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Havana, Cuba (Hotel Tropicoco)

12/2/2017

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I was justified in looking forward to when I finally made it to Havana, Cuba to take pictures. In that manner it didn't disappoint.  But in just about every other way, it did.  
First there was severe disruption of my postcard ritual.  Usually on my first day at a new location I am looking for post cards to send home to my grandsons.  So I immediately check out the hotel/resorts gift shop.  At Hotel Tropicoco's gift shop they had no postcards.  I walked across the street to the market.  None there either.  
I made it into Havana on the second full day of my week and couldn't locate any postcards there either.  SERIOUSLY!!!  
I'm pretty determined though.  I don't give up so easily.  Day Four I took a forty minute walk in the heat to the next resort down the road.  Asked security if I could check out their gift shop.  Thankfully, he said yes.  It took me a few moments to find a postcard on their rack that contained an image I was happy about sending to my grandsons.  The shop also had the stamps I needed.
After another forty minute hike in the heat back to my hotel I write out the message on the back to my boys.  The same one on each.  Applied the stamp. Then I approached the reception desk in the lobby to ask if they could post them for me.  Hotel Tropicoco doesn't even do that.   SMH  
As it is, the postcards that I sent the boys the last time I was in Cuba took a full two months to arrive.  That seems like the definition of snail mail.  I finally ended up mailing the postcards from the airport.      
Then there was the cabby scam..  They drive around honking there horns.  Slow down in front of tourists waiting by the side of the road for the buses. Except for the honking it seems to be a global standard of cabby behavior.  There was one cabby who pulled up in front a bus stop where two of us were obviously engaged in a conversation.  I even turned away from the road with the hope that the driver would continue on past us.  Nope.   I couldn't be so lucky.  Instead he yells out the windows indicating three CUC's is all it would cost us to get to Havana in his car.  (There are no meters like we have in our taxi's.  There certainly isn't any Uber either.)  Anyways, we waved him off.  Moments later another cab shows up.  This time he's unloading five passengers at the Hotel.  I heard the driver proclaim that that was three CUC's "EACH".   So that made the total fare 15 CUC's.  Consider that "fare" warning.
One final mention. For the last two days of my trip and an equal amount of time upon returning home even the eye of a needle was too big.  Enough said.  
I'm not saying don't go to this particular resort.  I'm just saying to adjust your expectations. You have to admit that I did come home with some amazing photo's.  Despite everything I do look forward to returning to Cuba in the near future.  
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