Cuba Libre

So... have you missed me?

I haven´t missed you, much, anyway... nothing personal, but too much to do and too much to see here in Cuba to have time to miss anything really...

But I do think about you all every now and then... :-) However, I´m paying for internet by the minute here and I have 20 minutes left on the prepaid card, so I´m giving you a few flash impressions and will give you the full blown version later!

After landing in NL and spending two days catching up with family, I flew to London, to meet up with Imogen. I played footie with her 4 year old son in the garden and witnessed her 2 year old daughter struggle up the stairs wearing my shoes and waving around the empty box of the champagne bottle that I bought for her parents... Despite her red hair, I could have sworn I saw myself staggering up the stairs for a second...

Anyway, the next day, I crossed a few more timezones (now 12 in total) and met up with Nina (whom I saw last 2 months ago in Australia, how weird is that) and Elisabeth for our Cuba trip. The only reason I was allowed to join the girls is because I speak Spanish of course. But I don´t mind... I practiced a bit before I left with Bertrand at the office and am now fully able to flirt back with the Cuban men.

Cuban men range from amicably flirty to downright sleezy. The first type is great, you can joke around with them, they wink and smile at you and give you compliments like you´ve never had before, not expecting anything in return but a smile. The latter type whispers such rude and uncalled things to you while walking past them on the street (words I shall not spell out for you on my blog), that all I can do is laugh at the patheticness (sp?) of it... One thing I know for sure, my parents need not to worry that I´ll come home with a Cuban fiance.

Cuban nature however, is paradise... I´ve never seen so many different trees and other vegetations in just a few days anytime before. Beautiful colours, ranging from bright orange tree flowers to all the shades of green you can imagine. As we drive in our rented car, we see all imaginable landscapes passing by...

It´s a real girlie roadtrip... Me zigzagging around potholes at 80 km an hour, Elisabeth trying to make sense of the map and the Cuban roads which totally lack any signage, and Nina DJ'ing... Music blasting out of her ipod, with songs ranging from Kane to Keane, Coldplay to The Corrs, Bon Jovi to Buena Vista Social Club... What a life...

And then there are the Mojito-moments... Sometimes around 11 am, sometimes around 5 pm... but we have several a day and have become expert Mojito tasters... I love Cuban rum!!!

Gosh, 5 minutes left... better close this one off before the computer logs me out... Remind me to write about our horse riding trip, the food, the Che culture, the Salsa, the sand, the sea, the sun and the swimming pools...

Singapore already seems so so far away...

Beso grande,

xYx