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| Varadero: exceeding expectations |
Gorgeous white sand beaches as far as the eye can see. Every shade of Caribbean blue. Gentle waves. Predictable bottom contour. On-shore wind. Bikinis and Braun. Children playing. Families laughing. Wind-powered water sports. What’s not to love? This place just about has it all—- perfect for action and relaxation.
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| Craig embarks on a long beach walk |
On our first visit to Varadero, while Craig strolled down the beach, I stretched out on my sarong in the shade of a palm tree. How blissfully relaxing! As I lay, completely relaxed, I began to hear the familiar sounds of an approaching family. They gathered under nearby shade and loud negotiation commenced—- in Spanish, of course. I understood next to nothing. Within minutes of loud discussion (I mused about chickens cackling, roosters crowing, and raucous barnyard noises), a couple of young folks, teens I thought, ran happily for the water and plunged in fully clothed. Soon, the whole clan but two were splashing around. Finally the youngest hold-out, an eight year old girl got captured, carried to the beach, and in she went. By this time I was sitting up enjoying the spectacle and chatting with the only dry one, the dad who had remained in the shade. In the water splashed his wife, two daughters, a couple of cousins and the wife of a cousin. They had not planned on going to the beach, but who can resist! Later, this lively bunch escorted Craig and I to the correct place to catch our nickel bus back to Boca de Camarioca.
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| La Familia, wet and happy |
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| Peaceful view from my palm tree |
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A swimmer bobs while girls stroll, a policeman checks his phone,
and folks gather around a fisherman
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| You don't have to stroll far to find other ways to play |
What’s not to love about Varadero? Only the prices, I suppose, but it’s relative. Compared to Boca de Camarioca, Varadero is expensive, but not compared to other gorgeous beaches around the world. Varadero is less expensive but more beautiful than 7 Mile Beach on Grand Cayman, Waikiki on Oahu, Hawaii, and South Beach in Miami, Florida.
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Spotted on the way to our bus:
Pastors for Peace, a US group that sponsors
yearly Cuba trips to protest the embargo
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We experienced the best of both worlds by staying in Boca de Camarioca. We thoroughly enjoyed our 30 minute ride to and from Varadero on the nickel bus and two glorious days at la ultima playa. Each day, after four or five hours in the sun, we were ready to return to our quaint casa by the sea in Boca.
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| Killing time with a phone |
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| Typical Varadero bus stop |
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| Lovely Varadero, goodbye! |
Continue to "Journey to Playa Giron"
http://mycubadream.blogspot.com/2018/02/journey-to-playa-giron.html
Varadero is one of our most amazing beaches and the town itself has a lot of life. However, Cuba is full of white-sand beaches as good (or even better than Varadero). I guess tourism industry in the Island will have a significant growth in the future.
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