HAVANA TIMES – Cuba was never on my bucket list. I didn’t know much about the country, other than it seemed to have a lot of all-inclusive resorts, and I had no interest in staying at one. I preferred to travel independently and seek out off-the-beaten-track places, away from crowds.
I’d gone to Costa Rica a few times, and I’d quite enjoyed it. But, flight prices had jumped. So, when a gal pal suggested a beach getaway to escape Ontario’s too-long winter, I was open to other options. She’d been to Cuba. It was cheap. I was game.
Since my friend was keen to snorkel, our focus became places she knew would be good for swimming with pretty fishes. When her home’s water pump died, however, she had to bail. I didn’t want to give up on a bit of snow avoidance, though, so I found another friend who was able to travel with me in early 2009. Her only criteria was affordability. We promptly booked a vacation at Club Amigo Marea del Portillo y Farallon del Caribe – the cheapest hotel we could find. As the only resort in the entire province of Granma, it was definitely an out-of-the-way location, which sounded just fine.
I was still apprehensive about staying at an all-inclusive resort, but it was the most cost-effective travel choice for a Canadian. The reviews reassured me this was a safe place, not crowded and not a big party zone. I didn’t want to spend my holiday dodging drunks, so that seemed good. [Much later, the resort was rebranded with an eye to attracting a party crowd; it was a dismal failure.] What initially hooked me, though, was the natural beauty of the area.
Later the same year, I returned. This time, I did so with a trio of girlfriends. Two of them had never travelled without supportive spouses and, for numerous reasons, were a little worried about what they might encounter. Because I’d been there earlier in the year, I could assure them that all would be well. It was.
The third member of that second-trip trilogy of amigas had been to Costa Rica with me, where we’d had a few adventures. We’d faced down meal-sized cockroaches. We’d snored in harmony. We’d bribed an officer to get out of a speeding ticket – his idea. And, we’d laughed through it all, when we weren’t faking tears for the speed-trap dude. Anyway, she was there with me in Cuba, that October, when there was a miniscule earthquake and the course of my life changed.
One way my life changed was that I decided to do what I could to help promote the place I’d begun to fall in love with, and to start leading groups there. By the following October, I had put together my first group; we ended up with 44 women. Soon after that, I became a travel agent and started organizing two trips a year. The annual spring excursions were open to anyone but, in the fall, the groups were geared to women.
Here’s a snippet of what I wrote about Marea del Portillo after my third visit, in early 2010: “…Why is it so wonderful? Let’s start with the setting. The scenic beauty of the area is second to none. The historic and majestic Sierra Maestra mountains tower above the eastern lip of the horseshoe bay, stalling the sun’s rise. One of my favorite morning activities was to stroll the few meters from my cabaña to the beach – out the back door, essentially – and to float in the gently undulating ocean as I watched the sun come up…The bay itself is generally quite safe for swimming and the shoreline is interesting to hike along and explore.
“…Everything I’ve written so far, however, is really just about the physical reasons why this resort is a winner in my books. All those reasons would not be enough to hook my heart. The vital ingredient that makes Marea del Portillo a truly exceptional place, in my opinion, is the people.
“…Getting to know the local people has been the most rewarding and important part of my whole Marea del Portillo experience; they have touched my soul. The resort team is reliably helpful and friendly but, beyond the resort’s fenceless boundaries, the people are typically the same – warm, welcoming and wonderful. Even though you are an alien on their home turf, they make you feel comfortable and accepted with a simple smile and nod, or by offering you some fresh fruit or a beverage. If you make an effort to have a conversation and take the time to get acquainted, you will likely see sincere curiosity sparkling in your new friend’s eyes.”
Now, over a decade and a half later, I am still in contact with many of the friends I made because of these travel experiences – both Cubans and Canadians. And, after all this time, despite the heartbreaking conditions on the island, I still love the country and its people.
[Watch for my next column here in about two weeks. If you like my writing, you may also enjoy my latest book, Kat of Nine / Kat de Nueve. It’s a collection of short stories loosely based on Cuban history, starting in 1492. All text is in both English and Spanish. You can find it at a few locations in Muskoka, where I live, and on Amazon.]
Read more from the diary of Jenny Cressman here on Havana Times.