07.44 It is now time for the final but still the first one. It is the last morning for us here in Havana. However, it is the first page in this new journal. Today we and what we have brought with us will continue to investigate Cuba. Today, it is also 100 years since the First World War began.

08.30 Now most things are done here at Hostal Peregrino. We had breakfast and are about to wait for our transport to the bus station. We will travel with the bus company Viazul (http://www.viazul.com). They run coaches between the main cities and tourist resorts in Cuba. To avoid the hassle and extra trips to the bus offices, we have paid the bus journeys in advance on the internet. It feels good now.

08.53 A familiar face popped up. It was the same guy who picked us up at the airport. He will drive us to the bus station now. He is probably a reliable person that the staff at Hostal Peregrino knows.

09.01 The taxi made a stop at an intersection. Now we roll again and have come closer to the bus station. It will be nice to go ahead even though we had a very good stay here in the capital.

09.21 Now we are at Viazul´s small bus terminal. Here, we checked in and got our tickets. In addition, we have checked in the luggage, got luggage tags, tagged them on the luggage and sent them off on a conveyor belt, routines almost like at an airport.

09.50 Some passengers are like headless chickens, wandering around in the bus. Some have sat down where they want or with loved ones? We've all got a seat reservation. Christer and I are sitting on seats 38 and 39. We are on opposite sides of the aisle. The bus from the company Viazul is white, blue, and comfortable. Most people who travel on these buses are foreign tourists.

Waiting in Viazul´s bus terminal.

A comfortable bus trip eastwards.

Our bus goes through Matanzas.

10.20 A French-speaking man with a bald pate is sitting on the seat diagonally in front of me. As he just leaned back the whole seat went backwards. It went all the way back and with it the Frenchman. Now he and I have joined forces and spurred on by his wife tried to regain the seat in the correct position.

10.42 We have left Havana and its suburbs behind us and travel east. The sea is on our left side.

11.12 The bus has just stopped at a small café, restaurant with grass roof. Here some passengers stepped out to stretch their legs and fill their stomachs with food and/or drink.

11.51 We are 36 kilometres from the tourist resort Varadero which is today's final destination. We've just come to a city by the sea, Matanzas.

12.05 We have traveled through Matanzas and once again admired the beautiful buildings and fantastic old cars. The city is beautiful and we passed a beach and some lovely parks pretty central.

12.24 Varadero is a very elongated village lying on a long and narrow peninsula out into the sea. It is Cuba's top tourist destination when it comes to classic lounge-and bath trips. The farther out on the cape you go the more luxurious the hotels get.

13.13 We arrived in Varadero and after a brisk walk from the bus station we have stepped in at the accommodation Casa Mary y Angel (http://casademaryyangel.com). Here it is claimed that we never confirmed the booking which was made by Christer by mail when we were in Kingston. Now we got a glass of mango juice each. We just have to wait for further information.

13.20 It is now a general mess. They found no mail in their computer here, neither from us nor from them. However, there is an attempt to find a room for us. Will it be here or? They brought us lots of excuses to explain what happened but it is alleged that no mail has been sent by Christer even though he got a response on it. Confusion reigns, to say the least. Somewhere something has gone wrong. The whole system that bookings will be deleted if they are not reconfirmed at most private accommodation here in Cuba feels pretty strange. Most people who book rooms prefer to have them, right?

13.35 The hostess Mary, her helping friend Alex and the two of us have walked to another private accommodation a few streets away. Here an old lady offers a room but it has only one bed, a narrow double bed. We have politely declined, waiting for new information and I am sweating!

Finally we got a room, we could stay at Señora Bety´s private rooms.

The outer room with fridge and TV.

Señora Bety´s "Hostal 4608" in Varadero.

13.43 We are going again in a blue Pontiac, a taxi that Alex arranged with. Now it turned around and the music, loud, started. We are on our way to another place and Alex and the hostess tells us as much as they can. It was sad that our pre-booked room was not there but it is an excellent service to find a new one for us. They even offer to pay for the taxi journey.

