17 July 07

We visited the Che Guevara memorial and the wreck of Batista's train which was derailed by Che and his comrades using a bulldozer. This was key in overthrowing the Batista government in 1959. We stopped for drinks at the Yacht club hotel has stunning views over Santa Clara's shore line. Sitting overlooking the sea and the boats in 34 degrees and pure blue skies. A moment I will never forget. This is Cuba. The roads to Trinidad wind like a roller coaster, we all did the Mexican wave on the bus.

Photo Mountains and beaches made the journey picturesque. The Iberostar grand hotel in Trindad is unbelievable. There is free internet access, a pool room, amazing restaurant and bar, my bath can fit more than 3 people and my room has a walk in wardrobe and a patio area. I love the fluffy bath robes and 5 star food- even the orange juice lol.

18 July 07

Today we explore the UNESCO world heritage site of Trinidad on foot. Many tourists admire the colonial architecture and walk the cobbled streets. It has 11 museums, the most of any of the places we visited. The Plaza Mayor (main square), Iglesia Parroquial de la santisima Trnidad, museo romantico (converted mansion with china and period pieces), casa Templo de Santeria Yemaya (Afro-Cuban religious house), Iglesia de Santa Ana and Plaza Santa Ana are all on the itinerary. We also sampled the house cocktail at La Canchara, made from rum, honey, lemon and water. Playa Ancon's white sandy beach is 12 km south of Trinidad. Swimming in the Caribbean sea, enjoying the weather and admiring the views strengthened my desire to never leave. Poring rain on my return to the hotel reminded us of hurricane season. I made a last ditch visit to the arts and craft stalls before closing time for souvenirs. As I was to later discover, the prices here were much cheaper than Habana. Pieces of art which cannot fit into your suitcase require an export licence from the artist.

19 July 07

We depart for the pinar del Rio province, the main tobacco growing region in Cuba. We stop at Guama and take a boat to a replica Indian village on the shores of Treasure Lake. Next is the hotel located in the Sierra del Rosario nature reserve. We can see the mountains, hear the birds and be at one with nature.

20 July 07

After stopping to admire the stunning views of theVinales valley, we take a boat through the El Indio limestone caves. We visit a tobacco factory, drink tea at a farmer's house and have dinner at another local farmer's house. Castro and government officials have been known to eat here as the quality of food is very good.

21 July

We tour the bio reserves local community of Las Terrazas. There is a school, medical centre and post office. This community exemplifies Cuba's infrastructure. Health and education is free. The government pays for your funeral and 95% of the country has electricity. We swim in the San Juan river. The rocky floor is slippery but the water is refreshing. The children are so sweet, with their floats learning to swim for the first time.

Touts, beggars and expensive prices are the negatives however Cuba has exceeded the expectations of everyone of us. In terms of size, diversity ( architecture, cultural sites, beaches, mountains, greenery all sit on the same island) and beauty.

22 July

The long queues for check in and the fact that it is raining in London all add to the cheery atmosphere. To anyone considering a trip, just do it! My impending entry into the F1 is the only reason I get on the plane back. After one last glance over the blue green waters I am comforted because in my heart I know that some day in I will be back.

15 July 07

Thanks to the newsagent who made me wait 10 minutes for his oyster ticket machine to charge up. Were it not for him, I would have made the 6 am Gatwick express from Victoria, the entire reason I woke up at a ridiculous hour. The queues at the airport were horrendous at check in, security, upper crust (I waited 20 mins for the worst ham and mozzarella baguette I have ever tasted- tax free prices my ass!). Singapore airlines and Changi airport make Gatwick and Virgin Atlantic's customer service look like child's play. One holiday maker said she was embarrassed. Changi has lounges, free internet, fitness spa, free tour of the city, bamboo, cactus, orchid gardens, cinema and swimming pool to mention but a few. After sitting through the obligatory banter between the pilot and the cabin crew, something about being poor at their jobs and badly done highlights, I settled in for the long haul flight. A ridiculous incident sticks in my mind, I was in the window seat and we had finished eating breakfast but the cabin crew had not cleared the trays 30 mins later. I asked if one of the flight attendants could clear our trays as they stopped me from leaving my seat to use the loo. She informed me that she was unable to do this until after coffee was served. The people in the seat next to me had to hold their trays of food and stand in the aisle as I climbed over their seats. I was irritated because some bloke who had made a fuss about being given a window seat instead of an aisle seat got attended to by the flight manager and every effort was made to help him.

Blue green seas lap the shoreline beneath the cotton wool clouds. Palms sweaty, heart beating, an experience I will never forget awaits. Bienvenido a Cuba.

On arrival, as the passenger in front of me speaks fluent spanish, the security official speaks spanish to me, blank stares betray my bewilderment as year 9 spanish is a mere blip in the distant past. Conversational spanish is my limit. I find the tour rep and await the the other guests fro transfer to the hotel. 1 covertible Cuban currency for tourists (CUC) is approximately 24 national pesos (local currency). As we drive form the airport, I am struck by the humidity and heat 32 degrees Celsius with no breeze, palm trees and greenery.

