. However this year we found that everything we waanted to buy was readilly available and purchased everything we needed in about the two days we had allotted to the search. We purchased wardrobes for some family members, windows for others, as well as friends, connected flat screens that no one seems to know how to opperate, and helped spruce up homes with small items such as plates, glasses, stemware, paint, and a few other basic items such as toilet paper. Everyone here seems to need something yet their spirit and determination is completely alive and kicking. The tourist dollar only stores (correction new chavo - the term used for the converted american dollar) are rich in merchandise but at prices way out of reachj of most the Island. A shovel for example costs 20.00 and most cubans make 10.00 a month.

I also had my first experience in a Cubann Gym these last few days.. To say it was an experience is an understatement. No real equipment to speak about, or for that matter much of anything.. It was two bars, one bench, and outdated and broken stairmasters, which of course did not work.. There were two bars to be shared by everyone and thehy were full of rust and the smoothie bar was commpletely emty but yet there was still someoone working there, the massage area and steam, sauna, and bathrooms were long ago shut and the entrance fee 5.00 USD, which they think is a bargain.. I hear that most good gyms are in Havanna and I agree that Havana is perhaps the closest one gets to feeling like they are back in the states. Although sometimes when I am in the hotel in the room, with the AC full blast and the TV tuned too ESPN, I feel the same but as you open the door and feel the heat and run into the brooken elevator that forces you to walk down 9 flights of stairs annd be completely drenched I realize where I am Cuba. All of this and I would not trade this vacation for a week at the best greek villa on the islands of Mykonos.

People here are waram, friendly, and everyone survives, they know how to party, act, yet survive. The Cuban Spirit is strong determined, and willed to move ahead and make through these times so that they can live a better tomorrow. One thing is for sure the construction here is absolutely sturdy and if this place were to ever see a Lowes or Home Depot or something similar, the reaction would be a better island, one full of tourists, and one completely renovated and invigorated...

We went to a place called LA Granjita, which was Fidel Castro´s old Villa oor House  here in Santa Clara to eat yesterday with our family and friends and at $12.00 all you can eat buffet style dinnner, it was a bargain to have the pleasure of seeing my family and friends enjoy such a wonderful meal and savor every moment, including thhe all you can eat Ice Cream Bar, which seems unimportant to us yet is a super luxury on the Island, and some with us had never seen one.. Its amazing just 90 miles from here is the southern coast of Florida and the city of Miami, with everything available and yet here its a differennt world where everything is a chore too find or get a hold of.

One thing I will never get use to is the lack of paper towels or napkins.. There art none anywhere, you get one for lunch, dinner, and none in the bathrooms, even in the hotels.. So trust me on this when going to the bathroom and going to do number two, do it in your room for a surprize will definitely hit you, if you do it in the public areas.. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE...

Today we are going to say goodbye to most of the people we love and care about in a big celebration outside the city at my grandparents old home, one we completely renovated by sending money from the states. One of three homes we have completely rebuilt here on the Island even added AC, noty too mention the coutless windows, paintings, concrete for other homes of our friends and family we have helped with. For you see with western monney and funds everything is available, for that RIGHT price... then is back to Santa Clara to spend the nighht and tomorrow at 2:00 PM we leave for Havana to make sure we check in by 6:00 for our 10:00 PM flight and back in Miami before 11:00. When we land we will have traveled not only 90 miles but in a time machine forward in time to 2011..

And although I will happy to be back, I will not be able too stop tyhinking about my family and close friends still here on the Island fighting everyday to survive..