13.52 Now we finally have a room, a room that an old lady, Señora Bety, offers in her Hostal 4608. Here we have a bed each. All that remains is to get the passports back. They are currently being registered. The new hostess will be here in about five minutes. The first accommodation has promised to pay some of our accommodation prices here as compensation for the mishap that occurred.

14.29 Five minutes went but no passports and no lady were to be seen. Now even more time has passed and the result is the same. Now we are going out to find the lady.

14.41 We got our passports back and have now made a first stroll in the pleasant Varadero. We stay in the more "normal" part of the city where tourism is not as intense. Here in the western part of Varadero, there are no big hotels, only smaller hotels, private accommodations and restaurants.

14.54 Restaurante El Caney will arrange with our lunch. We have just got a small juice tetra each. We had hoped for more when we ordered juice. We also ordered some food of course.

16.24 We had an excellent lunch with, among other things, a local version of paella. It was followed by a tour of the town, where we got to see a young woman with a Kånken rucksack. Kånken originates from my home area. We even found a small post office, where I left my postcards. It took a while to find it because no office existed where the signs pointed. Now we are at something that can be referred to as a shopping mall. Here we're going to do some errands. It's called Hicacos and is partially submerged in the ground.

16.45 We were unable to go out on the internet. We were referred to some vague place which might be able to help us. Internet is not Cuba's strongest side. However, I have been able to buy sodas at the shop Caracol. Now Christer is inside for some shopping while I sit backpack guard. They are as usual not allowed to go in.

17.03 Now I think that all hell has broken loose! First, Christer only got a small fruit bag to carry home two big bottles of soft drinks. Things went as expected, the bag burst. Now as we come home we are we not able to open the door to the room with the beds. The key fits but it doesn't move around. Christer has just told someone from the host family while I report this in our "living room", a room between the front door and the room we want to.

Christer is having lunch at Restaurante El Caney.

Paella in a Cuban version.

The main street in Varadero.

Lots of small cute lizards outside the post office.

Varadero´s small shopping centre, Hicacos.

17.18 A young man turned up to help us. He opened the front door to our neighbours and went inside. We heard how he excused himself. Suddenly our door opened and the young man came out through it. He explained that the handle was broken and that the lock didn’t work. In at the neighbours and out at ours, was he some kind of magician? No he is just flexible. He went out of the bathroom window of the neighbours and in through our bathroom window.

17.53 Christer has just phoned to Santa Clara and confirmed our arrival at the next accommodation. They also promised to arrange transportation from the bus station. Excellent!

19.52 After reading in our books and having relaxed, we´re now ready to head out.

20.20 The evening is here and we will have dinner at the restaurant La Vicaria along the main street. We are about to place our orders. We sit at one of the many tables outside. Unfortunately, a few small flies or mosquitoes have their hunting grounds here and we get bitten on the legs. So typical that we have brought with us the repellent, but leave it unused in the room.

21.36 It was really good food. Around us a cat walked around with injured legs. For dessert I took what was called Cuban dessert. It looked similar to a pork chop. It was a slice of bread or some pastry dipped in a sweet liquid. Now we are at home and we went into the room without a problem.

23.23 We have switched on the TV and watched a summary of an athletics contest, Diamond League in Glasgow. During the viewing, we drank a Cristal, one of the nation's beers, each. Now it's time to sleep.

This evening´s dinner place.

Evening drinks and a map as long and narrow as Varadero itself.

Tuesday 29th of July

09.51 We have treated us a sleep in. It's holiday after all. Now let's examine how and where breakfast is served here.

10.12 Today's breakfast was served on the roof terrace here at Señora Bety´s place. It was, as so often on this trip, good quality on the food that was served. We have planned to continue with roof sitting and roof watching today. We are planning to go with a tour bus that goes around the Varadero peninsula.

10.26 A coco taxi just went past us. They are small, yellow tricycles which are slightly egg shaped. There were plenty of these in Havana and they are common here as well. They are Cuba's version of Thailand's tuk-tuk. We are sitting on a bench now, waiting for a tour bus.

