Was anyone else buying beach bars in Cuba the last time they visited, or was it just me?

Cuba’s not short on beach bars, rustic, wooden, tropical looking, packed with Cuban rum.

A hasty purchase: beach bars in Cuba

So…I bought a beach bar, completely on a whim, well within budget and with no prior planning, being a cash buyer it was a very swift and smooth transaction. 😆

I even managed to fly it home in my hold luggage.

It was another blazing hot afternoon, I’d just hopped off the ‘hop on hop off bus’ and I spotted these beauties while walking through a tightly packed Varadero craft market.

All different variations of wooden shack beach bar were laid out side by side to choose from.

They grabbed my attention straight away, I was practically transfixed. #sold

I absolutely ‘was’ going to buy one…..along with the maracas and bongo drums.

…..actually the maracas and another instrument were free gifts when I bought the drums…the seller just wouldn’t take no for an answer, despite my protests that he was giving away too much…so now I pretty much have a complete salsa/samba/rumba music percussion set….anyone want to form a band? 😁🎶

Back to the beach bar….

The detail that went into them was really quirky and impressive, clearly made by hand without any fancy materials. An organic souvenir….compared to most these days 😉

The seller had lots of tools and glue laid out like a little workshop, working on some unfinished items, reinforcing that they were locally made with some nimble Cuban fingers.

Ever so delicate, the little plants on the floor in the corner and on the bar are made from a real plant – all dry and shedding little bits of leaf everywhere if you tamper with them too much or shake the bar…it’s all over one of the bar stools lol….this might be the messiest souvenir I’ve bagged so far.

Hoovering the red velvet carpet when I got it out of it’s makeshift box did cross my mind, but erring on the side of caution, I decided to sweep it with a cotton bud instead, just to be safe.

Seems like quite an eco-friendly souvenir. Tick.

 

The coconut trees above were also souvenirs I picked up in the same market – the copper bound spirally trunks and branches are bendy.

The coconuts look like some sort of large nut or seed and the rock foundations have some tiny shells stuck to the surface.

I’d definitely by beach bars in Cuba again, or some other holiday destination. I wish I’d bought another one or two….then I could have made a beach bar strip!!  Maybe I’ll get the chance in the future.

I sense a new collectors item coming on…..👌

End note

A duck walks into a bar with a bunch of friends, but all his friends ditch him. Bartender says, “I guess the bill’s on you.” 😆🦆

A fish walks into a bar. Bartender says, “Shouldn’t you be in school?” 🐠😄

(I know. That one’s beyond stupid).

Feel free to share you best bar jokes if you like!! 🙈 🙉 🙊