Good Friday in Varadero

The path from CESERSE to the beach!

Good Friday

This year, because of the Pope's visit, Cubans were granted a holiday on Good Friday. We took advantage of the day off school and the fact that I didn't have to work at a church, to go to Varadero with Yohanes, Mariela, Daniela and Elias. Riding there and a back in a converted truck, we parked ourselves on the beach beside the Presbyterian Casa (CESERSE) which offers hospitality to tourists in the winter and a variety of programs for those in need in the summer (seniors without family, kids with disabilities, kids with cancer etc...) We had a fabulous lunch there and also enjoyed Mariela's amazing cake on the beach - as well as all kinds of other treats.

Elias, Yahanes, Mariela, and Daniela
Elias and Daniela were Emma's main Spanish teachers!

We all spent too much time in the water and got a little sun burnt, but it was a glorious day!

We had to wait a while for the return trip (an hour) and rewarded ourselves with dishes of ice cream once back in Matanzas.

A note about transit in Cuba: There are taxis for tourists that can be pretty expensive ($25 to Varadero from Matanzas). The same car loaded with Cubans costs $1 per person. There is a bus system on a schedule (Viazul) for foreigners and Cubans that costs $6 and is pretty reliable. Then there are the buses and converted trucks that you get at the side of the road which cost 50 cents to Varadero and $1 to Havana. We travelled all these different ways depending on who were with and how quickly/reliably we needed to get somewhere. It may seem unfair that tourists get charged so much more, but then we don't earn $20 a month!

Becca and Emma relaxing!

More on double (and then some) economies: Official events and buildings often have two prices - for foreigners in convertible pesos and the same number in Cuban pesos for Cubans (1/25th the value). At first I bristled at this difference. But, I grew to accept it as a fair system. The two currencies in Cuba make life complicated A convertible peso is roughly equivalent to the Canadian dollar. There are 25 Cuban pesos (moneda nacional) per convertible peso. Most things are bought in Convertible pesos (CUCs) but fruits, vegetables, some restaurants, and stuff you buy on the street is all in moneda nacional.