I'd just like to share some of my Cuban impressions with you.

Havana is quite a hectic place for a visitor and it's hard to move around the place without constant whisles and hussles. I guess you learn how to get by with that, but still, it can become tiring after a while. The old part of Havana is quite pretty with lots of bars playing live music and all bands seem to have their own CD!

We discovered some of the most amazing places when hiking in the countryside, near Vinales, where tobaco farmers live a simple lifestyle and they casualy roll a cigar from their own home grown tobaco. We visited an independant community up in a mountain that bathes in 'healing water' 3 times a day? They grow coffee (yummy), guava, grapefruit and mangos. Shame it was winter ..

Things that can put you down in Cuba are air pollution in cities, constant hassels from jinateros, whistles, slow service and apart from nature, there's nothing really beautiful to see or to look at. Falling apart houses, where no mainanance or restorations has been done for years and it seems like time has stoped in the 50's.

Things that I love are people (not hasslers though), salsa, warm weather, small villages, beaches, plantations, mojitos, pina coladas, live music and more salsa in almost every bar. There are no drugs around, young people go out and dance and if they find amigos they can have Cuba libre (a bottle of rum and coke) as well.

We stopped at holiday resort to have a rest before I continue my travels to Mexico. This our first sun, sand & sea stop and we are loving it.

Petra