I think that perhaps one of the signs of ageing, at least in me, is that I have lost the ability to write narrative prose. After too many years of reports and such I am reduced to communicating in point form. It may also be that iPads are not the best device for me. Frankly I think the word processor on my BlackBerry is way better featured than this thing and certainly the keys don't bang my finger joints that way this keyboard's dobut hey, I'm lying on a bed looking out on a bunch of kite surfers working the edge of a fine sandy beach, it's 27 (later additions poolside with a cappuccino or four) and I'm looking forward to scooping another spoonful of Sandwich Spread straight out of the jar the next time Geri leaves the room for a moment. :-)

Though there's a certain irony in me deliberately leaving all my gizmos behind and taking notes on paper, reading paperbacks while she sends email on her iPad while listening to podcasts on her Touch and reads on her kindle.

I find me having to restrain myself and not review the iPad. :-)

Can't resist but will keep short: useless for anything other than games but great at that.

FYI, this intended as a postcard for friends and family as well as serving as a review/report for our Happy Faces companeras/os.

On the Obama announcement yesterday, here folks think it a good thing and seem pleased by the prisoner exchange announcement, but no Cuban I have spoken with sees this as changing a great deal since while Obama has some flex under the terms of the Helms'Burton act )sorry, can´t find all the characters I need on a Spanish keyboard= but the meat of the Embargo can only be dealt with by Congress.  I don´t follow US politics all that closely but as I recall both chambers will have a Republican majority come January.

There´s more excitement amongst the Canadian guests here )a majority of the guests are Cdn=.  Much bar discussion re. where we will be looking to shift to if or when our southern cousins appear in large numbers in a few years.  If Caibarien is going to look and feel like Jaco CR or San Juan Nicargua in 5 years, do we want to be here_  Will we be able to afford it, that kinda thing.

I watched the CNN coverage and thought it way over the top.  The Cuban coverage more restrained and focussed on the diplomatic recognition and the prisoner exchange, the Pope´s role.


1. The food is, I think regrettably for those who arrive without having done a tiny bit of research and so for whom it comes as a surprise, pretty much standard for one of these places. But even so, in the sea of food ejected from a sous vide the size of an Olympic swimming pool, there are the odd bright spots. Last night's fish was fine but the bits on the side not too appetizing. Mashed that I could have sworn came from a box and overlooked veg. But the appetizer was not bad at all. A fried egg over mashed potatoes covered with Serrano ham shavings. Almost certainly the chef's addition to the corporate menu as the mashed real and made tasty with some herbs. We've seen this before and know from asking around that the chefs at these places will often find ways of escaping the set menu and ingredients. I enjoyed and spent some time by the pool this afternoon thinking about how to make a few changes and serve at home. I think perhaps some toasted garlic in the mashed and a dusting of parmasan along with the Serrano. We've also had a quite nice chateaubriand and last night's 'returning guests' dinner featured a surf and turf worthy of a chain restaurant at home and even better, a very short speech of welcome (back).

2. Air Transat the best-organized airline there is I think. The multi-line check-in system with one for upgraded passengers, one for families with young kids etc. is very efficient.

3. Seat fine. It came with a split of pro secco and a $15 food credit. Which I used for a glass of white and a snack. Pleasant enough flight, standard arrival procedure.

4. A few of the staff/guides in the parking lot and on the buses were wearing gloves and toques. It must has been 15:-).

5. The Melia has reasonable wifi, as reported by other travellers, but still only in the lobby. So far seems reliable and fairly fast. $4 per hour wifi or with desktop rental included. I will admit to now oscillating wildly between being glad I had the self-discipline to leave all my gizmos behind and wishing I had at least brought my Blackberry.

6. The resort is about 40% full. Mostly a good thing for the guests who are here but it does mean that the a la carte restaurants are open only in rotation.

7. I do wish that new guests were given a map to the resort that not only showed them where their rooms are to be found but which identified the chairs poolside and the tables at the restaurants, the stools at the bars which Geri and I have staked-out as ours. My forehead may be permanently wrinkled from the number of glares I have had to unproductively send.

8. The pool grill is empty at breakfast and when we mention the possibility of an a la carte (and quite good) breakfast by the pool and under waving palms to other guests it comes as a surprise. Which is why I keep mentioning it here.

9. We've been invited to a birthday party for one of the staff near Christmas. This stuff always makes me a bit nervous as I prefer to keep a bit of distance but this one seems ok.

10. The Melia is one of those resorts with a loyal clientele and so we have lots of old friends amongst the guests, not just the staff. Some appear to have been occupying the same stool at the swim-up bar since we were last here.

11. Having BBC on the TV means staying up to date on things like the general strike in Belgium when the pension age was raised to 67 for no particular reason (unlike home, where the same was done for as little reason and all that resulted were supportive editorials in The National Post) and the latest in cricket.

