Cuba > Walking through the Varadero market

First, we sleep in, which makes us late for breakfast. Luckily, after a bit of talking, we are still allowed to quickly go in and eat something. After breakfast, we walk into Varadero with Abel. We visit a small cigar shop, where a man outside demonstrates how the cigars are made. We don’t buy any, as Abel said he would arrange that for us. A little further on, Abel points out the bus to Havana for anyone who wants to spend a day there

Cuba - The coastline of Varadero

. In downtown Varadero, we visit the tourist market — a small park filled with stalls selling purely tourist items: t-shirts, drums, wood carvings, and much more. We stroll through the market, buying souvenirs under the warm sun. We walk back along the beach and have a drink at a cozy beach bar. We spend about three-quarters of an hour walking along the sand and past the hotels. One hotel is partially in the water, so we have to wade through to continue. At our own hotel, we have lunch in the restaurant and then settle on the beach. Just relaxing on a sunbed with a book in the shade, taking occasional dips in the water and sipping a drink — pure enjoyment. In the evening, we decide not to eat at the hotel restaurant. Although the meals are included, we aren’t too impressed with the buffet. We walk into Varadero and eat at a steakhouse. Of course, a band plays here, but we probably pay little attention. After a few songs, the band leaves without asking for a tip.