8 Jan 2014

Momentum is building for art/baseball trip to Marea del Portillo on Feb. 26!

Jan. 15 update: There is still some room available! Rates fluctuate daily, however, and you never know when everything will be sold out. Don't hesitate to contact me, if you want to be part of the fun!

Also, for a story about a true trip (and fall), please read Sam Ion's 2014 review of Club Amigo Marea del Portillo and Farallon del Caribe in Travel Industry Today. Here's a link: "Sam gets plastered." 

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I am very excited about the Feb. 26-March 5 group trip to Club Amigo Marea del Portillo, Cuba!!!

This group will be a lovely mixture of ages and interests, including numerous artists, entrepreneurs and kids. Some people are nature enthusiasts who enjoy outdoor activities and sports. Some like culinary pursuits, reading and/or writing. Others are passionate about artistic endeavours. Many enjoy all of the aforementioned activities, and myriad other things as well.

Whenever I put together a trip that I am leading, I try to come up with a special theme or optional activities I think will be of particular interest to the group members. This time, art and baseball have both come forward.

About a year and a half ago, a boy named Gil began talking with me about baseball and Cuba. His parents were interested in going to Cuba with me; Gil was interested in baseball. Somewhere in the course of the conversation, he suggested having a baseball game with Cuban children. The adults chuckled at first but he was quite serious. Well, here we are in 2014 – Gil and his family are going to Cuba and we're going to have a ball game!

This little Cuban boy loves to play baseball....
when he's not picking flowers for his mom!
He will be participating in "Gil's game,"
during my Feb. 26-March 5 group trip.
In addition to this sports component, however, an even stronger artistic theme has emerged. Numerous professional artists signed up for this group early on and, coincidentally, while I was in the initial planning stages for the trip, a Cuban friend offered to set up an art tour for me. Perfecto! So, we will be having our own guided excursion in Manzanillo, a city about an hour and a half away from the resort where we'll be staying. We will be visit a few galleries, see some sculptures and meet artists like Ramon Cisnero, who recently hosted an exhibit of his work in Toronto.

I think it's important to get out in the community and partake of local culture whenever possible while travelling abroad. As organizer of these group excursions, I always try to provide a well-rounded experience and give people a comprehensive bang for their buck, so to speak. Therefore, as part of the art tour, we will also be having lunch at a restaurant in Manzanillo and stopping at the childhood home (now a museum) of Celia Sanchez, Cuban revolutionary hero. And, following the baseball game in the village of Pilón, we'll enjoy local cuisine at the Mirador restaurant, renowned for its seafood and beautiful ocean view.

I'm really looking forward to both of these special activities, as well as hanging out in Cuba with a great bunch of people! If you would like to be part of this group or a future one, send me an email (JennicaCuba@gmail.com) or give me a call (647-216-1791).

Chau,
Jenny