Cohiba, Havana and... reggaeton!

"..There is, on a distant island, a Cuban fairytale that I would like you to know at least a little of.. there is an intoxicating scent that from Africa to the Andes tells you of tobacco and coffee..

Usually our trips have always been organised well in advance, this time however our ideas — me wanting Argentina and Giusy wanting Kenya — do not match at all, so after a month of negotiations we decided to let chance choose. Like the toss of a coin, so the internet will choose for us! It does not matter where, what matters is celebrating our birthdays on a beautiful white beach.

The holiday, though, does not start off on the right foot: my mood is not exactly at its best, I have the flu and the euphoria that usually accompanies travel preparations must be on strike! I huff with every 2 items packed into the suitcase.. And yet, despite my vanished Argentine dream, I still have a great desire to leave. My symptomatic need to escape is the constant of my life! Come on Ily, I tell myself, where and how is sometimes not important, what matters is to go, no?!

Friday 24-Feb '06 12.00 we set off, we fly with "Blu panorama" and in about 11h it takes us punctually to Havana. Hands back 5h, for us it is still Friday evening.. We will stay at the "Club Atlantico" in Playa del Este on the beautiful beach of Santa Maria del Mar. We are about twenty km from Havana. The complex is large, there are 2 restaurants, 2 bars, 1 pool (but what is the use with that wonderful sea?) and them... the ANIMATORS.. a strange breed I would like to stay away from...

Saturday 25-Feb '06 Today is my birthdaaaay!! Wow, how happy I am to celebrate it in a swimsuit and in the lovely warmth of the tropics. I know that in Naples it is raining like crazy, how sorry I am!!! Of course today is the day of texts, phone calls.. and the nice thing is that in the village, thanks to Giusy and Samir (the village's Fiorello) everyone knows that today I am celebrating my birthday. I love receiving good wishes!! Then, this was a nice way to make friends right away with Francesco&Nico from Aosta, Piero&Antonella from Milan, Stefano&Francesco from Verona, Stefano, Carlo and Michele from Naples, Gil&Linda from Bologna and lots of other people... In the evening they take us to a disco, or rather no, let us call things as they are, they take us to a dive bar in Guanabo "El dorado",, at the entrance they even act tough to let us in.

Basically the disco is a room carved out of the courtyard of an apartahotel, air conditioning at minus 10 degrees but in the end we like the place. We remain enchanted by the very sensual Reggaeton, a dance made of nothing but pelvic movement, and what a movement!!! They, the Cuban women, really know how to do it! And then they are really nice, sunny and engaging...