Up at eight bells!
No time for our customary trip to el mercado. We need to pack our overnight bags. We are taking a road trip to Varadero Beach.
I remember Mami telling me countless stories of the spontaneous road trips she and Papi would take on the weekends. They would awake on Saturday morning and make plans to visit a beach community for an overnight trip. We were reliving their experience.
During our planning stages for our trip to Cuba, we penciled in Varadero Beach but had no specific plans. More importantly, we did not have lodging accommodations reserved.
On April 19, 1966 Mami, Papi and I boarded our flight from Varadero Beach, Cuba to Miami, Florida. Although my parents shared the story of how we left Cuba, I was surprised when Mimita told me Varadero Beach was our point of departure.
For the longest time I had only my parent’s words and a self-constructed picture of the day we left Cuba, but soon I would return to this city to create a new memory.
A bit of history…my parents first asked for permission to leave Cuba about a year prior to our departure. During these 12 months both Mami and Papi were punished with extra shifts at the hospital.
The first knock on the door came with permission for Mami and I to leave and the promise Papi would follow shortly. Mami declined. About six months later another knock, this time with permission for Papi and I to leave and the promise Mami would follow shortly. Papi declined. Then finally another six months later, the knock arrived with the news we could all leave together.
Men came into our home and took inventory of all our belongings; the government would own all of it once we left. My parents packed our suitcase containing a change of clothes and we boarded our flight to freedom.
Symbolically, our address for our first three nights in Miami was Freedom Tower.
Luis and Mimita picked us up at our casita and we loaded our bags in the massive trunk of the Bel Air. Luis had prepared a thermos of café for us to enjoy on the car ride. Off we went. We drove via La Momumental until Matanza then Autopista Sur to Varadero Beach. Once again, we were pulled over by la policía at a check point. And once again, Luis handled the situation.
Halfway through our trip we stopped at an open-air rest area. It was similar to the one on the way to Viñales but in addition to the roaming animals and livestock, this one had a six-piece band playing Cuban music. We enjoyed our café while gently swaying our hips to the beat.
Throughout our drive Mimita was calling and texting all of her connections in Varadero Beach for a casita. It reminded me of the Jimmy Buffet song “everybody’s got a cousin in Miami, everybody understands the impromptu”. We were excited and relieved when her friend found us a 5 bedroom/5 bath casita one house from the beach. Each of us including Mimita would have our own air-conditioned bedroom and bathroom.
We arrived at Varadero Beach hungry but needed to check-in at the rental agency. Mimita and I headed to their storefront while Luis and the girls searched for a paladar. I settled the bill, including a nice finder’s fee tip, and Mimita and I headed to Don Alex Paladar located at Calle 31 # 106 | Entre Avenida 1ra y 3ra to meet up with the rest of our crew.
In the front yard was a peacock, no big deal, he was perfectly comfortable with us. The six of us sat in the covered open-air carport and ordered refreshments. My lime daiquiri was divine as was the shrimp cocktail. We ordered camarones y pescado (shrimp and fish), papas fritas (french fries) and arroz blanco (white rice), salads, camarones fritos (fried shrimp) and lobster and shrimp from a picture on our server’s phone. You guessed it…bellies full once more.
Luis drove us to the hotel which acted as the rental agent for our casita. We provided passports and were given the keys with the instructions a hotel representative would meet us there. I had zero idea we would be required to take inventory of EVERYTHING in the casita. Granted, there were five of us staying the night, but only two drinking glasses. Inventory performed, Luis bid us goodbye to return to Havana and care for Nena.
We changed into our swimsuits. We brought a small soft sided cooler with us and went in search of some beer, a bottle opener, and ice. Fortunately, there was a liquor store three houses from our casita. This stop provided us beer, no bottle opener and no ice, but directions to the other two locations for the remaining items. A short block walk and we had an opener. Another two blocks to purchase ice where an elderly woman sat in her chain fenced carport. All items accounted for…we were ready to hit the beach.
The water was wild! Vivid blue waves were breaking fiercely on the shore with red flags flying indicating no swimming. Life guards paced back and forth patrolling the shore and blowing their whistle at the couple of individuals who attempted a quick frolic in the water.
As we rested in our lounge chairs one of the life guard approached us. He squatted and asked if we needed any cigars, lobster, or fish. We graciously declined. The answer might have been different if he had asked if we needed beer, an opener, and ice.
We took a walk along the shore, enjoyed our lounge chairs, and made friends with an English woman. After our walk, we headed up to a small open-air establishment and waited for sunset.
Back at our casita, we started the shower process. Well, we all ended up showering in one bathroom as the rest of the showers lacked shower heads. No big deal.
We decided to try Calle 62, an open-air bar located at Calle 62 and 1st Avenue, a spot for cocktails and music recommended by the English woman. Next door was a small vendor selling barbecued half chickens. The smell was ridiculously good and we opted to try one. It was delicious.
We walked to Varadero 60 Paladar located at Calle 60 & Av 3 for dinner. We dined al fresco with throw-back memorabilia and vintage petroleum signs scattered throughout while enjoying two talented guitar players singing Stairway to Heaven and Hotel California.
We ordered shish kabobs, shrimp cocktail, garbanzos, spaghetti, and shrimp. We shared a flan for dessert. After dinner our server presented each of us with a long-stemmed red rose. The dining experience exuded an aura of refinement.
Time to hail a taxi…or rather a horse and carriage back to our casita. Mimita negotiated the fare and Remendado, the horse, worked hard to get us to our casita. We enjoyed the soft breeze and the sound of Rey’s hoofs hitting the pavement.
Once back at our casita, my girls retired for the evening while Mimita, my friend, and I pulled three chairs from the living room onto the front porch. We enjoyed cubatas with the left-over ice from our beach day while Mimita sipped through a straw from her paper box containing sangria.
We laughed like schoolgirls for hours…I translated the whole evening as usual.
Until next time…
· izzy
I awoke in my bed to the familiar humming of my room air-conditioner. What time is it? There was not a clock in my room and our cell phones slept in la Mochila. Who else is awake? What are we going to do with our day? It was a leisurely morning for all of us. Because of our limited Wi-Fi access, weather was determined by opening the wood shuttered doors to our balcony. The day was a overcast. It felt right, like a comforting blanket, we were assimilating to Cuba.
We arrived to Cuba as a party of four…but we felt like a party of five as we carried a backpack with us always. The backpack became known as la Mochila and Mimita affectionately nicknamed it “la 70 kilo mochila”. Each morning I packed la Mochila for the day ahead.
Early morning wakeup call! We were chomping at the bit for our road trip to Viñales. The four of us walked to Mimita’s home where we were once again greeted with café. Today Mimita would stay home to care for her mother and Luis would drive and accompany us on our first road trip in Cuba.
I awoke in my bed to the familiar humming of my room air-conditioner. What time is it? There was not a clock in my room and our cell phones slept in la Mochila. Who else is awake? What are we going to do with our day? It was a leisurely morning for all of us. Because of our limited Wi-Fi access, weather was determined by opening the wood shuttered doors to our balcony. The day was a overcast. It felt right, like a comforting blanket, we were assimilating to Cuba.
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