Am I sure I wanted to do all this in Y ?

[docjames]

Sorry for delay in updating - work's been nuts! Becoming diffcult and want to get this finished so will have to be less verbose than QF009, drron, skyring et al.

CUBA
So, in taxi, dark street, trees down everywhere (a common feature post-hurricane). Driver takes turn off highway - we're only mildly panicking at this point. And more so as we miss a car with no headlights by milimetres! But eventually he turns back onto main street - and makes arm action signifying tree-falling (we think this means main hghway is blocked!)) - would have been nice to know before he drove down the unlit dodgy side street!

Drive through havana (police on every corner) - reach the seaside and head into old havana - taxi stops at end of closed off street - "no drive - walk". Uh, okay. So we pay the driver (with tip) haul 4 suitcases and 4 carryons about 100m up cobblestoned raod - and hear beeping. Seems the taxi driver has returned (huh) - wrong Hotel Florida (there's three apparently). Not quite sure what we would have done if he hadnt come back!


i could go on for pages and pages about Cuba (if you ever get the chance to go - do it!)

The short summary is:

- Service is fairly non existant with the rare exception (but as a tourist you're still expected to tip for everything - and i mean, everything)
- The people are amazing - they have nothing, but will sahre everything they have with you.
- There are no destitute - but normal people dont have worldly goods in the way we do
- There is no advertising anywhere - walking down the street, you'd have no idea what you're walking past ("oh, that's the shoe shop, that's the cinema" etc - locals just know)
- the place oozes culture. Every town seems to have late night batrs, music.
- it's HOT!!!!!!! so everyone comes out at night, and sleeps in in the morning
- all the historical sites are moulded to the govenrnment ideal - but still worth visiting every one
- get out of havana if you can - the feel is quite different
- the cubans are much better at coping with a cyclone than anyone else (communism will do that for you!). Makes USA look even worse
- fantastic to go somewhere without US voices for a change
- the people dont hate Americans depsite Americans hating them (complicated!)
- Most cubans believe the US did September 11 to themselves - literally. That's basically what they've been told!
- We got robbed in the two hotels we stayed in - lock up EVERYTHING (they were decent hotels too!). Nothing worth anything in the grand scheme of things, just annoying.
- take Euros. Expect to get ripped off a lot.

All the negatives did not outweigh the HUGE positives, and as i've said, i'd no hesitate to go back given half a chance!

Anyway, back more to the flying side of things.......................