Weds 1st June

Within moments of our "emotional" goodbyes our bbq was already causing amusement and annoyance, the airport staff offically branding it "random". Our constant leaving it behind and trying to stand it against things producing much frustration and loud noises. However the rest of the first flight went remarkably smoothly. There was some surprise at the lack of people at Madrid's airport, but pumped from our cheeky bus work out on the way to the terminal, we were ready for our relaxing 10 hour flight.

After 1.5 hours of playing president we were already sick of it. Guy was dominating winning 12 terms with only 1 loss. Then the inevitable boredom, lack of movement, poor films and sleep deprivation set in. Post two hours of our lives being wasted with a very predictable, unfunny Adam Sandler/Jennifer Anniston combo, we were quite ready for a light hearted children's comedy. WRONG. "Rango"- Avoid like the plague. So nap time maybe? Our best plans foiled by a 5-year old with a window seat. Still, Tim didn't seem to mind, the "tank", and Simon snuk a cheeky one as we were landing. But mercifully the flight did end.

Fresh air-that's what we all craved, and as we type this we are still looking for some. Sticky, humid, muggy air is what greeted us instead. We should have expected no less from the Carribean but it still came as a surprise. It was night, for god's sake! However it was just a 300mph taxi journey, as the driver seemed to race himself between the lights to the Casa Karlita. Our 29 hour Wednesday drew to a close.

DOD(Douche of the day) : Tim - Locking himself out of his own bag
HOD(Hero of the day) : Simon - Navigating Madrid airport



Thurs 2nd June

The Casa Karlita was a good choice. An excellent breakfast greeted us after our first hot and sticky (but good) night's sleep. One of the first things to strike us were the 50s and 60s-era cars everywhere! The only annoying thing is it's considered rude to take photos without permission (and payment). Almost immediately after leaving the hostel our collected naivety was clear. Two local students pawned a drink and 5 pesos. Not too annoyed however, as they were helpful and chatty. However after a very similar but less expensive encounter with a different couple, we came to this conclusion: the locals were helpful and friendly, but expensive, and their constant offers became annoying. So very quickly we came up with some avoidance strategies.

First, the "hide the watch" trick: both previous incidents started with "what's the time?" This worked partially but not with everyone. Trick number two: the "we have been here for a week already"; this did stop some from giving us their own private tour. Trick number three:"rapid dispersal"; half the group would split off giving the other half an excuse to end the exchange. After this we got a little carried away. Pretending to speak no English or Spanish produced situations that were odd, but hilarious. After Tim's French fell flat on its face when most people spoke it, we were left scrabbling in the dark. German was nearly our first choice, but soon we realised no-one had spoken it for years. Tim stepped up to the plate with Italian. This was especially hilarious when one local was speaking to us in perfect English and we had to pretend to not understand a word, despite his ramblings actually being quite insightful. Things went a lot smoother after lunch, already feeling more streetwise. In the old town it was much more relaxing, more tourists and our new skills meant only a couple more awkward situations arose.

We suffered only a light tour-based con at the Havana Star Fort museum. However, to be honest it was still worth it for the money as it was interesting. But slightly bedraggled and with Guy's sunburn earning him the nickname "Rudolph," we moved onto the issue of dinner. The eccentric Miguel provided us with an excellent meal thanks to his smooth pitch from earlier in the day. We headed back to the hostel suffering only a cheeky soaking on the sea front before climbing into clean sheets.

DOD(Douche of the day): Ed - falling over and suffering mild abrasions
HOD(Hero of the day): Tim - attempting Italian



Fri 3rd June

A much more relaxed day. Beach beach beach sums it up nicely. The sea was a wonderful cool temperature and the sand beautiful and hot. The wind however, would prove to be our nemesis. Being blasted by the sand meant it was impossible to relax, filling the rucksack and burying Simon's dogtags (nightmare). This also meant sunburn was rife, all of us having at least one painful anatomical area. We also took our first rides in a 1950s taxi which was awesome. A very relaxing day, ready for Ed's birthday and nursing the sunburn tomorrow.

DOD(Douche of the day) : Tim - needing to use a belt on his swimming trunks
HOD(Hero of the day) : Tim - for recovering Simon's dogtags from the grasp of the dunes