Cuba ci!

We've been back from our family getaway to Cuba for a few days now and this is the first quiet moment I've had to sit down and jot down my thoughts about it all. I've been making notes in my head, hoping that I would remember all the details.

So, to keep it brief, I'm going to break it down to the good and bad of our trip. The good far outweighs the bad, but unfortunately the bad did overshadow a large part of the trip (we were only there for one week).

The good.

Cuba is a most beautiful, welcoming, warm, culturally vibrant county. As a whole, the people of Cuba have such passion,  and pride themselves in their country's rich history. The music, the art, the attitudes of Cubans make me want to return time and time again. I think if we go back someday, that I would like to stay in a village there for a few weeks and really immerse myself in their culture. Maybe when Winslow and I are older and we don' have young kids with us.

The beaches, the turquoise ocean, the white sand, the palms, the flowers, and deep earthy scent in the air. Cuba is just beautiful and it was such a treat to escape our cold winter weather and  go there. If I close my eyes, I can almost imagine myself back on the beach.

Family time. We had been planning this trip for quite some time and early on had decided to invite some of our extended family along. We thought it would be such a nice way to see each other. All inclusives are great for that. No cooking, no cleaning- just uninterrupted time together!

This was our second time at this resort (Melia Las Dunas in Cayo Santa Maria Cuba) and we really like it there. The resort is situated on a private island key (with a cosway) and it really has everything there to make the trip enjoyable. We decided not to go on any excursions (we had done 2 last time), and opted for hitting up the pool, beach and taking in the entertainment, which was more than enough for our little family.

The bad.

On our 3rd day into our trip, Katia started to show some spots all over her tummy. Winslow and I thought that it could be a heat rash, so we tried to keep her in a cool room and out of the sun for much of the next day...but it continued to spread all over her body.

By day 4 we were starting to get worried. Katia's spots had turned into hives and they were spreading all over her body. Her mood was down. She had a fever. She wasn't enjoying herself, and at this point, neither were we.

By day 5, when we woke up in the morning her hives had spread to her face and her face was swollen with spots. She wasn't well at all and her fever was really high. We decided to take her to the medical clinic in Cuba.

I must admit, I was a bit of a nervous wreck to take her to the clinic. I had heard of great things about the Cuban medical system (Michael Moore even showcased the Cuban medical system in one of his documentaries), but still, this was different. Katia is so small, we don't speak Spanish (the Dr ended up being quite proficient in English), and we were in a foreign country. In the end, Katia ended up getting a shot of cortisone in the bum and by nighttime her hives were considerably gone, and we both felt relieved that she was looking better.

The next morning (day 6) her hives and fever had come back so we took her to the clinic again. This is actually when I started to get really scared. I wasn't sure what more they could do for her and I was beginning to plan our trip home to Canada. In the end, we held Katia over with a steady combination of Tylenol and Benedryl, but she really wasn't happy and we were all pretty wiped out from having a really sick and unhappy babe on our hands. 

So as you can tell from reading this, much of our trip was spent taking care of poor sick Katia, but still, we really did have a great time and definitely enjoyed the beautiful warm tropical location! We had such a great time that we are already starting to talk about a trip for next winter. 

To leave off, I will include a few of our favourite pictures from the trip. 

xox

ps. I took Katia to the hospital once we arrived in Whitehorse. She is doing much better and the Dr here  says it was a viral infection gone bad :(