i am happy too!

harry's long absence had me fearing the worst, but i know he has a good heart...
his off-color humor helps brighten the occasionally dismal thread.

bienvenidos, martin

Thank you Martin..(and all who have welcomed me back)
I did in fact have some health issues that kept me from travelling for a time, but it seems to under control at the moment. In October I had an ultra hi-tech ablation procedure to correct an arrhythmia. Pretty amazing stuff. They put you out for a few hours and a very well trained electro-cardiologist threads a catheter through your body to fiddle with the electricity of the heart. As near as I can tell it's been quite successful. My trainer thinks so too and has been amping up my workout routine bit by bit. Still get my aches and pains like everybody else, but very much in the game.
In September I retired from one service group that I served in, but am still active in my local Rotary club. Doing P.R. work and am involved with a "new fundraising concepts" committee. Our latest gig there is flogging platters of handmade traditional shortbread, for which we have a bang-up recipe and a nice low price point. Our Saanich, BC club is taking big inspiration from the Harbourside, Victoria club who have made a grand success out of selling Christmas fruitcakes every year. That's a project that now dependably clears about $15,000 which is put towards good causes in the community.

harry's long absence had me fearing the worst, but i know he has a good heart...
his off-color humor helps brighten the occasionally dismal thread.

bienvenidos, martin

I agree with your assessment of the impact of the new tourism that will arrive from the USA as well as the conundrum it poses for the suspicious party liners. I expect once the tourism starts back up there will be some incidents between a few crudish loudmouths and a few true believers, but I'm sure the resort AIs where those folks will undoubtedly stay are already well accustomed to such types.

I'm just glad I got to see Cuba before the USA normalized relations, because it will never be the same afterwards.

A few things have changed since your last visit. Some food is more plentiful because small private co-op markets are now permitted, certain small businesses are now permitted, and Cubans can now actually buy and sell their homes instead of having to trade them on the black market as they had done previously. Certain restrictions on freedom of movement have been lifted, and now Cubans who can afford it can actually stay at the same hotels as the foreign tourists, a privilege they had previously been denied.

Nevertheless, a stark reminder of where you are occurs when going to a waterfront seafood restaurant that offers some dish made with tuna, and since Caribbean tuna is so delicious you will of course be tempted to try it. But lo and behold when that dish arrives there is no mistaking the fact that the tuna came from a can (likely from China or Vietnam). If you aren't a fisherman you may ponder the reason why for quite some time. But any fisherman knows that tuna schools tend to run quite a distance off shore, a place where Cuban fishing boats are not allowed by their government. As a matter of fact, one thing that will strike anyone on a fishing trip to Cuba is the fact that it seems all the fishing vessels have undersized motors and plod along at extremely slow speeds. ¡Viva Cuba!

Of course Harry, there has always been some Americans going to Cuba even with the embargo but the numbers expected when the doors open freely for all is also expected to push pricing way up and that is expected to have a negative effect for Canadians. Offer and demand!

Je me en remets à votre expertise.

Me remito a su experiencia.

I defer to your expertise.

That picture is actually very interesting as there is a feeling in the industry that once Americans start being able to go back freely to Cuba, many Canadians will be looking for elsewhere ...

Except that Americans have been touristically going to Cuba in numbers all along anyway. So much so that they are offered loose sheets of paper to fit into their passports stamped with their visa, so that when they return to the USA the slips can simply be removed and not shown at immigration. They just routed their trips mostly through Mexico and Canada to get there is all.

This thaw has the potential to radically change Cuban culture, outlook, and business. The entire society has been infra-structured with their Committee for the Defense of the Revolution, a kind of mega neighborhood watch where people take turns spying on each other in order to defend against American and decadent infiltration. That an the complete lack of freedom of media, freedom of speech, the whole thing. Unless you're a way up party member you've also got to live with intensive rationing. It drove me nuts that we could eat more or less like we usually do in Canada there in our Hotel, but locals would literally have to line up for bread. The ration allotment for a family of 4 was one small chicken per month back when I visited in the early 90's. They got by.There was always the black market.. and You can live and be quite healthy on rice, beans,and fresh fruits and vegetables, but they have a lot of catching up to do...and I hope they get there.

I have had a couple messages deleted or not posted and there are no hard feelings, and I will not waste my precious time in Zihua kicking sand in your face because of it!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! ...but, please excuse me, I have to head out to the mall to buy a present or two. I bet you all know what I want for Christmas!

Welcome back Harry! I am sorry that I think the cartoon is funny!

Yeah well then don't tell the others. Once they think I'm back they'll be boiling pots of tar,shredding feather pillows and putting together a posse.

http://www.bubalaplease.com/

http://youtu.be/JUzo3uQ00OM

Been a while since I've posted here. Had a little argument on a topic unrelated to Z/Ix with Don Roberto a number of months back which didn't sit well with me, but maybe if we avoid that particular topic things will be a little better.

Anyway, here's a shocker...I'm booked again for a couple of weeks in February. Got my pesos, got my new flip flops, and packing a smaller dictionary.

Must say that among all the horrible things going on in the world there was one special thing that pleased me mightily this past week and that's the thaw in relations between the US and Cuba. Interesting that both Canada and Pope Francis played important roles in this change. We visited Cuba in 1991 and it's amazing how the entire political culture has been based upon preparation for imminent open hostility with America. Also the people there have not been free. There's one heck of a lot of human potential there. I hope that it pans out well.