Coming Home - Infinity and Beyond, Near Death on the Road, Monotony, Boredom and the End of the Magic Man Thurs 12/06 - Present Final Days The coach moves over the bridge and into Varadero's main drag. Back once again with the ill behaviour, back to the beaches and the easy living lifestyle. I'm optimistic that the troubles are over. I've paid for everything up front and my hotel is all-inclusive. I've around 50cuc left, which I'm planning on spending on a few souvenirs and cigars. I'm confident I've covered all the bases. I'm just going spend my last fe [View Full Entry]

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Down and Out in Havana - Staggering Towards the End Thur 06/06 - 12/06/08 I take a coach back to Havana, arriving at 10pm and checking into the Park View Hotel, situated just off the famous Paseo del Prado, and opposite the Museum de la Revolution. After the relative cheapness of casa's and hostels, I've decided to splash out on three-star luxury for three nights, giving me time to situate myself, re-group and get over the tragedy of the Magic Man Hat. The first thing I do Friday morning is head to the hotel Florida, and access their high speed internet. [View Full Entry]

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You Can Leave Your Hat On (The Bus) - Tragedy in Trinidad, Cuba Sun 01/06 - 05/06/08 I leave the hotel Paradisus just before 1pm, and arrive at the main coach terminal. I'm headed for Trinidad, a small town South East of Varadero. The terminal is crowded and noisy, and I attract unwanted attention from a pair of fat, bad-manned guys, who find me interesting because I'm English and alone. I can't work out whether these pigs are local or tourists like me. One is ginger-haired and covered in vile, greasy boils, skin like a carrot-topped pizza. He stands opposite me, [View Full Entry]

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Ultra Inclusive and Infinite in Varadero - The Emotional Finale Fri 30/05 - 01/06/08 Friday, 4pm. The wedding is over, and Barney and Leanne are married. We all move to the wedding villa, to begin the celebrations. Sadly, the fathers of both bride and groom are taken ill and have to withdraw from proceedings. I wander in amongst the party, mind hazy from champagne, feeling slightly out of place and out of kilter with things. I'm floating in a social void, a space between sober and drunk where my judgement of what's socially acceptable and proper is askew and my inh [View Full Entry]

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Ultra Inclusive and Infinite in Varadero - Part 3: Nice Day for a White Wedding Morning. I get out of bed, and walk to the bathroom. There are mirrors all around. I stand in front of them, transfixed. I can see myself from every angle - every tight, knotted muscle, every sinew, every patch of bright red sun burn. I turn, like a chiselled chicken in an oven. I stretch. I flex a little. My reflection goes on and on, and it never ends; there is never an end to me. I am on-going. I am ever-decreasing. I am infinite. I [View Full Entry]

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Ultra Inclusive and Infinite in Varadero - Part Two: The Return of the King Thurs 22/05 - 25/05/08 The next couple of days at the Paradisus pass without a whole lot of incident. I get to know my new home, relaxing by the pool, swimming in the sea, going to the gym and coping with painfully explosive diarrhoea (don't drink tap water in Havana, unless there's something precious up your arse that you need to get out in a hurry). I get relatively up to speed on what's been happening. Apparently, there has been some controversy surrounding the restaurants. Some of [View Full Entry]

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Ultra Inclusive and Infinite in Varadero Wed 21/05/08 The bus from Havana to Varadero, Cuba's most popular tourist resort, costs 10CUC and takes around two hours. I leave at 2pm, full of positive vibes. There are, as usual, a few variables that could place a potential spanner in the works and put a frown on my happy, happy face. Firstly, I'm not 100% sure in which hotel my friends are staying. I'm almost certain it's the Paradisus Varadero, a five star, ultra-inclusive hotel with two pools, eight restaurants and a sports centre, but I haven't actually gone as far as c [View Full Entry]

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Our Magic Man in Havana Mon 19/05 - Wed 21/05/08 I leave the Chicago hostel in Quito at 4.45am, sharing a cab to the airport with an American woman. I pay the disgracefully high departure tax ($40 - pure financial rape. Any country that employs these taxes should be picketed and imposed with sanctions. Seriously, if everyone refused to pay, what would they do? The airports would be thrown into chaos and immigration would have a nightmare. They'd be forced to throw out this fascist practice and show some fucking humility. I mean, if you went round to a friends house, [View Full Entry]

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Seven Days in Ecuador - Part Three Fri 16/05 - Sun 18/05/08 The coach pulls into Mindo around 11am. Mindo is a small town with less than 3000 inhabitants. The high street extends a couple of hundred yards, consisting mainly of bars, restaurants and tour operators. Mindo thrives on ecotourism, pulling in the punters who come to see the diverse wildlife and to take part in outdoor activities among the lush jungle backgrounds. I booked myself into a place called the "Frog Hostel" online, and so set about trying to find it. No one in town seems to have heard of [View Full Entry]

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Seven Days in Ecuador - Part Two Tue 13/05 - 15/05/08 I spend my first full day in Quito wandering around, getting my bearings. Quito is the capital of Ecuador, with a population of roughly 1.5 million. The historic centre is a World Heritage site, full of churches, monasteries, plazas and museums. It's a pretty stunning place - just as you think you've seen it all, you spot something else around a corner or in the distance, poking out over the rooftops. From just about any point in the old city, you can see the Mirador El Panecillo looking down upon [View Full Entry]

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