Cuba Day 1

I’m here!!!  In Cuba! Sola! 

Getting off the plane, I could have been on any lovely temperate island – beautiful, brilliant shimmering shades of green, palms and small trees, bushes and grass surround the asphalt runway warmed by gentle balmy winds, beneath deep azul skies with a small heap of gray clouds hovering in the distance behind the airport building. And yes, one airport building that we walk to after de-boarding down a set of portable stairs wheeled over to the airplane door.

A short but beautiful rainbow shines through the clouds like an exclamation mark! A fabulous welcoming. I totally forget the Spanish word for rainbow I just learnt – I know it is arc-something, so I am unable to point it out to the several short-sleeved uniformed womyn and men who stand casually marking the path we are to take into the large, one roomed building where our luggage is beginning to spin slowly around on the two conveyer belts.

As we wait, a dog appears to be happily weaving his way through the tourists standing around, gathering their things, before heading toward customs. I see he has a leather collar and think how quaint, allowing a dog thru customs before I realize he’s really methodically searching everyone’s luggage and beings for something, drugs maybe? Surely not weapons or food.

All of us tourists are herded into one of the 20 or so buses parallel parked to each other. It is now almost night so our hour trip to Guardalavaca will take place in the dark – so much for seeing Cuba. Anyway the interior bright lights are kept on the entire way so we can only see our high definition images reflected as clearly as any mirror.

My first misgivings start creeping in as the bus driver hands out free beers. When I found out alcohol was free, it was not a draw for me but I didn’t take into account how many folks will be coming here to drink themselves into oblivion. Drunk tourists…grrrrr.

At the hotel, I find out the dinner buffet ends at 9:30 and I finish registering at 9:20 so before going to my room, I rush to the 2^nd floor and grab a plate. Actually I grab 2 plates – one I fill with papaya, guava, and pineapple; the other with eggplant, tomatoes, yams, fish and beets. Everything is so very yummy and healthy! I’m pleased with the buffet.

My room is clean and simple, overlooks the large pool and the ocean is several feet beyond. The door to my room opens into the large bar area where people are drinking and smoking. There is also an ashtray in my room. I cannot attach the mosquito net anywhere and there are a few little ones hanging around. I consider approaching the desk but there’s still a line of people waiting to get into their rooms so I take a late night walk on the beach. It is quite lovely, the tide is in, a sliver of the moon is showing in the dark, sporadically clouded sky, and the water is mild, tiny waves lapping the beach as if she were a lake and not the Atlantic. I can see no one else on the beach even though it is not so late. 

I return to my room and fall immediately to sleep.