10.34 The wait is over. It costs 5 CUC to go with the bus. We have stepped up on the upper level for better views and photo opportunities. Christer was not allowed to pay with his 3 CUC-note. It was worn. He was advised to go to a bank to replace it. Oops, now comes some twigs and branches, time to watch out!

10.50 The bus we have just entered is going eastward. We pass various hotels and have seen a restaurant with a ”Don Quixote-theme" on a hill.

Peter is enjoying a breakfast at the terrace.

On our way out from our accomodation here in Varadero.

Another typical Cuban car.

11.10 After having travelled between the sea and some hotel complexes on the peninsula where we stay, we have now turned to begin our return, or? Right now we are sitting with our heads inside the leaves of a tree. In addition to the various hotel facilities, we have also seen a small nature reserve.

11.21 It wasn't time to head back. We went even further out on the peninsula. Now we're at a marina. Here they are building some new hotel facilities and those that are already built are quite exclusive. It seems to be time to turn for our bus. This is another world. Have you really been to Cuba for real if you stay out here on your holidays?

11.34 We are starting to feel in the skin that we spent some time with the sun and wind for a while now. It is a must to be covered in sun block at these latitudes.

12.50 We went with the bus as far as it went, until it stopped at the westernmost stop and everyone got off. We started walking back slowly towards our home. We made a stop to buy souvenirs and now we have stopped to eat lunch at a simple restaurant, El Melaito.

13.23 A bearded man who smelled alcohol turned up just as we finished our lunch. He wanted to sell cigars. We told him that we didn’t want to buy anything and he started to whine and wanted some money instead. We kept saying no. He strolled off to another table. The man at the table sent the whining man away by smashing his fist on the table twice.

Méson del Quijote, a restaurant you really notice.

In Varadero you are never far from the sea.

The best views are from the roof.

The further east you travel in Varadero, the hotels get more and more expensive.

Here you can ride on both camels and horses.

14.31 Now, we've been in a grocery store and then Doña Nelis bakery and have bought stuff for the evening, for breakfast and for tomorrow's bus trip. We carried the goods back home and now it is time to gear up for the sand, the beach and the blue Atlantic.

15.21 It is time for the last beach day during this summer's trip. It is hardly realistic to be able to swim in any of the remaining destinations we plan to visit. Soon we're out in the waves, blue, turquoise, wet and salty.

15.43 Since Varadero is a narrow strip of land, the sea is always close. The amazingly white, great beach is easily accessible from many of the town's streets. We are not alone here. There are lots of people in the sand and in the water. Strangest of all is that it smells of crisps in the air, why?

16.30 There is no doubt about how nice it is on the beach and in the sea, but the sun is merciless against the skin in spite of sunscreen. There remains much of the trip and we do not want to burn our bodies. We are, after a relatively short beach visit, going back to the room and will take it easy for a while.

19.13 After salt water removal and rest in our room, we will head out to find the lady so that we can pay her some money. It is Señora Bety we need get hold on tonight because we have to check out really early tomorrow morning. After that we'll go to a proper dinner restaurant. During the rest time, I filled a PET bottle of juice. It is for tomorrow's trip.

19.19 The hostess was not here. We were told that she gets back in about one or two hours. We do have a deal with the hostess to the first accommodation that they will pay a part of our payment. We hope she remembers it.

Peter prepares for the lunch at El Melaito.

Hotel Los Delfines, obviously a very Cuban hotel.

New beers have arrived in Varadero.

The lovely beach in Varadero.

Peter is entering the waves.

Christer is returning after this trip´s last beach visit.

19.48 We found a restaurant this evening. We have sat down at Restaurante Esquino Cuba, a traditional restaurant, also called "La Esquina (corner)". The orders are made. The dish that Christer ordered couldn’t be served since the meat was frozen, weird. He had to choose something else. I'll start the meal with a drink, a Cuba Libre.

20.47 A Cuba Libre contains rum, Coca Cola and lime juice. In mine it was not much Coca Cola and lime juice, but plenty of rum. We were entertained by a Quartet that played Cuban music. I bought a CD from them before we went home. I'm not so sure that those who played and the ones on the CD cover are the same bunch though. We were also joined by a cat in the restaurant.

