Cuba Tryp report
Cuba Tryp Report? ? ? 
No, it’s not a typo-we stayed at the lovely Tryp Peninsula resort in Varadero, Cuba for the week.? And oh, what a week…..
Typical daily temperature was 37 degrees C. Sun from dawn to dusk and cloudless, incredible blue skies above the hot white sand and turquoise ocean beckoned . We started each day with a 45 min walk along the surfline, then went in for a breakfast of cafe con leche, mango/papaya/pineapple, and fresh baked bread rolls. The biggest concern of the breakfast experience was whether or not there would mangos that morning. A conversation in Spanish with our waitress, Katia, would set the tone for the day.
? Back to our room to get “lacquered up”- hubby’s term for covering all exposed parts of the body with sunscreen- then off to lounge on the beach in the sun or under the thatched umbrella with a book.. More walking, swimming, reading, dozing, lunch and a repeat of the morning. Lazy hazy days of vacation…
Late afternoon was a time for shade, a beverage and time to relax before dinner.
One of the highlights for me was the nonstop opportunity to speak Spanish. The only time I spoke English was to my husband. Whenever we encountered locals on the beach,hotel staff, store employees and anyone else of Cuban origin, I was able to communicate easily . Such a treat and a confirmation of the value of the many hours of study and practice in Spanish.
Tuesday afternoon (unbeknownst to us the hottest day so far) we rode bicycles down the main road to the Plaza Las Americas to look for souvenirs. Thursday morning we went down the street on foot to do a site inspection of a brand new resort opened a month ago (can’t get away from work!) . After a 30 minute tour we continued along the road to view some other construction while getting some exercise and sun. Good to see that while many things are lacking in Cuba, obvious safety measures were there on the construction sites.
We had many opportunities to trade Canadian goodies/clothes/ toiletries for beautiful seashells with entrepreneurial locals along the beach. Of our 4 trips to Cuba, this one afforded us the greatest opportunity to speak to citizens and learn about life in Cuba. We are both delighted with this aspect of our trip. Most of the other tourists at our hotel this time were from Germany. There were some other Canadians and a very few from France, so it was quite a multi-cultural experience.
Our return flight was punctuated with updates on “the game” (Stanley Cup final). The weather here at home was normal for now, but seemed awfully cold after a week in the 30’s!! Back to reality and routine today, and back to the grind tomorrow.
So, that’s all folks. Hope you have some insight into why we enjoy this area so much.