Monday, 7 November 2022: My Arrival in an Old Caribbean Beach Resort

Another big breakfast this morning as I say goodbye to my terrific hosts at the B&B here in Trinidad.  My trusty, feisty taxi driver, Barbara, arrives at 9:30 AM and we take off on an uneventful trip northwest to Cienfuegos.  The 2-lane highway seems in better condition than most I’ve traveled on in Cuba.  Along the way, we drive through large stretches of forest and cross a number of rivers that flow from the Topes de Collantes to the Caribbean.

Barbara and I get on the subject of Cuban fruit.  I ask if it’s true that papaya is a naughty word in Cuban Spanish.  Yes it is.  They call it “fruta bomba” (fruit bomb) because “papaya” is also a slang word for a woman’s crotch.  Barbara finds a You Tube video on her cell phone and hands it to me.  The hilarious song with accompanying cartoons is called “La papaya de 40 libras” (The 40 pound papaya) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XnDSXlmPxY  It was recorded by a Cuban group “La Diosa” and includes suggestive drawings of papayas sliced lengthwise which bear a strong resemblance to female nether regions. 

We also talk a bit about male-female relationships.  Barbara has two grown sons and has been divorced for several years.  She likes being single and sees no reason to remarry.  The main reason:  she likes her work driving a cab and makes good money.  She notes that Cuban men don’t like their wives working outside the home.  Wow – I guess the revolution didn’t change those traditional attitudes. 

My two-night reservation in the city of Cienfuegos is for a casa particular located on a peninsula called “La Punta” – The Point.  It extends south from the city into Cienfuegos Bay.  As we drive south on the only street leading to La Punta, I find that it has the feel of a quiet tropical beach town in the 1950s.  My lodging is next to a small park which includes the tip of the peninsula. 

Upon our arrival around 11:00, we are met by Silvia who is thin, attractive, and middle-aged and her older husband.  I pay Barbara and we bid each other adios.  Silvia takes me up to the second floor to see my comfortable room with private bath which is adjacent to a patio shared by one other room (there are only two guest rooms in their home).  Silvia is very friendly.  We sit for about 15 minutes on the patio and she asks me lots of questions about my life.  She seems genuinely interested in my answers.  The Cubans that run these casas particulares seem to enjoy their foreign guests who provide them a window into the outside world which few of them get to experience.  As usual, I have a hard time understanding Silvia’s Spanish especially with a generator running next door.  But it’s very good practice for me to tell her about my life in Spanish.

The power is off when I arrive but goes back on at noon.  There is an open-air restaurant next door where I have lunch.  It looks out over the bay and there is a pleasant breeze coming off the water.  I have an eggplant appetizer which is delicious but tiny followed by a bowl of bean soup.  With tea and tip, the bill comes to $13.50.  That’s very steep for Cuba, at least in comparison with the restaurants I’ve been eating in.  I suppose I’m paying for the atmosphere. 

I walk back up the main street toward the city.  I pass several beautiful old Caribbean-style homes.  This is definitely an up-scale neighborhood for Cuba although my B&B is very reasonable ($40 per night) given the location.  Across the bay to the northwest, I see an oil terminal and refinery.  The sun sets on my way back to my accommodation providing some nice photo opportunities. 

 

There is wifi in my casa particular but, of course, it doesn’t work when the power is off.  When I get back after my walk, it’s out again.  Pisses me off because I want to get some updated information about a tropical storm which is predicted to turn into a hurricane.  It may hit south Florida just before my scheduled arrival in Fort Lauderdale in three days. 

There is a second restaurant next door to my lodging.  It’s also overpriced but the food is good and different from what I’ve been able to find in Cuba.  I have an okra dish in tomato sauce with rice.  After dinner, the power is back on but wifi problems minimize the time I’m able to use the internet with my cell phone.  I do learn that tropical storm Nicole is still heading toward Florida.

 

© Will Mahoney 2022

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