Eating Guavas in Havana

I took time out during January and went on holiday to Havana for 10 days. Havana is an amazing place that I can best describe as full of rustic charm, with it's old cars and neo classic buildings reminscent of a bygone era.

Although we had a rented apartment we spent a lot of time at the Hotel Nacional Cuba and had most of our meals here. the Hotel gardens provide a relaxing place from which to take in teh views, drink coffee, sunbathe or knock yourself out with as many cocktails as you can put away , as well watching the goings on at the Malecon below. The hotel laid on an elaborate buffet at breakfast and diner but the thing that excited me most on the menu were the guavas especially when I learned that I could eat them with cheese! I highly recommend this hotel for all food lovers out there.

Trade restrictions mean that life is tough for most people some of whom leave in the most appaling conditions. The people are friendly and always happy to invite you in for a coffee or a Mojito and whatever else they can spare. This time away allowed me to reflect on the events of 2007 as well as the future. The world is full of the haves and have nots, how can this imbalance be corrected and by whom?

We visited a Cigar factory and learned that it takes 85 people to make 25 cigars, some of these people's role is to sort tobbaco leaves out according to size, pass them to another team whose job it is to remove the stem, all this happens in a room without windows! Making cigars is a skill that the factory teaches and not everyone passess and those that do are higly skilled at it.

Travelling through Cuba you become aware of what a proud people the Cubans are but one gets the sense of insecurity too brought about by an uncertain future. The jury is still out there!