Cuba

For various reasons I haven't managed to obtain a visa for Cuba so I'm worried I'll be stuck in Caracas for a while. I needn't have worried though as the airline sells them at the check-in desk, which is fortunate.

My flight is delayed for three hours which means I don't get into Havana until seven-ish. Al is waiting for me at the Hotel Raquel, which is much plusher than anywhere I've stayed in South America. I feel completely out of place entering the marble foyer with my backpack, but it's good to see a familiar face from home.

Hotel Raquel has been spectacularly restored by Habaguanex to its former colonial splendour, complete with stained glass ceilings and Italian marble pillars. Tourists visit the hotel to take photos.

I'm tired and hungry so one of the hotel porters recommends a restaurant and offers to escort us there. I don't realise at the time, but this is a taster of what's to come in the next three weeks. We end up eating on the balcony at El Patio, a large restaurant on Plaza de la Catedral. Half the menu isn't on, something else I'll have to get used to, but the views of the floodlit cathedral and beautiful colonial houses surrounding the square make up for it. I like Old Havana already.

(Photo - Old Havana)