Cuba is a unique country and a fascinating place to visit

We spent our first few days in Havana, an amazing city full of contrasts. There are beautiful Spanish colonial mansions, some restored to their former splendour but many are crumbling apartment buildings or ration shops.

Transport is varied. Huge American 1950 cars some in pristine condition some tied up with string, Ladas, bici‐taxis, horse and trap taxis, cattle lorries used as people carriers, bikes with trailers, oxen and every conceivable mode of transport all share the same roads.

Next stop was Vinales, a very friendly town in the heart of the prime tobacco growing area.Tobacco is still planted and picked by hand by the farmers then cured and rolled into cigars also manually in small factories.

Maria la Gorda is called after Maria who lived there and was by all accounts a large and accommodating woman. UNESCO have declared the area a biosphere reserve and has some of the best diving in Cuba. Maria la Gorda is almost a liveaboard on land consisting of Hotel Maria la Gorda with very nice cabins, dive centre, restaurants, beautiful sandy beach with coconut trees for shade and the pier all within a few minutes walk.

We had an excellent guide called Jeff for all our dives, who had perfect English. We dived Peter's Caves, a series of tunnels and swimthroughs at 30m and finishing the dive at the top of the reef, Paradise Perdido, El Encanta 1 and 2, El Salon de Maria and many more 10 in all. Water temp was 27 or so.

We saw a nurse shark, turtles, barracuda, Stoplight Parrotfish, morays and a huge variety of reef fish. Also spectacular corals and sponges, yellow and black tube sponges, Azure Vase

Sponge, Black Coral which is actually brown and not very common and snails with giraffe markings which the book says are Flamingo Tongue Snails.

We brought our own gear. The gear in the centre seemed to be of reasonable quality but it is nice to know what you have.

Next stop Cienfuego and Rancho Luna. We dived El Labarinto and planned to do a second dive but it was cancelled as the wind picked up and the waves must have been almost a foot high, probably a good decision as the dive boat was not the most stable craft that ever sailed.

We did our last two dives from Playa Ancon near Trinidad. Most of the divers here were Canadian, Cuba is a very popular destination for them only 31/2 hour flight from Toronto.

We had a very nice Casa Particular (B&B) in Trinidad. Our landlady was an excellent cook and served us fantastic dinners, and an odd mojito, in the garden which had bananas and mango trees, so good that we extended our stay and went to the airport from there.

Cuba was a very interesting place to visit. There was such a difference between the places we stayed that it seemed like a series of mini holidays. The tourist bus service is very comfortable and reasonably reliable, just allow for Cuba time.

Maria la Gorda is called after Maria who lived there and was by all accounts a large and accommodating woman. UNESCO have declared the area a biosphere reserve and has some of the best diving in Cuba. Maria la Gorda is almost a liveabord on land consisting of Hotel Maria la Gorda with very nice cabins, dive centre, restaurants, beautiful sandy beach with coconut trees for shade and the pier all within a few minutes walk.

we had an excellent guide called Jeff for all our dives, who had perfect English. We dived Peter's Caves, a series of tunels and swimthroughs at 30m and finishing the dive at the top of the reef, Paradise Perdido, El Encanta 1 and 2, El Salon de Maria and many more 10 in all. Water temperature was 27 or so.

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