Gracias!
We're back! And I have to say, Cuba was great. I loved it. We got to spend a lot of time with an adorable niece and nephew, built sculptures in the sand (well, that was mostly Jake, Jainin and Roger), read on the beach (mostly Sue and I), learned a little Spanish, and got a little tan.
If you're looking for some solid family time, there are definite advantages to the all-inclusive. Logistics become more about getting a table for 8 (ocho) rather than about grocery shopping, preparing food, and cleaning up. Everyone can have a nap before dinner in their own space. There is lots to do for everyone, and adventures are plentiful. The kids and I relax-a-matted on an ocean so blue it looked photo-shopped, we snorkelled right from where we were hanging out at the beach, we went for walks and explored the area. We watched the sun go down and giggled to ourselves about our good fortune.
Before we left, I was bragging (a little) at work about my wicked awesome plans for the break, and people were appropriately jealous, until I mentioned that all of our adventures were going to happen with our families. They couldn't figure that one out, in particular me being excited about spending time with my in-laws. I can't tell you how good it feels that Jake and I love and are loved by both of our families. It is an incredible gift. If only Jake's family were not all so spread out!
Anyway, on to what I wrote about before I left: the social justice issues surrounding all-inclusives.
I was continually struck by how friendly (most) of the staff were at the resort. They were kind, cheerful, and caring. They were all completely taken with the kids. I kept wondering about this sense of good will. I wonder if I would be able to be as gracious as they were, considering most of them work 6 days a week serving a never-ending rotation of pasty tourists. On the other hand, the tips they earn in the hospitality business provide some much-needed wiggle room in terms of income and earning power. This doesn't completely mitigate my liberal guilt (so much food wasted!), but it did help quite a bit.
My favourite parts of the week were when we left the resort. We biked to a near-by town, which is sort of a bedroom community for resort workers and their families. Of course, seeing a town like that so near a resort area isn't exactly the whole picture, but it was interesting. We also went on a snorkelling tour on a catamaran, which was fully guided, and not exactly 'roughing it' travel-wise, but it was still neat to see and do something a little different for the day.
So, to sum up: All-inclusives are awesome if you want to have a family vacation somewhere and want things to be as easy as possible. That part was kick-ass, really. Other than that, though, I think that if/when I return to Cuba (and I would like to), I would love to find a way to do it a little more independently. See more of the real thing, rather than hiding myself away on the beach. Although, heaven knows, reading on a beach with breaks for another shandy and/or swim in the ocean is not a bad way to spend a week.
Some highlights:
- nephew A is talking a lot more freely now than he was in the summer when we saw him, and every time he said 'Wizibiz!' or 'here's how it does', my heart swelled with his insane cuteness. We also taught him how to 'pound it' and he regularly practiced on himself.
- niece C is 7 and is so independent it is both awe-inspiring and a little bit intimidating. She would regularly plop herself on a bar-stool and order her drink (a 'Very Well') with utmost confidence. She and I also spent some quality time on the relax-a-mat where she paddled us out to sea, all the while singing her little heart out, full of joy. I wanted to capture the moment and keep it forever.
- On New Years Eve we were watching The Show (in many many ways, all inclusives are like Camp for adults with alcohol; this is probably illustrated no where better than at the nightly entertainment) and were equal parts incredulous and horrified by what we were seeing. Around 10:30 it started raining, enough so that everyone took refuge inside and it seemed like the night was over. C was determined to stay up till midnight, and had buckets of energy to keep dancing and really, if you're spending New Years in a Caribbean, you pretty much have to bring the New Year in while dancing, am I right? So I coaxed C outside to dance in the rain (which was pretty much done) and then all of a sudden, all the people who had been dancing under an overhang rushed out to join us and we all ended up on the stage where the show had been taking place. The tourists took over! There were some amazing dancers that had been doing the show, and they were up there showing some moves, and one danced with C for a bit - it was kind of awesome. It was also something that I can't imagine happening anywhere here, in our lawsuit happy society. The stage was wet, the guy on the mic was encouraging everyone to pack the stage full, the music was thumping, there was a smoke machine, - all completely spur-of-the-moment. I don't know what the plan for the rest of the show was, but it can not have been as good as what ended up happening. Instead of passively watching other people have fun, we were the ones having the fun. It was great, even as the adults struggled to make it to midnight. But make it we did - a toast of champagne, and off to bed. C was incredible; I hope she remembers that for a long time.
- Jake and Jainin love to build in the sand, and they go all out. One of my great joys was watching people's reactions to their massive creations. All day long groups of strangers would be stopped in front of our chairs marvelling over what had been built that day. I felt famous by association (I do not like building in the sand. I prefer relax-a-matting and/or reading).
- One day it was extremely windy and sort of cool (20 degreesish), so as the sun was going down Jake and I went exploring and found some pretty spectacular spots to watch the waves crash against the rocks.
- Snorkelling: I swear I've done this before and hated it, but as with so many physical activities, I find that what was completely impossible when I was a teenager is much easier now. I can swim for 45 minutes-1 hour no problem, I figured out how the breathing worked, and it really is like sticking your face in Finding Nemo. On our second bout of snorkelling from the boat, I got brave and tried diving down in the water, which is something I've never felt comfortable doing. However, I was rewarded! As I dove down and my ears felt the pressure, I saw a tiny black-and-neon-blue fish that I hadn't seen before and didn't see afterwards. Totally worth it! I even mastered blowing the water out my snorkel when I came up.
I have made some New Years Resolutions. Well, one real one. I am going to do Sun Salutations every day. I'm starting with 2 of each kind, and am going to work my way up to 10 and 10. That's right, EVERY DAY. I'm also going to do some more sit-ups and other things. Time to whip this body into shape. That combined with my walking to and from work should produce some results. Hopefully.
