Cuba 4: Souvenirs

One thing I really enjoyed in Cuba was shopping for souvenirs at the flea market. I think the vacation would have felt incomplete without it. There were two flea markets in Varadero, and we also went to one in Havana. It was funny to observe our shopping habits: on our first experience, we all walked around the entire market, scoping out what they had, before we bought anything. We wanted to get a feel for what souvenirs were available before committing to anything. Then we made another loop, buying some things and considering others. Then came a third loop for final purchases. We didn't have time to do this in Havana - we only had half an hour at the flea market, which wasn't enough time to even get through the whole thing once. When we went back to Varadero on our last day get some final souvenirs, we thought we could make it through the flea market quickly because we'd been there before, but even then it took a couple loops. In our defense, though, everything was different than it had been a few days before - different vendors with different wares - and it still didn't take it as long as it did the first time.

This was one of the neatest souvenirs I saw: salad tongs with birds and animals on the top. They were unique and yet practical - a fun souvenir, but something that you can use, not something that sits awkwardly on a shelf and screams "Cuba!" Several of the vendors sold them (on Tuesday, but I think there was only one on Saturday). I brought home a set for me (the ones on the left), and another set for my friend Inid (I thought she might like the flamingo ones on the right).



Necklaces were another popular souvenir item, and I brought home lots. They were a fun gift to bring for my friends, and every style I bought for a friend I figured I should get for myself as well so we could match. And then I got some extras for me. (All the ones in the picture are mine, haha.) Now it's just a matter of wearing them! I don't feel like I typically dress plainly enough to make an exciting necklace look right.
Some of them (the one on the bottom, far right, and far left) are made out of wooden beads. I wore one of them in Cuba the day we went to Havana, and our tour guide pointed it out and said Cuban people never wear necklaces like that; they always wear gold. It's not like it was gaudy or anything (in my opinion), and I felt like saying, "Excuse me, I got this here in Cuba!" But I guess it's fair that what they sell to tourists isn't necessarily what they wear themselves.
Some of the necklaces (the ones second from the right and left) are made out of watermelon seeds, with some other kind of seeds as accents. And the one right in the middle is made out of some kind of nut-type seed, with each petal being made out of one seed. That one will be the hardest to wear here - it kinda says "tropical vacation."
I also bought some chunky rings that look like they might be made out of coconut. Unfortunately my hands were really hot when I sized and purchased them (all of me was!), so now they all fit a little on the big side. And it turns out that chunky rings just get in the way most of the time. When I've tried wearing one I've generally taken it off within an hour. But that's enough time to dye my finger brown or purple or green!

So I figured I couldn't come home from Cuba without bringing rum and cigars - even though I neither drink nor smoke. But so many of the people I brought souvenirs for are the type who would like rum that I brought home more than my allowed amount (my friend had to claim one bottle for me). And as for cigars, I thought that my Dad and brother would get a real kick out of them.

It's my Dad's birthday soon, so one of my shopping goals in Cuba was to find him a birthday present. Unfortunately I didn't know what I was looking for, so I didn't have huge success. I got him some rum and a cigar, and the wooden car in this picture. Hopefully he'll like it. He's nearly impossible to shop for, so I just give up on trying to find something perfect for him. I just settle for "something." Like a wooden car from Cuba.
The other object in the picture, the wooden Cuba box that opens on hinges and is shaped a little like a book, is for me. After I bought it I regretted doing so, but something needs to fit the category of "unnecessary tacky impulse purchase." I've purchased worse on vacations.

I brought a bunch of chocolate home from Cuba. There were two varieties - plain chocolate (the bottom one, in dark and in milk) and chocolate filled with stuff (the top one - mint, and I also got strawberry). Chocolate from other countries is always different. The Orly filled chocolate was alright - pretty sugary, not amazing. I was warned about the plain chocolate by a friend - she tried it with her family after we got back, and they described it as "barny" tasting. I'm not sure that's what I would say now that I've tried it, but I have a hard time putting the taste into words. It's... dynamic. I'm not sure if it's good or bad. But I think I still prefer it to Mexican chocolate. That stuff's no good at all.
I also bought some cookies in Cuba. I bought chocolate sandwich ones (kinda like fudgee-o's) that are okay, some lime chocolate sandwich ones that are also okay, and some banana cinnamon cookies that were amazing! They were so good that I wish I bought more, and I'm sad they're all gone now.

I also bought keychains. Many sea shell key chains. I knew some of my friends would like them (now the three of us match), and I also wanted to get something small for the people I work closely with - something that said "I thought of you!" but something unobtrusive, not something that screamed "Tacky Cuban Souvenir!" I think keychains hit the right note.


There was one more souvenir that I was pretty excited about: in Havana there was someone selling flip-flops made out of dried palm fronds! They were only 5 Pesos, and they looked so tropical, and they even smelled good! (I have a thing about the way things made out of sea grass and palm fronds and stuff like that smell, mmmm.) But unfortunately, it seems that they depended on Cuban humidity. I brought them home and wore them excitedly, and on only my second day back they broke while I was on a walk. Suddenly. In four places at once. While I was walking on rocks. That cut into the bottom of my foot. And there was a whole bunch of gravel and sticky tree things between me and the car. Boo.