12. Lots and lots of familiar staff. Always a good sign. Unhappy people move.

13. Little rituals: sleep-in or read until 0730, then head out for some more reading and fresh orange juice, a couple of cappuccinos; then back to the room to deliver tea to Geri. And to swipe her iPad so I can work on this.

14. This is what retirement will be like for me. Geri got there first and has done all the scouting, made all the contacts.

15. Weather not great last week I am told, but dandy so far this. Just too windy for the beach. Waves and flying sand. One of the down sides of so fine a beach.

16. It is possible that I will die of poolside bar service. I shall be interested to see how that cause is listed on my death certificate.

17. Have already made some friends amongst the resort's cats. Ours would enjoy these the palms here as they are easily climbed.

18. There are more kids than we've seen here in the past but the little jeezers seem well-contained in the Mini Club. Even so some razor wire along the top of the fence that surrounds it would be welcome.

19. Three weeks (four for Geri) will see us well into stir-crazy territory so we're looking at a few nights in a Havana casa particular. It's the getting there that's the problem. Car cheap, plane fast...

20. Good thing I was able to come as Geri needs to be regularly told that she is wearing her tops inside out.

21. Some decent sparkling wine here these days. Mimosas a nice hot day drink. And even better, you can start in on them at breakfast. ������

22. I brought a bunch of books to read and then leave in the library. Mostly stuff I haven't read in decades but thought enough of to shelve for the future. The future would appear to be now. But odd choices. The first two up were The Communist's Daughter and Count Zero. Both set partly in Barcelona. A much different read when you've been to the settings. Am not going though them as quickly as a result, but still averaging one a day. 'Bug Jack Barron" is so wildly dated I'm finding it unreadable. And P. Jose Farmer's take on Jesus (Yeshua in one of the Riverworld novellas, JC on the Dude Ranch and Jesus on Mars) fun but not nearly as profound as it seemed to me at age 15. The Jungle Rot Kid on the Nod just seems pretentious (which coming from me is harsh indeed ������). I'm afraid of what I will think of the Moorcocks I brought. All by way of saying that I hope the resort's swap library is well stocked as I may run short.

23. Gym a necessity after the flight and the time we spend on pool loungers.

24. A wedding here every week.

25. Twins should not be forced to wear identical clothing past the age of 6. Parents should be flogged for encouraging it after 10 and children's aid called if it is allowed after 14.

26. Geri has already established a relationship with the general manager and with one of the sUb-managers. Her personality and inclination to do so aside, the fact that we're here for so long helps. Good guy to know for future visits.

27. Fewer musicians than when the place is full but very good and all playing son or jazz. Very enjoyable when the Muzak is avoided.

28. Ken Barger owes me CUC3 for getting the lobby bar band to play Yolanda last night.

29. It was a mistake to store my jars of Sandwich Spread on the shelf over the TV. In view from my pillow. I woke from a nap yesterday with a craving and finished one off. A true junkie and spoon less I used my toothbrush to scour the bottom clean.

30. Geoff D did not warn me that Australian baseball caps use dyes that bleed. The red bill of the CPSU hat he gave me years ago makes me look as though I have a serious scalp wound when it is wet.

31. As always the lack of tips and tippers is to be lamented. It is noticeable that regulars do. The foursome from the Stratford area who every year stake out some stools at the swim-up (I call them The Lizards in recognition of their ability to sit there no matter what the water temperature) seem determined to make up for the parsimony of others. From what I have seen they are paying as much for their included drinks here as they would at home.

32. There are Xmas decorations here and there, especially in the lobby. On the up side they all appear to be flammable.

33. Scratch-made piña coladas...

34. A couple of the bartenders setting aside Geri's favourite cava for her. And, FINALLY, you can get a Cesar. Mind you, we have to buy the clamato juice in cans at the shop but the bars will then hold them for you with a note identifying the owner.

35. Going for a walk around the place inevitably turns into something resembling a pub crawl as, unfathomably, we seem to know all the bar staff and they pull us over for a chat. At least that is how I remember it.

36. Walked around the Sol next door. Homier place, if it had just a couple of more restaurants it would be our choice for a long stay like this. On average the food there superior to here but how many times can you enjoyed a nice BBQ chicken with great fries in a month? Nice chats with a couple of the old timers there. Turns out we probably first ran into Vivian M at the first Cayo Coco hotel about 1993. Now we need to find someone who was at the 50's classic Internacionale a few years earlier.

37. The Sol folks report that it is full all year now with Cuban guests filling it all summer.

38. Sol habitués will want to know that Elsa eventually did retire. The first time wasn't retirement at all but a long vacation to clear her bank. She got bored at home and returned at the end of it rather than retiring. When she had to retire she did but has moved to Havana, presumably for the excitement. ������

39. They seem to be building an aviary at the Sol. On the east side of the buffet restaurant.

That's it for now. Likely more later. It would cost a tonne to upload them from here but I have a few photos of the Melia facilities for anyone think of booking here as well as a few exteriors of the Sol. Not much has changed so I offer them only as proof the places still stand and are in good shape.