21.06 Now we have paid the full price for the room to one of the guys here at our accommodation. We'll see if the hostess pops up. She knows the deal that we would pay a portion of the price of the room and our booked rooms the rest. The rest of the people here just seem surprised when we try explaining.

21.24 I decided to drink my evening drink. Then I discovered that my one gallon orange juice had leaked. The juice had flowed out of the refrigerator. Oh well, now it was just a pint left in the juice package, the rest I had poured into the PET bottle.

22.52 It becomes an early ascent tomorrow. No hostess has been seen. Not worth making a fuss about a few Euros. We have enjoyed our time here.

Entertainment at Esquino Cuba. Someone in this photo is not a part of the band, guess who?

Wednesday 30th of July

06.56 The most classic of all classics is completed. We have had a simple breakfast at the edges of the beds. It consisted of juice, white bread and yogurt. Today a new destination awaits. We just have to catch the bus for it to become a reality.

07.51 It was a quiet and peaceful walk to the bus station. Barely a taxi or taxi driver got in our way although we had expected it. When walking with luggage one suddenly becomes very popular. Now it's time to board Viazul´s bus to Santa Clara.

07.58 The bus seats have a preference to lean backwards. Speaking of bad seats, a little further in front is the Frenchman I had in front of me on the way here. He has a better seat now, and his wife and daughter are also satisfied. In Santa Clara we are waiting for a taxi man with a sign with Christer's name on it. We were told this the other day on the phone when Christer confirmed our arrival.

08.25 A short while after we left Varadero, we have returned to the Cuban everyday life and passed Cárdenas, a shabby town where most of the staff working in Varadero’s tourist industry have their homes.

09.19 The Frenchman drew the curtains at the window where his wife and daughter sit. The bus has been driving past a truck and a horse drawn carriage. There are planted trees on both sides of the road. We travel on rather small roads straight through the Cuban countryside.

Without this bus company our Cuban trip would be a lot more difficult.

It´s time for another Viazul bus trip.

10.38 We have arrived in Santa Clara, a city in central Cuba. It is actually Cuba's fifth largest city and is best known for the fact that Che Guevara is buried here. Here at the bus station, we have looked for the pre-booked taxi driver. He has not been seen yet. However, another young gentleman is trying to convince us to go with him. He seems to be working for the same place as we are going to. Is he here to pick up one of our future neighbours? He waves a business card from the place where we'll stay.

10.54 We are sitting in a waiting room and read in our books. It feels stupid to go off with someone else than the person who is supposed to drive us. That person should be here sooner or later.

11.07 Now things are happening. A man with a note finally approached us. He unfolded the note and it said "Katrin". We said it was not particularly a message for us. Then he folded the note and left. Where is our driver?

11.19 An old man with a straw hat came to us. He talked about transportation and pointed to the first guy. Tired of waiting we decided to go with him. Then the man with the Katrin note turned up again. An exchange of words between the two drivers followed. The man in the straw hat looked worried. In the end we went with the Katrin man and now he drives us. He claims that he works for the accommodation we booked and he has been asked to fetch guests. We do not see any Katrin though. I hope this is right!

11.26 We go towards the city centre and we hope that the journey ends at the right house.

Peter is resting in Parque Vidal.

A hot day in Santa Clara.

Peter is drinking a cold beer at the restaurant Santa Rosalia.

Beautiful architecture in Santa Clara.

A tired horse outside Hostal Florida Center.

11.32 The taxi stopped and we stepped out. At first we thought that we ended up completely wrong because the house had a different colour than on the picture Christer had printed from the internet. It was the right property, they'd probably just painted it in a new colour. We can not, however, come into the room here at Hostal Florida Center (http://www.hostalfloridacenter.com). They have a big cleaning and are smoking out the pests. We have in any case met the owner Angel, a real personality. The backpacks have been left on a table outside our room until further notice.

