It’s 5:54 am on January 31
Sunday, January 31st, 2010
We are in Varadero and it totally doesn’t feel like January anymore. It’s actually hard to imagine that there is cold and winter happening anywhere in the world, even though we left winter just 12 hours ago.
We got through the Calgary airport really easily - almost too easily for a group of 15, I’d say. We had dinner and the kids played and eventually it was time to board the plane to Cuba. We got on, got our seats figured out, and sat down. And we waited. And waited…and waited. Security guards boarded the plane. 10-15 minutes later, they left, maybe carrying someone on a stretcher. The airline attendants gathered that person’s belongings, and we were informed that now there was snow on the wings, so we would be delayed a bit longer while we waited for it to be sprayed off.
Our plane finally took off 30 minutes later than scheduled, at 7:15pm on January 30th.
The flight was uneventful for the most part. The kids were good (though all seven of them had trouble sleeping), the food was okay, and the flight attendants were kind enough (kinder at the beginning of the flight, less so as the 5.5 hours wore on LOL). Each child got a gift bag while we were waiting to take off, and I thought that was really cool.
We landed in Cuba around 3:15 am on January 31.
The Varadero airport was an experience within itself. The stroller was not waiting just off the plane - it was at the luggage carousel. Before we got there though, we had to go through security - times three. The first point was actually a little scary - they looked at our passports, took our visitor visas and took our picture, demanding “No glasses!” and “Move closer!”
The second point x-rayed our carry-on items. Those traveling with smaller children (Us! Yay!!) got priority at both points and other tourists were pushed aside as parents with their babes got ushered through, ahead of all.
It took awhile to find and gather all of our luggage, but it eventually happened and we went through one final security check. I made the machine beep as I pushed the luggage through and was immediately asked if ‘this’ (she pointed) bag contained a DVD player. I answered that yes, it did. She asked if it was portable. I answered yes again. She confirmed that I had only brought one. There was. I walked through, amazed and impressed by her ‘right-on’ questions.
After we’d made it through security and out of the airport, we found our shuttle bus and climbed aboard for the 35 minute ride to the resort, Iberostar Tainos. It didn’t seem like that long of a ride because not only did we have snacks and beer on the bus; we also had a tour guide with a great sense of humour welcoming us and telling us all about everything we’d need to know to feel comfortable (the airport definitely was not a comforting experience!). We learned about tours that we could take, what our resort life would include and even some ‘rules’ on tipping. It was wonderful to be informed about all this.
We arrived at our hotel around 4:30 am and got all checked in. Once that was done, our new friend, Julio, drove us to our rooms (which were not rooms within a building, but were 8-plexes with each room having it’s own door directly outside). While we checked things out, Julie returned to the lobby for our suitcases and drove those to our rooms as well. What a special way to begin our stay!
We’ve done some unpacking and let the kids watch a bit of Disney’s “Tarzan” in Spanish. We’ve helped Claire master, “Hola!” (which she says so very sweetly) and now I am sitting in the silence of the morning writing this all down before I can forget a single bit of it. My roommates have all fallen asleep (as they should, considering it is now after 6:00 am here - 4:00 am Calgary time), and my queasy tummy is telling me that it is time for me to do the same.
Good morning all! I’m off to sleep! 
