Today we went to Varadero. It took two and a half hours in the van, but I slept on Madison's leg and it was very comfortable. We went to a house with beach access where we could leave our things. The owner of the house was really nice and I was happy that we went there to swim because I think we had a less tourist-y experience.
The beach was gorgeous... clear blue waters, fine white sand, and there were palm trees fringing the shore. We swam, relaxed, used Sarai's snorkel mask to see the fish, floated, found seashells, and enjoyed ourselves a lot. I spent most of the time with Pepe, Sarai, and Madison. Pepe found us a conch shell with the creature still inside that was pretty cool to see.
For lunch, Madison, Pepe, and I ate the most flavorful fish filets from a restaurant behind the house. They brought it to us on the patio of the house so we could eat them with the fantastic views of the sea. I also had a lemonade made with native Cuban lemon/lime-type fruits. I think that the food--a filet of pargo fish, congris (rice and beans), mashed plantains, and limones criollos (native Cuban lemons) was the best that we've had in Cuba.
The beach was beautiful and a little better than Santa Maria del Mar (larger and with finer sand) but I don't know how much better it really was. It's probably not different enough to justify the extra hours spent in the van if you're staying in Havana.
After a long, full day of fun at the beach, we returned to the van. I ate dinner at home and now I need to shower to get rid of the rest of the sand and help out my sunburn. Just two more days of this adventure, but I'm happy we got at least one last beach day.
xoxo, xenophile
For lunch, Madison, Pepe, and I ate the most flavorful fish filets from a restaurant behind the house. They brought it to us on the patio of the house so we could eat them with the fantastic views of the sea. I also had a lemonade made with native Cuban lemon/lime-type fruits. I think that the food--a filet of pargo fish, congris (rice and beans), mashed plantains, and limones criollos (native Cuban lemons) was the best that we've had in Cuba.
The beach was beautiful and a little better than Santa Maria del Mar (larger and with finer sand) but I don't know how much better it really was. It's probably not different enough to justify the extra hours spent in the van if you're staying in Havana.
After a long, full day of fun at the beach, we returned to the van. I ate dinner at home and now I need to shower to get rid of the rest of the sand and help out my sunburn. Just two more days of this adventure, but I'm happy we got at least one last beach day.
xoxo, xenophile