3.11 - LA PLAYA, EL BANCO, EL INTERNET Y MAS

Now a trip to the Beach is required

“What’s Close?” they quickly inquired

Varadero’s too far

As they piled in the car

But Playa Santa Maria can be admired

Hey Nantucket has a beach… just a tad too far.  Are you working on it Earl…he’s dyin’ over here…

The Sun rose Monday with another grunt and there was much to do today for the Boys, Bank, Hotel Nacional Internet, Bucanero’s, Power Walks, Shopping, Bucaneros…

But the Girls had decided that Monday was “Goin’ to the Beach Day”.  However, the thought of 2 hours to Varadero and 2 hours back was too long a drive for a quick swim no matter how beautiful it is.  After consulting Maria la China, the destination is now set for Playa Santa Maria “through the Tunnel, just a short way up the road a piece… [where have I heard that before] about half way to Varadero.  

While all the beach directions and discussion is going on Chucky heads over to Trocadero to pick up Prima and bring her over to entertain Tia for the afternoon and when they return, Tia decides she isn’t up for the beach so Prima had planned to push Tia along the Malecon all the way to Trocadero.  Chucky put the nix on that idea...some of  the Malecon is pretty treacherous for two old ladies and a wheelchair pushing all that way [2 km] so Prima decides to just push her over to the Malecon for a little while and then back to the FOCSA tower behind 55 linea across the street from La Casona, where they will ramble around and later go up to the 33 floor to look out over Havana.

In the meantime the Vedado Girls and Jessie head out for the beach with 2 maps, loads of verbal directions and instructions to keep the water on their left.  They promptly ignore keeping the water on the left, take the bridge OVER the tunnel entrance toward the port, and after quite a ride, there is no more water on the left, the neighborhood is becoming increasingly depressed, and industrial and the road starts to get VERY BAD.
 Not Good, so “CUZ” is now initiated into the Girare-U Club and they head back the way they came suddenly remembering they were supposed to go THRU the Tunnel not over it and started looking for the Tunnel sign they obviously missed.  “There it is” someone cried and after a little maneuvering made the loop under the Bridge and were through the tunnel, slowing down for the toll booth where there was no-one to collect the toll and after repeated loud honks from behind decided to chance an extended stay Cuba courtesy of the Havana Jail for running a toll booth and blew through it.  

Meanwhile, back at 55 Linea Doug and Chucky pop next door to the bank to change CAD to CUC and get stopped at the door… you must first form a line outside, to get inside, to get in a line, to sit on the chairs, to wait for an open teller to change the money.  After 40 minutes, they negotiate the gauntlet, change the cash and head to the store for more water, beer and to see what else was available.  After getting sticker shock at the prices, “How can the average person afford to shop here?” They head back to the house to collect their laptops and with Jake, head over to the Hotel Nacional to see just how bad the Internet really is.

Back to the beach trip… After about 20 miles along first the Via Monumental and a sharp turn onto the Via Blanca, they found a nice stretch of beach and voted “This was IT” and pulled over to a very isolated spot.  After settling in, blankets deployed, sunscreen applied and just about to enter the water… a park security guy wanders over and advises them that they shouldn't leave the car in the isolated area due to too many roving car bandits and they should use the parking facility down the way that they had tried to avoid, not wanting to pay to park.

Sooooo back in the car, down to the parking lot, find a spot to park and trudge back to their spot.  So much for a short drive to the beach.  But… the water was cool, the sun hot, the frolic in the surf refreshing and all was right again in their world again.
Of course only Jessie and ““CUZ”  braved the cold surf, Illy and Grisele being true Floridians declined dipping toe into anything colder than 80 degrees.

Where are the Guys? After deciding not to lug all the gear on foot, they hop in the car, and head to the Hotel,  parking on the street behind the taxi stand to avoid what was reported to be exorbitant parking fees on the hotel grounds.  After the trek up the hill and down the driveway, they climb the stairs to the mezzanine to find two ways to use the internet.  The hotel’s PC in a cubicle at $2.50/15 min or use your laptop @ $7.00/hr for Wireless.  So they set up at the bar, plug into AC to save batteries and set about getting a connection, then going back to the desk, getting a username & password then back to the bar, login only to find it is V E R Y  S L O W, but serviceable… at least until they both find that the Great Firewall of Cuba has their GoDaddy Servers Blocked!  This means Chucky cant access his business email, but what's worse, Doug cant access his Business!!!  Try as he may, NADA.  So he settles for checking e-mail and, connecting with his brother Chuck to try back dooring the problem. He gets a little done but not enough and resigns himself to a possible 6 more days of isolation.  Chucky also began to feel the frustration as Internet withdrawals started to set in.  It was bad enough that the Smart phone he thought he could use as a translator as well as dictate NOWAT notes using the voice input feature, wouldn't work either app without a data connection. W T F!

Now Chucky tries to upload the first NOWAT transmission from Cuba and starts getting error messages on Blogger about the post not sticking.  After awhile he thinks he has is solved and uploads a couple posts, rechecks email and runs out of time.  Unlike using hotel pc’s where you pay at the end, you pay the wireless upfront because they cant track the time and it just shuts off when the time is up.  Chucky needs a little more time to finish one upload and has to transfer it to a flash drive and buy 30 minutes on their machines.  Doug wants to try reaching his servers from their machines, but no joy.  After a frustrating 2 hours, they head back to the House to find something to eat, settling for peanut butter wraps. [In Cuba… with a snack stand on every corner…all these trips to the store, and its Peanut Butter Wraps?!?!?  Don’t ask!]

We'll pick this up and close the day in the next post along with trips to the Tower, Dinner disasters and more fun on the island that Time Forgot.

HASTA LUEGO,

Uncle Chuck & The Wont Go in the Chilly Water

Cuban Lady

Eatin’ Peanut Butter wraps, Sipping Bucaneros and Chillin’ at La Playa