U.S. immigration makes me nervous at the best of times but when you are carrying things bought in Cuba it is so much worse! You aren't allowed anything even related to Cuba into the US. We had one or two things and were getting really worried that they would be taken off us. It all strikes me as a bit daft considering we weren't planning on leaving any of the offending items in the USA and I would have been really upset if they had been taken off us. When going through security our hand luggage was totally emptied and all the contents put through the scanner 3 times. Even though we were in the Bahamas I think they could smell Cuba on us!

When Ian's bag was emptied, his huge chunkin book entitled "A conversation with Fidel" came out first. Thankfully there was another book on top of it so it managed to escape, yes...item one successfully through! Thankfully, the immigration officer didn't look at my card that listed the countries I had been to so there were no awkward questions. We are allowed into Cuba for goodness sake and they were making me really nervous about it! Ian had a few questions about what we were doing while travelling but it seems the officer had given up reading the list of countries on his form by the time Cuba came up (there were a lot of place names to take in and I think that we had both written the word Cuba a little on the untidy side!).

We have made it to our first stop in the US, Orlando! The biggest car park in Florida! Seriously, that's what it felt like. I was really chuffed that we were finally somewhere that I wouldn't get stared and pointed at for being different. Ha,ha...little did I know that as soon as we started walking (walking, yes I know, how weird of us!), that we would draw attention to ourselves. Orlando is so spread out that NOBODY walks. We walked a mile or two up the road to a mall and didn't see a sole out of their car. Apparently public transport is a no no too. We asked the receptionist about a bus to the bus station and we got a look that said, "A bus?!!...Are you MAD?!!

The only reason we are in Orlando at all is for Universal Studios, so the next day we set off (ON FOOT, AHHHHH) to the park. If you want scary rides, you will be bitterly disappointed because Universal just doesn't do them. However, what it does do, it does really well...the 3D films and simulations (simpsons, shrek and Terminator 2) and live shows were fantastic. They had even created films (i.e on the simpsons ride) to entertain you as you wait. We went to a "how do they do that" disaster movie show where they show you (by casting you in a trailer for a new film) all their blue screen techniques etc. We were put in a subway train while all around us there were explosions, floods, another train smashing into us. It was so so cheesy but great fun to see how its all done.

The live shows were hysterical (Blues brothers, horror make up, and a Beetlejuice rock show). Though the star of all those shows was the usher for Beetlejuice...the funkiest 80year old man we have ever met who delighted the crowed by playing air guitar with his walking stick and singing along to "I love rock n' roll" with bucket loads of enthusiasm!

Enthusiastic is a word that I would use to describe most of the people who work at Universal. Take this scene for example:

We are standing in line for Shrek 3D. We get to the front of the queue where a lady in costume stops us from going any further as they are now full.

Usher: "Stop, don't move!"

Ian: "what? not at all?"

Usher: "No, don't move a muscle! Freeze frame in a silly pose!" (at which she freeze frames in a silly pose. We don't and just giggle at the situation).

Usher (With sarcasm): "God, you guys are exciting!"

Suzy: "Yes, sorry, we are British"

Usher: "Oh, well thats a good excuse I suppose".

Yes, the british will stand out in Universal because we are the ones who aren't whooping and clapping at everything that happens. Or we do once we have been coaxed into it! And by the end of the day I think the enthusiam had sucked even us cynical Brits in...I think I may have even let out a whoop at one point!

Once we had thoroughly exhausted the park we watched as all the sensible people piled into their 4x4s and we made the long and arduous 20 minute walk back to the hotel.