Cuba

September 2001 was spent mostly in Cuba - Havana, Pinar del Rio, Vinales, Playa Girón Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Bayamo, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Camaguey, Santa Clara, Havana.
By that time I was sick of hearing Chan-Chan, but the music was great.
Very Interesting! I wish my languages were better but just say someting like No ABLO
I didn't like Havana, Vinales was lovely, as was Trinadad. Trinadad was perhaps my favourite place in cuba, I escaped and went to the beach for a day which was nice and then back to the town to hear some afro-cuban rythmns and chill in the UNESCO designated town.
Crushed a few crabs while driving down to Playa Girón they are hard to miss on the road, although some native nicked my favourite runners whilst out on the window dry..
Cienfuegos with its half finished Russian Nuclear reactor! and the Thomas terry theatre....spiffing.
Santiago de cuba and driving to Guantanamo with Richard Neill who was writing a book on his experiences of trying to learn the Bass in cuba... must get that book sometime.
Ah driving on the autopista
Going back to havana via Camaguey (having to get a punctero fix the puncture in the tyre was a lesson in how Cuba works...) and Santa Clara with the Che "shrine" was an interesting gradual end to our travels - was that Ernesto Che Guevara playing golf!!
Havana 2nd time round was none the better, ok the museum of Idiots Batistas palace was an endurance test, and we did the cigar tour thingy, after much reading I think I can now tell the real thing from the banana skins....
Of the many surreal moments, the Fashion show in Hotel Ingalaterra, the thunderstorm and th e band started to jam to Smoke on the water I shall always remember.