Wednesday June 3rd, 1998
Went to my ball game at 6:30 and around 9 p.m. Jeff dropped Dave & Maggie off at Sportsplex so we could hit the road for the Carlingview in Toronto. Dave and Maggie were heading to St. John's, Newfoundland the next morning - we all had to be at Terminal 1 for around 4 a.m. - so I gave them a ride and we shared a room, and I left my car in the long term parking for the week. Once we checked, we called for a wake up call and the 3 of us got ready for bed and went to sleep.
Thursday June 4th, 1998
The wake up call came at 3:15 a.m., so I got up first and showered and dressed. 'This is way too early in the morning to be getting up, but will be all worth it when at noon I am lying by the pool in the hot sun.' Next was Maggie and then Dave. Well Maggie and Dave were getting ready I took my ball clothes and put them in the trunk of my car and had a smoke. It was 4 degrees Celsius out - YES!! - glad it was going to be cold in Canada while I was in Cuba at this time of the year.
We caught the 4 a.m. shuttle to the airport where we went our different ways to pick up our tickets and check in our luggage. We met back again after that was done and went to the restaurant for a coffee. I sat across the aisle from Dave and Maggie in the smoking section, and a couple asked if they could join me. I said 'no problem' - turns out they were heading for the Delta Las Brisas also - their names were Kevin and Lynn.
After coffee we went through security and I sat down by were Dave & Maggie's gate was as it was near the stand up smoking section. Around 7 a.m. boarding for my plane started and by 7:30 we were in the air on our way to Holguin, Cuba.
On the plane I sat with a couple who were going to the Club Guardalavaca, and they were not the most exciting conversationalists as they slept the whole way there. I should have asked for an aisle seat. We arrived in Holguin shortly after 10:30 a.m. where we went through customs and picked up our luggage. Security wanted to search my carry on because they saw the magazines in the x-ray machine - guess they wanted to check out this months issue of Cosmo. Went out into the hot, beautiful sun and had a couple smokes before boarding the bus for Delta Las Brisas in Guardalavaca - about an hour & a half away.
Checked into my room and had a cocktail before heading up to room 505. A guy was going to carry my luggage, but when I was ready to go up none of them were around. Guess I waited to long having a smoke and drinking my blue rum cocktail. First thing I did was unpack - is it ever nice to have the whole room to myself - all the closet space and drawers are mine - I didn't have to live out of my suitcase this week. Then I changed into my bathing suit and headed for the pool. Put my belongings on a lounge chair and headed to the swim up bar and had a couple rum & seven's (no ginger ale there) and met a lot of people.
Lynn came and got me around 4:15 for the 4:00 orientation meeting in the disco - oops guess we were a little late. All we heard about were a couple of the tours - at least I discovered were the disco was. After the meeting I went to my room and had a shower. I was to meet Kevin and Lynn at 7 p.m. for dinner. I fell asleep and woke up at 7 p.m., so I quickly dressed and went down the 5 flight of stairs. Lynn and Kevin hadn't started yet either, so that was nice. Dinner that night was a BBQ and I had steak and potatoes (am I really in Cuba?) During dinner the show was going on - it was Roman night and the staff were all dressed in togas and doing their performance.
After dinner we went up to the pool-side bar and had a few drinks, I was totally exhausted from getting up at 3:15 a.m. and ended up going to bed around 11 p.m.
Friday June 5th, 1998
Woke up around 7:30 a.m. and packed my beach bag and headed for the restaurant to eat breakfast - coffee, egg on toast, bacon, pancakes and French toast.
After breakfast I headed to the pool and had my pick of lounge chairs - I chose one near the pool-side bar / grill and bathroom and also one that had an ashtray can right beside it. Spread out my towel and sprayed on some # 4 Hawaiian Tropic Deep Tanning Oil. I started to read my smut book when a couple came and picked the lounge chairs next to mine. Their names were Peter and Carol, from Barrie (seems I'm always meeting people from Barrie on holidays any more). Peter is a fire chief in Etobicoke. It started getting hot so I took a dip in the pool and went and got myself a coke - I know the bar was open at 9, but I waited till shortly after 10 for my first beer - first full day and all.
For lunch I had a hot dog and french fries from the pool-side grill - you could get burgers, hot dogs, toasted tuna sandwiches and fries. Went back to my lounge chair for an afternoon on lounging in the sun. Played a little pool volleyball with a group from England, and Tim was kind enough to lend me his sunglasses as the sun was in my eyes. Not that sunglasses were going to improve my game at all.
