Cuba 2015- Day 7

So it finally happened... I got the staff here sick. Yuri, one of the beach staff/ evening dancers came to work with a nasty cold... I gave him the rest of my Tylenol Flu pills and some soft Kleenex (because frankly the Cuban kleenex are NASTY.
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Within 45 minutes of giving Yuri the rest of my flu pills I won a bottle of rum at the poolside lottery!! I am such a fan of paying it forward, good things will happen!!

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Tonight is Cuban night! I guess this celebration happens once a month so it is wonderful luck that we got to see it!

Although the resort was very well decorated and there was loads of energy, the music was exactly the same as we had been listening to for the entire week.... However there were some new twists that hadn't been done before!

There were these little characters! ... People covered in sheets? Not 100%  sure if there is a history behind these characters  or if they were just having fun messing with us!

All the matching dancers! There was actually some american music intertwined with theyr Cuban classics!

Some amazing bikers!

There was so much dancing at this event! They really take their dancing seriously!

Cuba 2015- Day 6

So we're coming into the home stretch so I've been reviewing the week that we've had. We stayed at the Iberostar Playa Alameda Resort in Veradero. The staff has been remarkable, from waiters to cleaners to entertainers- everyone here is so energetic and happy! Five stars for staff here!!

A lot of the people in this picture performing also man the beaches in the morning. I'm pretty sure some of these guys work 16 hour days! Everyday! And days off don't come excessively often it seems!

This waiter was awesome, he would remember your drinks from the night before and have it ready before you sat down! I discovered Banana Daiquiri's while down here,.. Essentially banana rum and lemonade but mmm it was good!

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General maintenance on the resort however gets maybe 2 stars.... The A/C in our room doesn't really work very well which made the nights a little warm (again expecially coming from our lovely NS winter). I am unfortunately already having a hard enough time sleeping with my wonderful cough! The key card slot on our hotel door actually has begun wearing out the card before the week is up, it's like playing roulette every time I have to pee!
Whenever I need to use the washroom I return to the room because all of the public washrooms (excluding the lobby one) are a horror story!! ZERO maintenance! Obviously no one is assigned to maintain these washrooms! One toilet was overflowing and flooded the entire washroom (aaand of course I was only wearing flipflops...)I tried using the same washroom 2 days later and it was still completely flooded... The second one near the beach was in decent repair however maintaining the toilet paper was something else that was neglected... If I had my purse I was fine ! I am always packin' tissues- especially this time of year.. But if I was just running in from the beach I was screwed. It didn't take long to realize it was worth running back to the room.

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So I missed the show AGAIN tonight.... We dined at The Romantico International Restaurant tonight... Well now that won't be happening again anytime soon. I got hit with a lovely wave of food poisoning. It hit me like a dart of shooting pain and I couldn't run fast enough!

Cuba 2015- Day 5

I spent most of the day today in the ocean, which made for an insane amount of sand attached to my body!!

Myself and the younger brother... I don't call him my little brother anymore for obvious reasons!

I had a very early night last night, I think the heat is starting to get to me (considering the NS winter has been extended this season) I unfortunately had to miss the circus show last night.. I bet it was swell!
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I did however hit the tropical show tonight!

It was a quick show- about 30 minutes in length but it was very well done. The dancers were very talented and the costume changes were flawless.

Cuba 2015- Day 4

My cough is getting attention! An older gentleman from Paris came and chatted me up today, concerned for my health of course... Or I was annoying the crap out of him.... My goodness subtlety is not something Europeans practice... He was a very large man... In a very small speedo.

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We went on a catamaran trip today, free on the resort- a man took us out on the water for 30 minutes. It was very enjoyable, the air was nice and fresh! The boat navigator couldn't really speak English so he was pretty quiet however we chatted up the couple that sailed with us. They were from Lower Sackville ! What are the odds!

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Tonight's show was The Lion King, it was very cute. Filled with lots of comedy! At one point one of the actors lost the top of their costume, it was definitely a good laugh! It amazes me how hard some of the staff here work. The same people who played characters in the play where the people watching the beach first thing in the morning! Dear god I hope they get paid by the hour.
Anyways back to the Lion King! I am hopeful the movie comes up on the Disney Movie Club soon ! I now have a craving to re-watch it!

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We had dinner at one of the finer restaurants tonight- Their Seafood Restaurant. The main course was very good, I just had fish- nice and safe! (I don't do well with seafood). When the dessert came I was ... surprised. I had ordered the creme brulee... And I was given pudding.... with a fruit sauce. I guess Cuban creme brulee isn't ... Bruleed....

