Havana good time!

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Two weeks off in Cuba was a great break from the Canadian winter.

We got away from the snow, the cold, the short days and for some reason, the Internet.  Our hotel did have a couple of desktop computers set up for some pitifully slow Internet access for a charge of only 5 dollars per 1/2 hour, but after the first few days the equipment was out of order for the duration of our stay.  May have been a blessing in disguise.

From what we observed, Cuba has changed a lot since we were here about 15 years ago.  There are a lot more resorts of course, but more evident is a shift toward private enterprise.  New restaurants are popping up throughout Varadero and in Havana as well.  Every one of those old American cars are now taxis for hire.  Side trips for things like diving or snorkeling or just site-seeing are much cheaper due to some actual competition.  Overall we think there is a lot of potential for the future.  A lot hinges on what happens as the old guard of leaders dies off - could go either way.

We had very little to complain about.  The resort we stayed at was in a terrific location, at one end of the town of Varadero.  The food, while pretty basic, was adequate.  The weather was good for the most part, only a couple of cloudy, windy days that  made the beach a bit cool   We spent a great deal of time on the beach and swimming in the ocean.  We did the usual touristy day-trip to Havana, a "jeep" safari through some of the local towns and countryside and spent a day on the south side of the island in the Bay of Pigs for some excellent diving and snorkeling.  Of course, we did our usual marathon walks from one end of the town to the other or just up and down the miles of beach.

The flights to and from Varadero were as pleasant as could be expected in a cattle-car charter and were mercifully short.  Having to fly in and out of Calgary and staying overnight at both ends was a bit of nuisance but when you don't have a job to go back to, it really just extends the holiday.  I'm not sure our friends who accompanied us would agree as they had to do all the driving and are both still gainfully employed.

Here is a small sampling of the Cuba we saw...

A quick note about the status of the boat.  Basically we do not know what the status of the boat is.  When we got back to Edmonton an email was awaiting us from one of the workers in San Carlos, wanting to know what color we wanted the boat to be painted.  Does this mean it is almost done?  So far, my emails have gone unanswered or the replies are just plain unintelligible (English is not their first language).  So for the time being, we continue to wait for more information.

 

{GMST}53|35.3868|N|113|32.3568|W|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada{GEND}

Railing against the weather

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Tomorrow we are off to Cuba.  The beaches of Varadero to be more specific.
For two whole weeks we will miss scenes like this...

I may actually miss this scene.

In reality we will not be in Cuba tomorrow as we first have to make our way to Calgary, about 300 kms south - our travels are never that straight-forward!  For some reason it was impossible to find a last minute flight out of Edmonton.  We will be travelling with our good friends Russ and Val, who will be providing the ground transportation for this leg of the journey.  We will hole up in some flea-bitten airport hotel for the night before boarding an early morning flight to Varadero.  Of course, on the way back we will have to reverse this whole procedure.  Oh well, at least we will be going somewhere, doing something other than sitting around watching TV and playing computer games.

Meanwhile, down in San Carlos, one of our boat projects has made some headway (No, not the still-drying bottom).  Before leaving for Canada, we had contracted a welder to replace our ailing lifelines with some solid stainless-steel rails - better for safety and mounting of things like more solar panels.

This project is now complete.  From what we can tell from the pictures, it looks good.  So, some progress is being made!

With any luck, this is where we will be in about two days...

 

{GMST}53|35.3868|N|113|32.3568|W|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada{GEND}

Watching paint dry

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

I guess this is really not like waiting for paint to dry since, as yet, there is no paint!

Here are the latest moisture readings from the bottom of the boat.  As I understand it, we are looking for the magic 5% mark before proceeding.  Your guess is a good as ours as to when this will happen.

I hate it when they point at things.  Never a good sign...

Meanwhile, we are still here in lovely wintery Edmonton.

Interestingly enough, this winter could go down in the record books as one of the mildest ever.  We have had very little snow and it has been a rare day that the daily high temperature has fallen below zero.  This last few days have been the first taste of winter since back in November.  We had a couple of days of minus 30s (more normal for January) but this is easing up as I write.  All in all, if we have to be stuck in the frozen north during the winter, this has been the best winter to do it in, so far.

Time spent with friends and family during the holidays does make up for some of the pains of missing out on the prime cruising season down in Mexico...

In spite of the great weather, we have decided we need some sort of break - preferably somewhere warm.  So, with that in mind, we scoured the available flights and destinations available to us.  Not too surprisingly, with this current cold snap, this is not a unique idea.  What flights are available are mostly really expensive and the selections within our budget are not very numerous.  We did finally manage to find a reasonable package for two weeks in Cuba.  So, come the end of the month, we are off to Varadero.

We will have to start all over again on our tans.

{GMST}53|35.3868|N|113|32.3568|W|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada{GEND}

Winter Wonderland

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Yes, while our boat basks in the sun in Mexico, we are still here in the frozen north.  Some would call this a winter wonderland.  After all, everyone wants a "white" Christmas now don't they?

In fact, this has been a very mild winter so far as Edmonton goes.  There have only been a few, very light, snow flurries; barely covering the ground in the city.  Out in the country it is just enough to make it look picturesque - in the city it is just enough to make the side streets into skating rinks.  The retailers are upset because people don't get into the Christmas (buying) spirit unless it really looks like winter.  We, on the other hand, are quite happy to have winter delayed as long as possible.

Down south, the boat is still in the "drying" process, with no idea of when it will be ready for the real work to begin.  So for now, we are here in Edmonton at least till Christmas and most likely into the new year.  Our prime winter cruising season is passing us by.  Sigh...

To get us more into the real Christmas spirit we have spent more than a little time Christmas shopping at the local malls including, of course, West Edmonton Mall.  This mall is possibly the closest we can come here to our cruising life, with the performing sea lions, pirate ships and the indoor beach complete with surf, but somehow it is just not the same.  Note: These pictures were taken early in the morning on a weekday - the hordes of people at any other time are hard to believe or describe.

So as not to sound too much like a Grinch, it has been very nice to visit many friends and relatives, especially during the holiday season.  Last year we spent Christmas in a foreign country with no one around that we knew at all.  This is altogether much more pleasant.

My apologies to those readers (and you know who you are) that feel I need to get my A in G and post more often - the main reason I have not been posting to this blog more regularly is that I am sure anyone who would be interested in the drivel I write here, is most likely more interested in the sailing/cruising life than in the minutia of our day to day existence on land.  With any luck we will soon be back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Meanwhile, Merry Christmas to you all out there, no matter where you may be!

{GMST}53|35.3868|N|113|32.3568|W|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada{GEND}

The miracle is over...

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

First we got a little snow...

Then we got a lot more...

And finally, the temperature plunged to almost 30 degrees below zero (Today it got all the way up to minus 20 or so).  Looking at the temperatures in San Carlos, where the boat is, it is maintaining about a 40 to 45 degree differential from Edmonton, still hitting highs in the mid to high 20s.  Sigh!

So what do we do with our time?
When we are not out shopping for things we don't really need, we tend to stay inside, huddled for warmth.  Time is moving very slowly.

On the plus side, I am getting some much-needed exercise by shoveling snow.

{GMST}53|35.3868|N|113|32.3568|W|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada{GEND}