Martin Travels: Adventures up the Hill March 16

We had learned from our acquaintances from BC that Sam also had friends who live just outside the resort who would for 15CUCs each provide us and Sam an excellent dinner. We made arrangements to meet him at 7PM and we walked along the road to the house where we were greeted by the 21 year old daughter who was also our server. She is a third year student of dentistry, and hopes to specialize after 7 years. We were escorted to an outdoor thatched roofed dining pagoda set for seven. The other 4 didn’t show.
Then came the food. Plates of fruit, salad and rice that were never touched, a shrimp cocktail with a cold white sauce, a fish steak called ‘Emperor’ grilled pieces of pork, and then la piece de resistance, two lobster tails for each of us. We could each only eat one and brought the other back with us. Dessert was crème caramel, some of which we also brought back.
We had met Bill and Danette from Fort Frances – northwestern Ontario - both were raised in the Maritimes and Bill is a smoker and connoisseur of Cuban cigars. Sam had told us that he can get us some cigars at a reasonable price, and arrangements were made to meet on the beach. In order to get Cuban cigars out of the country, they must be in a government sealed container. Sam showed up with a back pack and proceeded to sell us each (Bill, Darryl and me) a box of Cohiba 25 cigars for 35CUCs. We saw the same for sale at the tobacco shop at the airport for 215CUCs. It would be a number of times that in Canada. The underground economy at work!
One afternoon Bill, Darryl and I took a hike up the hill. There are two private restaurants there, in addition to the house where Sam took us for lobster. We were invited in to a living room of another house where the owner showed us cigars we could buy from him. Bill determined that his price was too high, so on we went. We stopped at the second restaurant, had a complimentary pina colada and a beer, were shown a pet alligator (or some other species) in a pen, and made arrangements to return for lobster dinner that evening. We did, and it was OK, but not nearly as good as the private home dinner we had with Sam.
We settled into a routine of breakfast, reading at the room and then wander down to the beach to meet with our new friends. There was always beverages available at the bar pool. Most had brought a thermal mug – some of them looked like they would hold a gallon, and the bartenders would be happy to fill it with whatever drink they would mix or with draught beer. Stupid me forgot to bring mugs. So we got our drinks in small plastic cups. In the case of beer, it would be 2 or 3 at a time.