Ok, so I'm actually in San Jose which is a big ugly city and nowhere near a beach, but they didn't have that option in the photo choices... So, flew in to San Jose yesterday via Panama. I can't say I was sorry to leave Cuba, as all the militaristic posters of Fidel and Che were starting to get to me. My personal favourite was the one on a junior school wall which said: 'Freedom is still alive while there is one revolutionary, and one gun.' Nice. I flew Copa Air...

So, first stop: Cuba. Having arrived under non-ideal circumstances (taxi rip-off, dingy hotel room etc), I spent the first couple of days getting to grips with Centro Habana, and managed to root march round the Parque Centrale, el Museo de la Revolucion and el Capitolio, as well as spending a good deal of time relaxing in the sun and reading. Day 3 saw me check into the much more respectable Hotel Plaza, giving me access to such luxuries as a safe, minibar and te...