Paul, Lily, Sarah and Tim
After the game we went to the swim-up bar for a couple drinks. A little later I went up to my room and showered and changed for dinner. Had dinner with Peter and Carol and afterwards we went to the lounge bar and picked up a drink. Ran into Paul while we were there and it was hot inside so we ventured out to the pool-side bar and watched the show going on off on the stage in the distance. We closed the pool-side bar up and I headed for bed, where I went to sleep almost immediately.
Saturday June 6th, 1998
Got up early again, showered, put some conditioning treatment in my hair and headed for breakfast and then out to my same lounge chair by the pool. Peter had saved it for me, and went for a dip in the pool before doing anything else. When the bar opened Peter went and got us some beer. Later that morning he tried to set me up with this geeky guy from Revenue Canada named Gavin. Had another hot dog and fries for lunch again and after lunch was suppose to go on the Catarman, but I was too burned from the day before so decided not to go. Around 1:30 I went up to my room and sat on the balcony and read for a couple hours.
Went back down to the pool bar and ran into Jack (the guy I sat beside on the bus en route to the resort) and he was by himself so I joined him. He was telling me about 3 English lads he had met and as he was talking one of them came and joined us - his name is Martin. Shortly after his 2 chums - Robbie and John - joined us and then Margaret, Jean, Sarah and Lily joined us. They were making arrangements to go to the 'Chicken Shack' and invited me along.
This 'Chicken Shack' was in the middle of nowhere and was a shack with 5 cement pillars in front for sitting on and that was about it. The guy working behind the bar was in dress pants, shirt and a tie. (When I get a picture from the guys in England I will post it here so you can see what I mean.) We stayed there for about 2 hours till the taxi came back to get us. Needless to say there was no where to go the bathroom and of course I had to go. So ended up going across the road behind this half finished building, Lily had to go also and Sarah came and kept guard for us. After we got back to the hotel we all showered and got ready for dinner.
After dinner we went to the pool-side bar till it closed at 11 (in other words when we stopped getting our all inclusive drinks) and went to the disco (where we had to pay for drinks). Was able to get a rye and ginger here - mmmm tasted good!, I bought a round of 5 drinks and it came to $9.70 - tell me where here at home we can get a round of mixed drinks that cheaply. We danced and drank and laughed till they kicked us out of the disco around 4 a.m.
Sunday June 7th, 1998
After the late night it was almost noon when I got up this day - it was around the time Martin called my room. Went down and met everyone at the pool - first thing that happens to me is Martin pulls me in the pool - I barely had time to put my beach bag down. Got out of the pool and had a beer and some fries (breakfast of champions!). It was decided we were going to get a couple taxis and go swimming with the dolphins. So I went up and got some dry clothes on and we all met back at the bar. Around 2 p.m. we left for the aquarium and made arrangements for the cabbies to come back and pick us up in a couple of hours.
Margaret and Jack at the front of the boat on our way to the aquarium
First thing we did at the aquarium was get ourselves a drink, then we paid our money for the boat and to get into the aquarium. There was a young guy about 30 at the bar who was sailing around the Caribbean and was at the bar because he told us he likes to hear the English language once in awhile. He was the first American I have ever met in Cuba, and to be living in the bush, I wonder what he was really up to. Turns out we missed the show, but that wasn't important. We also got to ride on the staff boat - the other tourists (who paid the $50 US tour fee) had a little nicer boat than we did - but our excursion was a lot cheaper! Martin, Sarah and John went swimming with the dolphins - Margaret and I watched - and Robbie and Jack just sat at the bar and drank.
Martin, John & Sarah swimming with the dolphins
Sarah petting a dolphin
Sarah after sitting between the dolphins
After the swimming was over the 5 of us went back to the bar to join Robbie and Jack. There were a bunch of tourists from Argentina in the restaurant and shortly there after they caught the nice boat back to the mainland. We went down by the dock and waited for our boat to come back. One of the trainers was working with the dolphins nearby and since we were the only tourists left we got to pet and shake hands. The picture of me shaking hands with a dolphin didn't turn out - major bummer.
One of the dolphins - I called him 'Flipper' ;>
Sarah, a Trainer feeding a dolphin
On the boat ride back the boat ran out of gas, so of course Martin jumps in - next thing I know the boat is going and I was kind enough to let him borrow my towel and him and John proceed to drag it through the salty ocean water. Last time I ever lend him a towel.