If you're looking for some solid family time, there are definite advantages to the all-inclusive. Logistics become more about getting a table for 8 (ocho) rather than about grocery shopping, preparing food, and cleaning up. Everyone can have a nap before dinner in their own space. There is lots to do for everyone, and adventures are plentiful. The kids and I relax-a-matted on an ocean so blue it looked photo-shopped, we snorkelled right from where we were hanging out at the beach, we went for walks and explored the area. We watched the sun go down and giggled to ourselves about our good fortune.
Before we left, I was bragging (a little) at work about my wicked awesome plans for the break, and people were appropriately jealous, until I mentioned that all of our adventures were going to happen with our families. They couldn't figure that one out, in particular me being excited about spending time with my in-laws. I can't tell you how good it feels that Jake and I love and are loved by both of our families. It is an incredible gift. If only Jake's family were not all so spread out!
Anyway, on to what I wrote about before I left: the social justice issues surrounding all-inclusives.
I was continually struck by how friendly (most) of the staff were at the resort. They were kind, cheerful, and caring. They were all completely taken with the kids. I kept wondering about this sense of good will. I wonder if I would be able to be as gracious as they were, considering most of them work 6 days a week serving a never-ending rotation of pasty tourists. On the other hand, the tips they earn in the hospitality business provide some much-needed wiggle room in terms of income and earning power. This doesn't completely mitigate my liberal guilt (so much food wasted!), but it did help quite a bit.
My favourite parts of the week were when we left the resort. We biked to a near-by town, which is sort of a bedroom community for resort workers and their families. Of course, seeing a town like that so near a resort area isn't exactly the whole picture, but it was interesting. We also went on a snorkelling tour on a catamaran, which was fully guided, and not exactly 'roughing it' travel-wise, but it was still neat to see and do something a little different for the day.
So, to sum up: All-inclusives are awesome if you want to have a family vacation somewhere and want things to be as easy as possible. That part was kick-ass, really. Other than that, though, I think that if/when I return to Cuba (and I would like to), I would love to find a way to do it a little more independently. See more of the real thing, rather than hiding myself away on the beach. Although, heaven knows, reading on a beach with breaks for another shandy and/or swim in the ocean is not a bad way to spend a week.
Some highlights:
- nephew A is talking a lot more freely now than he was in the summer when we saw him, and every time he said 'Wizibiz!' or 'here's how it does', my heart swelled with his insane cuteness. We also taught him how to 'pound it' and he regularly practiced on himself.
- niece C is 7 and is so independent it is both awe-inspiring and a little bit intimidating. She would regularly plop herself on a bar-stool and order her drink (a 'Very Well') with utmost confidence. She and I also spent some quality time on the relax-a-mat where she paddled us out to sea, all the while singing her little heart out, full of joy. I wanted to capture the moment and keep it forever.
- On New Years Eve we were watching The Show (in many many ways, all inclusives are like Camp for adults with alcohol; this is probably illustrated no where better than at the nightly entertainment) and were equal parts incredulous and horrified by what we were seeing. Around 10:30 it started raining, enough so that everyone took refuge inside and it seemed like the night was over. C was determined to stay up till midnight, and had buckets of energy to keep dancing and really, if you're spending New Years in a Caribbean, you pretty much have to bring the New Year in while dancing, am I right? So I coaxed C outside to dance in the rain (which was pretty much done) and then all of a sudden, all the people who had been dancing under an overhang rushed out to join us and we all ended up on the stage where the show had been taking place. The tourists took over! There were some amazing dancers that had been doing the show, and they were up there showing some moves, and one danced with C for a bit - it was kind of awesome. It was also something that I can't imagine happening anywhere here, in our lawsuit happy society. The stage was wet, the guy on the mic was encouraging everyone to pack the stage full, the music was thumping, there was a smoke machine, - all completely spur-of-the-moment. I don't know what the plan for the rest of the show was, but it can not have been as good as what ended up happening. Instead of passively watching other people have fun, we were the ones having the fun. It was great, even as the adults struggled to make it to midnight. But make it we did - a toast of champagne, and off to bed. C was incredible; I hope she remembers that for a long time.
- Jake and Jainin love to build in the sand, and they go all out. One of my great joys was watching people's reactions to their massive creations. All day long groups of strangers would be stopped in front of our chairs marvelling over what had been built that day. I felt famous by association (I do not like building in the sand. I prefer relax-a-matting and/or reading).
- One day it was extremely windy and sort of cool (20 degreesish), so as the sun was going down Jake and I went exploring and found some pretty spectacular spots to watch the waves crash against the rocks.
- Snorkelling: I swear I've done this before and hated it, but as with so many physical activities, I find that what was completely impossible when I was a teenager is much easier now. I can swim for 45 minutes-1 hour no problem, I figured out how the breathing worked, and it really is like sticking your face in Finding Nemo. On our second bout of snorkelling from the boat, I got brave and tried diving down in the water, which is something I've never felt comfortable doing. However, I was rewarded! As I dove down and my ears felt the pressure, I saw a tiny black-and-neon-blue fish that I hadn't seen before and didn't see afterwards. Totally worth it! I even mastered blowing the water out my snorkel when I came up.
I have made some New Years Resolutions. Well, one real one. I am going to do Sun Salutations every day. I'm starting with 2 of each kind, and am going to work my way up to 10 and 10. That's right, EVERY DAY. I'm also going to do some more sit-ups and other things. Time to whip this body into shape. That combined with my walking to and from work should produce some results. Hopefully.
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