2012/03 – Cuba 2012 – Renzo, Pasta And Tarara Beach

19 Mar

Tarara Beach

Renzo cooking after a beach day

The Beach Crew

March 2012

To be in Cuba for weeks drinking rum and smoking cigars is fortunate enough.

To meet, make friends and share house, time, dinners and a beach with an Italian retiree Hotel owner, passionate chef and 17 yr Cuba veteran is hitting the jackpot.

I met Renzo at our first Casa particular in Miramar. I would smoke my cigar and enjoy my rum while he was busy cooking up his dinner like a pro at the open patio kitchen we shared.

We share the gastronomic interest in good food, the Mediterranean lifestyle and we started talking, he invited me to share his dinners and we agreed that shared moments are bliss.

He had the basic ingredients – sorely lacking in Cuba – brought over from Italy, even his own pots and pans stored in Havana, and I’d help with the shopping, contribute a bottle or two of wine, rum, lobsters and Pargo filets and in the end he even started to enjoy puffing cigars with me although he’d quit long time ago.

In short : we became good buddies.

It was thanks to Renzo that I discovered Tarara beach as he introduced me to his favourite relaxing spot a mere 20 minutes driving from central Havana. As he didn’t enjoy driving around I gladly took over the job and would take us along Quinta Avenida, the Malecon, under the harbour tunnel onto the Via Blanca to Tarara.

A place that has seen a variety of long time residents as it housed Chernobyl kids victims of the nuclear fall-out, was a residence for the “Operacion Milagro” hosting patients for eye surgery in Cuba and now houses several hundred Chinese students.Not that you see many around as they shun the sun.

The beach is empty, all 6-8 Km of it except for a Hotel stretch further up. You drive up to the gate, sign in daily with your ID, register your car and drive in ( security checking the boot to make sure no “blind passengers” are taken along ).

Pool and beach are free in Winter, you pay just for your drinks and meals. The pool is lively and the music is loud, especially on week-ends, but the beach is peace itself. Many Cubans take the chance to rent an apartment there as the special offer was quite good, an A/C apartment, two beds, cable TV and fridge for a mere 10 cookies per apartment until late March – not too bad. We met Havana dockworkers taking a few days off there. Good alternate place to stay too, if you don’t mind the driving.

We spent 10 days on the beach, our main daily activity, and it was great to hang out with the beach crew who would take care of our stuff when we went for a swim or a walk, arrange beach chairs and fresh fish.

I knew beaches existed near Havana, like Playas del Este, but never imagined they would be so beautiful, clean and quiet.

A great discovery which will come in handy for further trips.

Tarara can also be reached from central Havana, buses leaving from Parque Central for 3 cookies.

As for Renzo, the friendship will continue, as I’ll be visiting him in Italy with Inge to eat well and also to pick up a bundle of cigars he kindly took for me. We might schedule a Cuba trip together in the future – nothing like sharing good times and good Pasta with a friend.

Grazie Renzo !

Nino