March 2019 - Back to Cuba...again!

Another year of work and another March Break holiday = another trip to Cuba!

As always, I went back to the same resort I’ve been going to for years - some may see that as boring, but I feel it’s like visiting ‘family’ and going somewhere so very comfortable.  And especially when I’ve only got that one week, I’m looking for the most amount of rest and relaxation I can get.

If you look back in my blog posts you’ll see a post I made a year ago after my trip in 2018, 6 months post Hurricane Irma.  Now a year later, that is actually how many in Cuba refer to time, as ‘pre’ and ‘post’ hurricane.  It’s really quite interesting, knowing that my photos are all of the same resort area, to look at them from 2017 and earlier, then in 2018, and now in 2019.  The devastation was shocking and absolute last year, and now a year later what was so heartening to see was the amount of regrowth!

 Only in Cuba have I ever experienced this - house cleaning staff who regularly leave me folded designs using the towels and bedsheets.

This is the building my room was in this year:

about as close as you can get to the water, and a great place to watch a sunrise from!

As always the beach is magical and as I said, to see the vegetation starting to regrow all over the resort again was fabulous!

Although Cuba isn’t really known for its ‘wildlife’, there were a few things that made themselves known this year.  Pelican friends coming to visit is a fairly common occurrence actually,

And a few other little birds always come around for a ‘hello’ as well.

And then of course there’s your Cuban rooster and bunny rabbit that you might run into:

This little guy however was very much out of his element and somewhere he didn’t belong.  One of the resort staff helped relocate him so he didn’t become ‘dinner’ for someone, or something!

This year, in addition to enjoying my days at the resort, I also took a day-trip to nearby Cayo Guillermo and Playa Pilar.  Not only can you see the regrowth in the vegetation over the past year, but there are also continued signs of things being rebuilt everywhere as well.  Here they are rebuilding the look-out tower at Playa Pilar (which as you can imagine, will have a fantastic view from the top!).  Obviously though, Health and Safety standards for work-sites aren’t quite the same as here at home:

 Notice the lack of safety harnessing...or anything for that matter

It wasn’t the best weather today so I don’t have the usual photos of crystal clear blue waters etc., but I still think there’s a beauty to be found in a storm as well...

And I don’t care what the weather is, who would ever say ‘no’ to a lobster lunch?!

Cayo Coco doesn’t offer much in the way of night-life, and the resort where I go thankfully doesn’t either, but it’s always nice to end the day seeing the show and supporting the local dancers.

 New this year was an evening program in one of the pools

And of course there are the things that are quintessential Cuba...

 Great music!

 Classic cars!

A Spanish coffee (or many):

And a mojito (or many!) 

And finally the end of another blissful week in my little piece of Cuban heaven.  Good-bye to Cayo Coco (and the Jardines del Rey airport) and hello to Toronto.