Martin and John on the boat
Sarah and I on the boat
We got back to the resort about 5 p.m. and went to the pool-side bar for a drink. Once again Martin threw me in the pool. Went up to my room and showered and changed for dinner. Went down to the boys room to pick them up before heading to supper - and they say women take a long time - these 3 lads took forever to get them going. Finally they were ready and after dinner like all previous evenings we went to the pool-side bar until it closed. Since it had been such a late night the night before most of us called it an early night (around 11:30) except for John who went to the disco.
Monday June 8th, 1998
Got up early and Robbie and I went for breakfast - I ate a lot, but all he had was some tea. Went down to the beach for a little while and then came back up to the pool-side bar for a couple rums. It was decided today we would go to the public beach down the road (note: most people walked - we took a taxi) because they wanted to have lobster for lunch.
John, Jean, Jack, Robbie, Me, Margaret and Martin
As for me all I had was some fries and a beer for lunch. After lunch we did some bartering on the beach. The guys picked up some black coral necklaces - I bought nothing. After we got back to the resort guess where we went - you are right if you said pool-side bar. Went up showered and changed and met in room 105 before heading to dinner. Robbie and Martin both were not feeling too well - they blamed in on the lobster - I think maybe it was the sun & the drinking they had been doing.
Martin sleeping in the afternoon
Went to dinner and then to the pool-side bar, everybody called it an evening when the bar closed for the evening. I guess Robbie was puking all night, and neither John or Martin got much sleep because of it.
Myself and Robbie at the pool-side bar
Tuesday June 9th, 1998
Hung out at the resort for the day, mostly drinking and swimming. Robbie spent most of his day in his room as he was still sick. Talked with Manuel for a while as Martin was making arrangements to go look at a hotel that he might buy. They made the arrangements to rent a jeep and go out for the day. I would go with them if Robbie still wasn't feeling well.
Jack, I don't know, John at the pool-side bar
Robbie, Margaret, Martin & Jack at the pool-side bar
That evening for dinner Margaret, Jean, Sarah, Lily and I went to the Italian restaurant at the resort for dinner. It was a delicious meal, and kind of nice as we all dressed up. The wine we ordered wasn't all that hot though - it was very sweet. While we did that the guys went out for Chinese somewhere down the street and we all met back at the pool-side bar afterwards. Stayed and closed that bar up and then went to the disco. Robbie and I sat under the air conditioner as it was very hot in the place. Jack even came to the disco this evening.
Jean, Martin and Margaret
Wednesday June 10th, 1998
Met everyone at breakfast and told them to have a good day, I was going to look after Sarah and lie in the sun all day as it was my last day at the resort - had to get my tan a little darker.
Pool Volleyball
Played some pool volleyball for about an hour, it was a lot of fun - had to call it quits when all of us adults needed a drink and a smoke. Just about finished my book while lying by the pool today. Had a few drinks with Jean and around 5 went up to my room to shower and change for dinner. Met up with Jean and Jack in the buffet and ate with them. When we were done dinner the rest were back from their excursion and we went and met them at the pool-side bar (where else?). We heard all about their day - I guess the hotel that Martin looked at was in pretty bad shape - he figures it would have cost about 1 million pounds to get it fixed up and going. We wasn't willing to invest that kind of money - can't say I blame him. We drank here till it closed and then went to the disco. We were all kind of shocked when we saw Jean come strolling in - she was sauced and was up dancing quite a bit. I told Robbie I didn't want to be too late as I had to have my luggage down the next morning at 7 a.m. for the flight home. So we just basically stayed for one drink.
Robbie & Jean at the disco
Thursday June 11th, 1998
The wake up call came at 6:15 a.m. and I got up and showered and did my last minute packing. Got a call asking if I needed help with my bags, but Robbie had gotten up to see me off so I had him carry my suitcase. Dropped everything off, checked out and went and ate breakfast - wanted to make sure I had a good meal because it would be awhile till I was back in Toronto and able to eat again (I hate airline food & had forgotten to order the children's meal). Said goodbye to Robbie and boarded the bus for the airport. Went through customs and then to the duty free store to do my souvenir shopping - 2 bottles of rum and 25 cigars - grand total - $30. Got back to Toronto around 4 p.m., had no problems with customs, phoned the Carlingview to have the shuttle pick me up. Got back to my car and hit the 401 for the drive home. Arrived back in London shortly after 7 p.m. and basically went to sleep as I knew it was back to work tomorrow.
