We were walking along the beautiful white sandy beach when we saw a man surrounded by some 10 strange looking birds. As I approached to ask him what they were one of the birds came from behind me and slashed my leg with its beak. I hardly felt it but it left a razor thin gash of more than two inches on the calf of my leg which started to bleed profusely. I ran immediately into the ocean and washed the leg with salty water...it took a while for the bleeding to stop. And by the way, he said they were local pelicans !Such was the start of our recent two week vacation !
It was our third trip to Cuba, our second visit to Varadero, but our first stay at the "all-inclusive" Melia Las Antillas resort. This adults only establishment with 350 rooms and fantastic grounds around it must have seen better days because we gradually discovered how it has been deteriorating and needs a serious "face lift" to continue operating.
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| Miles of white sandy beaches ... but no pelicans! |
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| The facade of the resort |
The "concierge room" where we had breakfast daily.
The bar and Naidalis serving us an "apero". We discovered Cubans have original names. Naidalis and her colleague Gretel had a boss called Kenia.
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| Man-made lake and surroundings |
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| O! Canada, O! Quebec!! |
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| Strange tree with roots growing out |
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| The Friendship Pond |
The different pools.
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| Chess Anyone? |
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| Too bad we did not bring our tennis raquets!! |
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| Outdoor Cuban Restaurant |
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| The quaint post office (our card to Montreal never arrived!) |
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| Walkway to the beach |
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| Colored Leaves |
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| Friendly Lizard! |
You missed your calling. How about tour guides? Brought Bach memories of our sojourn through Spain; another in Philadelphia; our reunion in Montreal; your visit to our home in Pennsylvania and memories of working together in Africa Section and more recently to your lovely home in Montreal again. Keep well dear friends. Jim and Elayne
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Thanks for sharing, Fouad.
ReplyDeleteThanks Fuad for wonderful photos. Reminded me of my visit to Cuba in 2010.
ReplyDeleteThanks Faud for sharing these amazing photos. They made feel as if I was actually there.
ReplyDeleteCuba has lovely vacation spots, and Veradero is world famous. I am surprised, though, that there were hardly any guests (at least the photos didn't show any- besides you two). By the way, our little magical island now also features a chess set. Just waiting for players.
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful! I like it! Its stunning and a good demonstration of how we retirees should enjoy our lives. Regardless of guilt and responsibility (survives’ problem). I am listening (at last) to my daughter who said: “daddy, move on and don’t stand still, you have done your bit”. I am trying, but still….. there is all that Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, etc.
ReplyDeleteThese photos are the first to make me want to visit Cuba, where I've never been!
ReplyDeleteAs I recall, I was in Cuba checking into the hotel as as part of a Ford Foundation visiting group, probably in 1995 (after I retired from UNICEF), when whom should I see at the counter but you, Fouad! Amazing! Do you remember our 1 in a million chance encounter? I'm glad we continue to meet under more ordinary circumstances -- at XUNICEF reunions. See you in Manila Feb 2025? Mary
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