Cuban Revolution fast facts:

• Fidel Castro is a qualified lawyer and former orator
• 1953: he led a failed attempt by rebels to attack army barracks
• The Caracas pact called on the US to stop aid to the Batista government
• 1961: USA declared trade embargo on Cuba
• 1993: US dollar was legalised in Cuba. Fidel's brother, Raul is head of the armed forces

The hotel Sevilla is set in downtown Habana and former guests include Al Capone and the mafia. The imposing lobby with spanish tiles, immaculate seating area, ground floor pool, 9th floor restaurant with stunning views had me speechless. My room was a welcome surprise with high ceilings, marble flooring, mahogany furniture, electronic, safe and petite dressing room. We toured the Hotel Parque Central, Capitolio Nacional, one of many Jose Marti statues, Museo Nacional de bellas artes and the Museo de la Revolucion which houses the glass encased yacht 'granma' which carried Castro from Mexico to Cuba in 1956. We saw part of the city wall and aeroplanes, military style trucks and the tank which Castro et al used in the battle of the bay of pigs in 1961. It is clear that Cuba loves Jose Marti as there tributes to him everywhere. He was a native of Habana and a fiercely pro spanish socialist who fled into exile numerous times. As an avid writer he published children's and political books. I return to the hotel at 11pm and retire to bed. It was a mean feat staying up till 4a.m GMT.

Breakfast is continental with beautiful pastries and the result is I overeat. We visit Ernest Hemingway's colonial house 45 minutes outside of Habana. 9 acres of land, a swimming pool and his boat are on the property. We are unable to enter the house as it is a museum which must be preserved but pictures are taken through the open windows and doors. On the way into Habana, we stop to admire the breathtaking Lighthouse and fort which line the Straits of Florida. As we strolled the less touristy districts in old Habana, the friendly locals spoke spanish to me ( a daily occurrence throughout the trip) or asked where I was from. Next we walked through Habana Vieja's Plaza de Armas which is a Spanish style beautiful square with shops. We ate at El Ajiibe, a restaurant in a district with large houses, and opulent embassy buildings. The restaurant's thatched roof and ceiling fans gave it an island feel. The chicken was a secret special recipe. The main dilemma at the end of the meals (usually rice, black beans, chicken, beef or pork) was the amount of tip to leave. Bottled water is a must for tourists!

Our tour guide, Jorge likes House and Grey's Anatomy so he can do no wrong in my book. I got in contact with my friend in Havana (thank you Orange roaming, I expect my huge bill in the post) and we end up at a Jazz bar. I will be exhausted tomorrow as we leave for Santa Clara at 830 am but you only live once!

My Loves

T.I's T.I. vs T.P album has good production (southern rap vibe) but nil else. At best it is repetitive and at worst rubbish. I expected better especially as King wasn't that good either. Kelly Rowland's Miss Kelly is one of the best albums I have owned since The Evolution of Robin Thicke (which everyone is now jumping on over 6 months later). Stand out tracks include Still in Love With My Ex, Comeback, Every Thought Is You, Work it (Put It In) and Better Without You. This album is killing me, it's so good but can Kelly garner greater success without resorting to some female artists' tactics of wearing dental floss?

The Rodney Jerkins produced So Sick by Natasha, has a neptunes-esque beat with falsetto vocals. I fear she may be another of those one single r n b artists that litter the musical landscape.

Can they release Megan Rochelle's album already? Trey Day from Trey Songz is sounding like it might be hot judging by Wonder woman & Fly Together. Think rnb with rap bridges. Straight out of the wrapper is Chrisette Michele's I Am.

My creative is in a critical condition. There was a scare earlier in the week, it kept crashing and I had to update the firmware praying my data would be safe. After trawling through I discovered many members of the creative techie community which I am now part of, have the same problems. I had to survive 4 days without music. Never again! The Creative m vision 30GB is one of the best mp3 players on the market but firmware problems and its liability to crash after the warranty has expired have ended my loyalty. I don't want to get an i-pod but quality players offering 30 GB of space are few and far between. The Archos Gen5 is a beauty.


I finished This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M Homes and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hossein which is set in Afghanistan. A.M Homes' book is similar to Sofia Coppola's Lost In translation in that it is about nothing.It is well written and I kept waiting for the big climax which never existed despite the mini ones. I love the Kite runner because the style of writing is very affectionate and the characters have depth. The author does not shy from harrowing subjects. He tackles them with compassion and honesty.

I have a surprise.

Ciara Sizzles

Ciara's Darkchild produced banger, Can't Leave Him Alone has been circulating for a while and thenew video is crazy!
1. She looks amazing
2. I pray she isn't actually topless
3. Are they? Aren't they?
4. 50 doesn't deserve her!
5. Most importantly, who designed the dress?

The Award for seeing the light goes to Kim Porter (Diddy's long suffering girlfriend) who has allegedly left him. We cannot blame society's problems on music but we are becoming increasingly materialistic and the media celeb culture is heavily responsible. It would be nice to see some sensible artists who don't conform to the usual stereotype be it drugs, guns et al.