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Finally, somewhere to drop our things for a few days and have a rest!
Tim and I are not very good at stopping to enjoy time go by when we are travelling. We're always worried that we might miss something or that there might be a better place than where we are; we're always on the move. It results in a whirlwind schedule. This week we forced ourselves to sit on a beach in the Caribean and just chill out for 4 days. (Tough job I know!).
Its not really our kind of thing, but we booked ourselves into an all inclusive resort. After trying to work out where to stay, what to eat, what to do non-stop for 3 months it was great to have everything sorted for us. A typical day included a late start, followed by a buffet breakfast. Then we'd wander down to the beach and pick a good umbrella and lounge chair and laze in the Caribean heat, with the white sand beach and azure water as our view. We might have one or two swims in the crystal clear water between reading our books, but nothing too taxing. After a day on the beach we'd head up to the pool area, play a game or two of mega connect four, and then hop in the pool for some basketball. Ocasionally we varied the day by hiring a pedlo or playing mini-golf, but other than that, life was simple. The staff put on great shows in the evening and after a few cocktails and some food, we happily wandered back to our bungalow and called it a night.
It was a rather pleasant four days. My only regret is that this is not really Cuba. The staff were great and some of the other guests were cool, but what you see is again the shiny veneer. Beneath the veneer, socialism is ever present.... the staff are highliy educated announcing each activity in 5 different languages; the security guard at the front door of the hotel played world championship baseball in Edmonton in 1994 (how many American baseball players have that job when they retire!?); the staff all hitch to work because no-one has a car. Despite all this, they all seem happy. Who am I to judge?
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