The roller coaster that is Cuba

Imagine - never drinking with your family, all of a sudden, you are cast on an island, an all inclusive island - what do you expect? Not this.

Imagine still, this island is:
-small, the size of the Edmonton-Calgary corridor
-commercialized - their main industry is tourism - their history is hotels, their commodity is tourist knick-knacks.
-is beautiful, the beach is EXACTLY like that corona commercial where the girl squirts a lime at her boyfriend for looking at another girl.

So begins a week in Cuba. A week of missing school, and a week where I get a new brother through my sister's marriage. Showcased here is the attempt of "catch up study" on the plane ride down to Cuba. As you can see, it is going well - so well in fact that it only took me one glass of wine to get tipsy - I was getting off on the right foot! Who needs that water?

We land in Cuba after a delay and role in Varadero at about 10pm, where we start drinking mohitoes, palmeros, and pina coladas at once. We get drunk and take a midnight stroll on the beach - some of us venturing into the water. Here, the scene is out of a movie. The moonlight is bouncing off the ocean, the sand is as soft as a blanket, and the waves are non-existent.

A day in Havana and it is evident, any building that is architecturally pleasing to the eye is a hotel. Also? Cars are small.



And so ensues the whole reason why I was in Cuba - my sister's wedding. The day was interesting - all I can say is if you ever organize a destination wedding, do not do it at Sol Palmeros. We did not see the wedding planner until 2 hours prior to the wedding ceremony. During the ceremony - I couldn't really hear anything (and I was standing at the front!) - but what I did hear threw me through a loop "section 1a of bylaw..." who says that at a wedding? Other than that - the weather held up long enough for us to take beautiful pictures on the beach (which I do not have yet since I was in the wedding party). During the dinner reception I delivered a speech welcoming Tyler to our family - as soon as that task was completed, I tackled the ever difficult task of getting myself drunk - mission accomplished! What happens for the rest of the night - I remember trying to find a new dance venue for my sister's after party - the hotel (oh I am such a big fan!) booked us a club but it was "under renovations." Great! But it was OKAY - we kind of found another "club/theater" in the hotel where there were other hotel guests but we partied there anyways. Drunken fun ensued. Followed by dance offs between siblings and me repeatedly asking the same questions to the same people (tends to happen when I drink too much).

Highlights of the trip:
-the hotel had a beach party where they forced male participants (including my brother) to strip down to their underwear and do a "sexy walk" - my brother represented Canada by break dancing (on the beach! - upon completion he stood up and he looked blond because of all the sand was in his hair - it was cool!)
-beach party number two was the last night we partied hardy - my favourite moment was when they played the techno version of San Francisco
-laying on the beach the last day and then going on a scooter ride
-finding out where I get my party genes from - my dad - the nightlife of the party would be out drinking everyday and would be the last one to go to sleep
-watching the Argentinians play volleyball - they were nice eye candy
-seeing the concert of the band who performed for Castro's 60th birthday, they have a documentary too - I just have no clue what their name is!

My trip did not end off great - I believe I got food poisoning at the Varedero airport - long story short - I was feverish and delirious from the plane ride on Thursday night and for the whole day Friday. Needless to say I skipped school on Friday and did horrible on the assignment due that day.

Overall - ups and downs but would not change this unpredictable trip for a ____?___.