Cuba 2015- Day 3

Got a free cigar with breakfast- Yay!

Also I love the little touches

Today was a pool day! Coughed up a few lungs and got a good chunk of reading done.

I'm reading "Second Grave on the Left" it's the second book in a series by Darynda Jones.

I like it, it's an easy read! Very witty and the subject has always interested me. I'm a sucker for a story about a girl who makes her mark in the world as the Grim Reaper- dating the son of Satan (he's hot- so we don't mind his broken family haha) Charley is so whitty and sarcastic, and she's a bit of an outcast in her small town thanks to being able to see dead people since she was a little girl, but her new found gift has made her a very successful private investigator (since y'know.... she can talk to murder victims after they've been murdered) so she's made a name for herself.

The book is sexy and full of suspense to keep you reading, it's a super easy read over the pool. I couldn't handle anything too dramatic while trying to relax... And I didn't feel that 50 Shades of Grey was appropriate for the trip... So it stayed home.

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Man, the waiters and maintenance people who work here really lay on the charm! (green card much) I helped a waiter with his iphone - afterwards I couldn't get rid of him! And I couldn't go to the washroom without being told how beautiful I was - They were really workin for those tips ;)

Cuba 2015- Day 2

So the body has adapted to the humidity quite well- unfortunately this means my lovely Nova Scotia cough is back with a vengeance! It's okay though! The alcohol flows very good here so "hydration" is not an issue.

My lungs have come accustom to the humidity however my hair has not! YIKES

Beach Day today! Like seriously... spent 8 hours at the beach today!
Cuba has proudly made strides in their country- socialist tendencies diminishing, they can buy land and they can be entrepreneurs which means... On the public beaches...

"Cigars my friends?"

"Private tours!"  

They're all so cute- so energetic <3

There's a Michael Jackson tribute concert tonight! This should be good!!

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An independent hip hop group was brought into the resort to perform the show, it was definitely centralized around the dancing, all the singing was lip singing.. If they were pretending to sing at all, but the performance overall very very good!

Cuba 2015- Day 1

Well let me tell you... Today was the never ending day from hell. Anything that can make traveling unpleasant happened in the past 24 hours. We departed Halifax at 6am which meant an airport arrival at 3am. I worked until 9pm... So yeah no sleep for me.
Oh! And didt I mention that I've been battling one of the worst flu's of my young life (Thus the lack of activity in the past couple of weeks)
The fever broke on Monday night thank goodness (I had tickets to see Video Games Live on Tuesday night so I was so relieved) but a lovely dry cough has lingered to remind me of my dance with death... Along with the challenge of sleeping all night...

But nonetheless I am going to Cuba to relax! I couldn't wait to get into the high humidity climate just to breathe again!!

Taking off!!

Get on the plane- hoping to take a little nap (after my nap at the gate failed... People were staring) low and behold I am sitting a row ahead of the loudest screaming baby I have ever heard. Let me tell you this child never gave in. 4 hour flight- minutes of silence... Maybe. I have to give props to the flight attendant to tried to lighten the mood, while serving my coffee she asked "Now... was that 2 creams or 2 scream" with the little energy I had left I cracked the biggest smile I could and said "you're funny" we shared a giggle and she continued down the row. The only thing that kept me from turning around and smacking that mother for putting this little one through an all nighter and high altitudes was the knowledge that she was even more miserable then I was ;].





















An unintentional photo of the momma in a selfie... and her flawless lipstick.

After 4 grueling hours, we arrived in Veradero... My ears neglected to pop- attempting to get through security was a nightmare! The security guard had to ask "have you been to Africa?" like 17 times before I actually heard him! I'm kinda surprised he let me through!
Still with unpopped ears we head for the charter bus that will take us to our final destination. Thank goodness our tour guide was cute! Gave me something pretty to look at as we drove along with the beautiful scenery.

Arrival at the hotel! We made it! Nothing more can possibly go wrong right? Heh.... Room won't be ready for another 4 hours!

We tried to roam the resort but after a minor incident where I fell asleep standing up in the lobby we were able to get into the room before it was completely ready for us (who needs clean towels anyway) NAPTIME! Where is my Nyquill??

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Well I went down for ~4 hours. NOW the vacation can begin! Sporting SPF 60 (I like my pasty skin) it's time to hit the beach!!!

Divine vacation has truly begun!

The food thus far is a little sub-par, but one doesn't exactly go to Cuba for the food! We go for the delightful staff and well.. Free booze!!

This will probably be my longest post until the departure comes... I don't plan to do a whole lot on this vacation :]

Cuban Cola... It's good. ;)

Rest, Relaxation, Recovery!