Well, I suppose its better late than never to come good on my promise of setting up my own little travel blog. I should have done this before I went, thats for sure. Hindsight is a great thing I suppose.

So, for my first entry, Its all about Cuba. Three fantastic weeks in that Carribean Island, with such fond memories, some of which I will share.

So after flying from Dublin to Gatwick and then onto Havana's Jose Marti Int. airport, it was late when I got there, a little after 7pm, in the dark. Peter, with not so much as a word of Spanish had to begin the adventure and first of all, find my hostel for the next week or so. It was easier than I thought. My taxi man who didnt bother speaking to me, thankfully, knew the way and before I knew it, I was at Rolando' Backpackers, down this small typical street of Havana. Its a small hostel that caters for around 15 people, so you get to know everyone there, even the budgies! The barman there, Leo, is such a character and makes a mean mojito, so without further adieu, it was ready to congratulate myself on coming this far and time to get stuck into it (some drinkies, that is). The hostel was a great place to meet fellow travellers from all over the world, too many countries to name here, so with the basic methods of conversing that I have, by midnight that night I had made new friends, who all wanted the same from Cuba. My plan was to stay in Havana for a few days atleast to check out the city, both old and new, to see what it had in store for me and my new comrades. Things the city have in store for travellers are, old american cars, smoke, dust, heat and unleaded fumes. Colours, crumbling buildings (probably pyrite) surround your every turn, but most of all the city exhudes character, character with a capital T! The city is a photographers dream. At first I was a bit apprehensive about bringing out my camera due to the poverty that you see. But after a while, I got accustomed to it and the ol' snapper came out for a look.

To keep it short, things we saw and did, to name but a few are, going on a tour around the city in a 1958 red Ford Thunderbird convertible (the only one on the island), visiting the beaches of Playa del Este and going home in an old car with 13 people in it and then getting pulled over for speeding, the Capitol Building (mimicked on Washingtons Capitol), sipping Mojitos on the Malecon watching the sunset as the water crashes against the rocks, having a dip in Hotel Nacional's pool where the likes of Hemingway and Castro visited during their heydays, getting ripped off by the National Cuban Judo coach that wasnt the actual national Cuban Judo coach, visiting our neighbours for a house party, music at Casa Del La Musica, cannon blasts at the old fort, art, squares and lots and lots of fun fun fun and some more fun.

For all the reasons that Havana is different, I felt like I didnt like it but then thats probably just down to me being fresh off the plane and just getting accustomed to it., However, the more I disliked it, the more I loved the place. Its a place where people are poor, everything breaks down or doesnt work, but its does work, they make it work, both in their lives and in everything mechanical they own. I for one, believe that theres nowhere else in the world quite like it. NYC is a city unlike any other. Havana is the same. Thats my definition of it.

After a week of the hustle and bustle, it was time to take a road trip with yours truly at the helm. I shared the car with friends from Poland, Canada and Australia and we hit the road for a week.

Our first destination was the town of Santa Clara, made famous due to the Museum dedicated to a one Ché Ernesto Guevera. We were lucky to hop on the back of an english tour, which made the explanation all so much better. With nothing else to see there, after a few obligatory photos, it was back on the road again. On the road, we stopped to get some fruit off an old man, but what made the old man interesting was that he was standing beside a JET ENGINE FROM A WARPLANE FROM f***IN YEARS AGO! *cap locks intended.

Our next port of call was the town of Trinidad, a colonial UNESCO site that hasnt changed since the 1840's, they say. Cobbled roads, coupled with horses and carts makes it a nightmake for a car to be there. We stayed at casa particulare's all along our journey, which are basically Cuba's equilavent to Irelands B&B's. Trinidad has some beautiful beaches, a waterfall, a gorgeous old town and a nightclub in a cave! We were also lucky that many of the crew we had already met in Havana already were also making the trip to Trinidad that weekend, so we were always in good company.

Next of the route, was the town of Cienfuegos. Nothing much to see there but it was on the way to the Bay of Pigs, which was made famous by Ché and Castro during the US invasion back in the '60's. The beaches were beautiful, deep azul water as far as the eye can see. Neck back a coconut cracked open on the beach and your in paradise!

We headed north for a night to see then what all the hustle and bustle was of Varadero. Its the postcard place some of you may know of the beaches Cuba has to offer. It has a huge Canadian and French tourist population there with many choices of all-inclusive hotels. Its a false view of a country if I've ever seen where the tourist dont go outside the front door. But then again, some folks like that. A day at the beach there was enough, to tick the box that we were there and hit the road for a long drive to Pinar Del Rio Province, to the town of Vináles, cigar country.

Vináles is a lovely little town, surrounded by the national park which has mountains, very similar to the ones I've seen in southern China. God only knows what there names are though. Again, we stayed at casa particulares, so friendly, so comfy, with great food... and its cheap! We visited the national park on horse back, but to be honest, I'd would have been better off walking. The horses were very much in automatic mode, no speed out of them at all. However, they did get us to the cigar planations, where we saw the cigar leaves being hung and dried, the caves, and then to a local farmer who showed us who to roll cigars. There we smoked it and had a mojtio with honey instead of sugar that he grows on the farm himself with the aid of his busy bee's. We travelled to the town of Sao Luis outside of Pinar and went to yet more planations, but this time to purchase. We all got a mixture of Cohiba, Romeo and Juliet, Monte Cristo's and Guanamera to name but a few.

All of this driving by myself was beginning to takes its toll, so when we got back to Havana, we then decided to have a few days off and go to Cayo Coco on Cuba's north coast. Here, there are yet more all inclusive hotels, which I really didnt want. But I did need some beach. I was still fairly pasty at the time and in badly need of a bronzing of some sort. Not much to report from Cayo Coco only copious amounts of drinks, all-you-can-eat food, white sand and blue water. What more do you want.

Having to write this part of my blog, some 2 months after the timem is difficult. Im probably missing so of the best bits, or the funny things but its a start and you can look forward to some better detailed, better written installments to come.

Hope you've enjoyed the first installement. Cuba. Country No.1. Done.

Adios Cuba, you have been amazing!