Day 13 - Havana, Cuba

A weekend, so a lay in. Went to the shops and picked up some carrots, limes and onions and a huge tin of tomato puree paste stuff. Then onto the supermarket place where you point out one of the, perhaps, fifteen things they sell in the glass cabinet and someone goes and gets them off the shelf for you. A bit like a food Argos. Milk, orange juice and a tin of peaches. But most excitingly of all - written on a whiteboard; "burger". Two frozen burgers in individual plastic packets slowly getting hotter. Bought them and ran home (okay, no running) because I would have KILLED for a burger. In other news - that shop - God, it's just hot. However hot you're thinking it is - it's hotter. Just five minutes and sweat was dripping from my face onto my shoes. I just don't see how you build up a tolerance to that sort of heat. It was hotter in the shop, than outside (I guess down to the mostly empty fridges). I think ten minutes max and I'd tap out and have to leave. Jane cooked the burgers and it was so nice to have one. Pasta is all very well, but I was really wanting something different.

After the burger we decided to go and get more limes to make whatever drink it was we had yesterday (though the chances of finding somewhere that sells mint is about as likely as finding butter).

Walked North (?) back to the market and bought things to take home. We passed a house that seemed to be a cat sanctuary. Tonnes of cats and kittens lounging about.

Had a beer at the same bar we'd been to last week. As we were drinking crowds started gathering. I went to the roadside and a police were escorting a funeral procession. Everyone started to clap and film it with their phones. It was a singer apparently.

On the return trip we passed the cats and kittens and some kids were causing trouble to the kids so we shooed them away, much to their indifference. A woman was putting out food for them so we gave her 5 CUC for food.

Down a side street with no other shops we came across one that had pallets of eggs. Thousands of the things. It's odd that you can assume something is hard to get then you come across a shop that sells just that one.

Someone knocked on the door with a pen and pad. We said we were English and she went away.

Did I mention I had a cheeseburger. Oh happy day.

p.s. I don't want to worry anyone, but we're running very low on nice coffee.

Day 11 - Havana, Cuba

Up early. A walk to the cigar factory in the main part of Havana. The heat of the day was somewhat at bay as we walked over. Compared to where we're staying it seemed like a bustling metropolis. Turned out the cigar factory was actually a shop and the factory was another 3km or so. Tomorrow then.

We walked towards the museum and approached by a guy (Mikey) doing hour tours of Havan in a nice convertible, so we hopped in. That’s the driver in the photo (whose name I sadly can’t remember).

He regaled us with lots of interesting facts and it would be really good for the blog if I could remember any. Stuff about the revolution.

We stopped off at a few places en-route. There was a park with a statue of John Lennon in. Lennon never came to Cuba but the park is where kids would defiantly sing and play rock 'n' roll, even though you could be locked up for it. Also, Mikey said, you could be sent to a camp for five years just for speaking English. Fun days. Then we went with him to a bar with more live music (Jagger and Harrison Ford had been there according to photos on the wall) and had a Mojito. We then headed back to the main square with cigars, and nice rum.

We'd lost a couple of litres in sweat by then. Found a pizza place about ten minutes walk from the house so had some lunch. About £4 for two pizza and three soft drinks, so we tipped another £4.

Day 10 - Havana, Cuba

In Cuba. Internet bad at best. Blogs may be infrequent.

Woke at 730am to the crowing of a cockerel and the tink tink tink of a hammer from across the street.

A man pushing a cart down the street and blowing his whistle. It was hard to see from the fourth floor what was he selling, but it looked like baguettes.

Popped out to see if we could find some bread (spoiler alert: no). Holy mother it's hot out there. Saw a group of people outside the hospital queuing up by a small table with a nurse sat at it. I would imagine they were getting a the flu jab.

Came home with a LOT of (over ripe) bananas.

Fell asleep due to the heat.

Back out to look for food. Still stupidly hot. Bought a big bottle of rum (£2.50) and some pasta, coffee, milk and orange juice. Walked into one shop. The place was thick with a smoke-like mist of insecticide (it smelt like the same one as the one they’d sprayed in the plane before landing). With a lungful, we resolved to give it thirty minutes before returning.

On first glance, it's one of those places where everything is always getting repaired, yet nothing is ever fixed.