The lure of a cheap vacation, cheap mojitos, and cheap prostitutes is too much for Canadian tourists to pass up. Although Cuba is a slave plantation and for the most part a third-world country, Canadian tourists continue to flock there by the millions.

While the vast majority stay in their Potemkin village resorts and never venture too far from them, some occasionally find themselves in a situation where they have no choice but to see and experience Cuba like the natives do.

A trip to Cuba has become a hellish experience for Canadian Daniel Baril, who is stranded in a small village with a broken back after he fell while mountain climbing nearly a month ago.

Baril’s Quebec insurance company refuses to pay for an air ambulance out of the Caribbean country, forcing his family and friends to raise the $25,000 bill by themselves.

“I’m living in hell,” Baril, of St. Jerome, Que., told QMI Agency by telephone from an ant-infested apartment in Vinales, a two hour drive outside of Havana.

“I’m taking painkillers every four to six hours. I started walking (Wednesday) but technically, I shouldn’t be walking.”

The 41-year-old was forced into the small cement dwelling on Jan. 15 when he could no longer afford hospital bills.

Baril and wife Sophie Geoffroy had ventured into the Vinales valley, a popular site for Canadian travellers, on Dec. 30. Geoffroy returned to Quebec on Jan. 10 while Baril continued his forays with other climbers.

Five days later, Baril was climbing with a woman from western Canada when he fell five metres and struck a rocky surface below.

“I knew it was bad right away,” said Baril. “I told (other climbers): ‘My back is broken, don’t move me.’”

The ambulance arrived four hours later and he was taken to a local hospital. X-rays showed that his tailbone was broken and he had a fractured vertebrae. Blood was pooling in his lower body, which was heavily bruised.

“They punctured me and set up a pan to let the blood flow out,” said Baril. “My underwear was soaked with blood the next morning.”

He stayed in the hospital for a week, shocked to see the occasional cat or dog wander into his room. His wife told QMI Agency everything changed when hospital staff learned that Baril’s insurance company had stopped making payments.

“They panicked,” Geoffroy said. “Daniel sent me a text (saying), ‘What’s going on, they closed my file and put me out.’”

Baril was sent to a local bank by ambulance to withdraw money to continue his treatment. Then doctors broke the bad news: He wouldn’t be able to walk for four months.

Blue Cross Canada told QMI Agency Baril’s file is still being reviewed and it’s too early to say if he’ll be reimbursed for his ordeal.

Spokesman Michel Courtemanche added Baril’s decision to go mountain climbing could nullify his travel insurance.

In the meantime, Baril spends his days staring at concrete walls in his small apartment, waiting for his family to come to the rescue. He said he longs to be reunited with his young daughter back in Canada.

“I haven’t seen her, it’s hard,” he said. “She had a birthday party on Feb. 2 and I’m trapped here.”