Sorry we haven't had internet access in Cuba...(captions are done by drunk matt)

4 June

We left our house at 7.25am. Our taxi driver was from Kashmir and had 9 children. Our flight departed at 11.15. On the flight at lunch we were meant to have sausages and mash but they gave us beef with an herb crust which Didi refused to eat. We arrived in Cuba at 4pm local time which is 5 hours behind British time. It was 4 times hotter than London! We were waved to the front of the passport queue because we were children. It took a long time to get through baggage but mummy went on to get us a taxi. The taxi was quite small and stuffy but the scenery was amazing. The architecture was fantastic and slightly falling to bits. It was tropical and very humid and I don’t think I have seen as many old American cars ever in my life as in Cuba. We arrived at the hotel at 6pm. The hotel is quite famous in Cuba and Al Capone (who was a mafia boss) stayed here. We then went up to our rooms and relaxed for an hour before going downstairs to the bar. I was staying with daddy and Didi was sharing with Polly. We went down to the bar and we ordered drinks and a pizza for me and Didi. Then Alex and Patricia arrived. They are friends and they live in Guatemala. Patricia is from Guyana and Alex is from England. They are currently on holiday in Cuba. After finishing our drinks (the children had cola and the adults had mhitoes) we went on a walk down the seafront. Alex and Patricia recommended a restaurant which they had visited but not eaten at as they thought it looked good. By that time it was nearly 9 o’clock which was 2am in English time and I was falling asleep. The restaurant actually looked better than it was as the adults said the food was not very nice but I wouldn’t know as I didn’t try it. We then took a cab to the hotel and went to bed at around 3am English time!

 Alex and Patricia

Our Hotel which was the hotel in Our Man in Havana

5 June

We got up late and went down to breakfast which was quite nice – it was a buffet with fruit and many other things (like cereal juice cake and omelettes). After that we went swimming in the pool which was built in the 1950s in the shape of a kidney. While we were swimming  daddy saw a pink Chevrolet from the 1950s which turned out to be a taxi so he asked if we could go on a tour of Havana. The first thing we did on the tour was go along the seafront before we stopped by some amazing trees. They were fig trees and they were a national treasure because they were very old and big. We then saw the town square were the revolution began, a military base, a fort, John Lennon’s memorial and Che’s Guevara’s house. We also went to the old train station and while we at the old train station the taxi driver bought us ice creams. Daddy told the taxi driver about his Mustang and so the taxi driver let him drive the taxi! We had lunch by the pool and the tennis was on the TV. After that we went for a siesta and then we went out for supper at Los Nados which the taxi driver had recommended us. The first impressions weren’t great because the stairs looked uninviting but it was amazing! The décor was unusual but brilliant because it was dark with dark wood and a big fish tank,  some old lovely lights and brown leather seats. We sat down and ordered our food. It was delicious and a main course was the equivalent of £3. However the portions were massive and no one could finish. After a lovely meal we headed home to get some sleep.

Me and Didi with the Pink Panther

Some random people...



Too Che

THe Pink Panther and some Cuban missiles...

This is where a James Bond waas filmed

6 June

This morning we got up early to catch the bus but we were delayed by Polly locking herself in the bathroom. Daddy rescued her with a safety pin by picking the lock. We then went down to breakfast and were out of breakfast at 7.30 to catch the bus to Vinales.  The bus was Chinese and comfortable. We then visited a rum factory which sold rum and pringles (which we bought) and strawberry biscuits which Didi didn’t like. We then arrived in Vinales which is a small beautiful village. Our hotel overlooked one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. It was a Jurassic valley which was very green with big rock formations rising out of the valley floor. We then went swimming in the pool overlooking the valley where we had lunch.

A jurassic park

A jurassic pool

Trusty steed Thomas...

Didi samples local lolly pop additives

 

After lunch we ordered a taxi to the Indian Caves which was driven by a man called Mikael. He had a blue 1955 Plymouth. He used to be a lawyer but gave it up because taxi drivers earn more money (lawyers earn 20 pesos per month which is about £15!).  The Indian Caves were breath taking as they were huge holes in the limestone. You walked through a series of tunnels before reaching an underwater lake. Then a boat arrived and took us a couple of kilometres through the mountain and then out into the open.  We got out of the boat and I spotted a water buffalo. I was admiring it when a man asked if I would like to ride it. The water buffalo’s name was Thomas and Didi and I rode him around the compound.

We then went back to the hotel and in the swimming pool Didi met a lady called Sabina. She was Chinese and studied in Oxford and  lived in London.  We then had supper with Sabina Alex and Patricia and the food was horrible! Then bed…

7 June 

We woke up early and took the bus to Cayo Levisa. When we arrived we went to a café and Polly checked in. There was a 30 minute ferry ride to the island. When we landed we walked through a mangrove swamp to get to the other side. At the other side the view took our breath away. A white beach unspoilt with the Caribbean sea such a light blue. It was amazing. We drank pineapple juices as they finished the final preparations for the rooms. Our rooms were far away from the restaurant (which was a wooden shack) which meant no noise from the generator. They were behind the sea front rooms. We spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach. We went in for dinner at about 8pm. The dinner was delicious. You asked the chef what you would like and he would cook it in front of you. You then collected numerous foods from the buffet which included fresh fruit, bread, black bean soup and rice. Then we went to bed and I slept with mummy and Didi slept in daddy’s cabin.

Ferry serious...

Paradise!

GooooooooooooooooooooooALLLL!!!!!