11.46 We have taken aim at Dino's Pizza for lunch. We weren’t allowed to enter. They have closed today and were about to have their sewers sucked. Katrin then, well someone had messed things up. Our host Ángel was a little heartbroken over the mistake. The reason might be that he said Christer's name over the phone to someone who then managed to interpret it to Katrin instead. Now we are having a bench break here in Parque Vidal in front of some stalls selling various crafts but we must go soon. We want to have lunch.

12.10 Santa Rosalia is the name of today’s lunch place. We found it a short walk from the square. In here, it is really beautiful and the service is excellent. Now we relax, wait for the food and sip on a Cristal beer each. The ownership forms in Cuba are a bit special, a private restaurant is often impossible. Instead, Santa Rosalia is a cultural gastronomic complex (roughly translated).

12.48 After a good lunch at an awesome price, we have now ordered two coffees. When they are emptied and we have paid, we´ll make a new attempt to get home.

Hostal Florida Center, Santa Clara.

The fantastic garden inside Florida Center.

Are we at a museum or renting a room here?

Christer´s backpack is waiting for the room to be ready.

13.32 On the way back to the accommodation we were asked by an elderly gentleman if we had soap. Some questions come to mind. Why is there so little soap in Cuba? Why should we as tourists carry with us soaps out on the streets? We were, after some problems with a wrought-iron gate at the accommodation, let in. Now we are home. We stay in a room that feels like taken from a museum. Antique things is just the beginning. Hostal Florida Center is considered one of Cuba's best private accommodations and they have few rooms. We are grateful that we managed to get a room here in this unique environment.

14.08 When Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus) came to a village nearby, Cubanacan; he was convinced that he had reached the Mongol khans’ centre. Cubanacan simply means the centre of Cuba. That's where we are now. In December 1958, Ernesto Che Guevara led a squad that took control of the city. Mr. Guevara is laid to final rest in a small mausoleum just outside the city. The heat, the distance and lack of time enables us to cancel our intended visit there.

15.11 Our room is amazing in many ways but the air conditioning is old and does not do its job. It is hot and stuffy in here.

15.40 It is now time to leave the room to see more of Santa Clara. We will travel on already tomorrow so you have to take the opportunity.

16.19 We managed to do a bit of this and that since we went out. We have strolled along some new streets, seen the shopping street Boulevard 1889. Christer has been inside a grocery store and bought something we can refresh ourselves with. We also took some photos of the beautiful cathedral. Now we are sitting on a bench in the city's famous park, the Parque Vidal. A lady just asked if we had soap. A troubadour sings Jennifer Rush's 80's hit "Power of Love". He has a light green guitar and his voice is, well what can I say, shaky. The English could have been better. But there is pressure in his voice. We're talking about the soap begging. Is soap difficult to get hold of? Is it expensive? Who carries the soap? Does soap mean something else? Is it a code word for money? Who knows?

Christer is walking on new streets.

The pedestrian street Boulevard 1889 is a welcome change after narrow streets packed with cars.

Santa Clara´s cathedral, Catedral de Santa Clara de Asís.

Teatro La Caridad, a beautiful building in Santa Clara.

Parque Vidal, Santa Clara.

17.58 Back home things have slowed down. I have taken the opportunity to sleep, take a siesta and even a power nap. The biggest reason for our lack of strength is that it's stuffy in the room; we have not managed to get the temperature down very much. Periodically, it's nice to take a cold shower to cool off.

19.42 We had told Ángel that we wanted to eat dinner here at the Florida Center. Since we said that we should eat 20.00 it's about time to get dinner ready.

20.03 We walked out the room door. Outside there is full restaurant business. At one of the tables someone is speaking in German and some Swedish dialect. We have got a small table by the wall away from our room but many are sitting at the table in the middle of the lovely greenery here in the courtyard.

21.21 Our host Ángel came and told us that a Swedish woman was here in the restaurant. She was from a place two hours from Stockholm, we are wondering which one? Now we´ve just washed some clothes.

22.54 We have read in our books and throats have been watered with the necessary beverages. Next accommodation is almost too good to be true. Most useful places seems to be near it including a café, internet access, shops and restaurants. Tomorrow we will see if it allegedly also matches with reality.

23.27 It will be nice to sleep even if the room is warm.

Peter is waiting for the dinner.