Happy new year everybody. We celebrated twice last night. Once at 7pm, midnight british time and again at midnight-actually I think we celebrated all the way through until the early hours.

On the way here from Havana, mike had his GPS confiscated by the customers as they said it is seen as a military threat in cuba! They also took Harriet´s gaffa tape. However we got here in one piece.

Santiago is cubas second biggest city with half a million inhabitants. We have spent the first two nights in the Hotel Casa Granda which is a classic colonial hotel on the main square, see album of photos. It is mentioned in Graham Greens novel Our Man in Havana.

We have been dancing in the Casa De Trova and the new year clebration in the square was great to see and be part of . Lots of music, dancing and revolucinary speeches. At New year they raised the Cuban Flag and played the national anthem and we all shouted Viva Fidel, Viva Raul.

Today we move to our host family and start lessons tomorrow. More on this later.

Hasta Luego, Harriet and Mike.