My partner and I lived in Cuba between 1993 and 2000. In fact Gillian worked as Location Manager for Adam Faith's show mentioned in Paul's story and was interviewed on camera for it.
So it was great to be taken back to 1994 again and to relive the problems a foreigner encountered there in the bad old days of Cuba's 'Special Period in Peacetime' before tourism kicked in to lift the economy and provide decent food for jinateras and tourists alike.
This is a well written, witty, and often incisive acoount of a time and place I remember so well. I just wish it were longer...

Mr. Myers's tongue-in-cheek travelogue of his decade-old visit to Cuba is a rollicking good read. His style reminds one of that great travel writer, Temple Fielding.

As a gringo diplomat who's served in Cuba, I also savored fried gristle, enjoyed the company of hustlers, conmen and surly bureaucrats. Ah, but I had the added joy of being hounded by the Cuban security service, who revelled in slashing my tires, stealing my socks (yes!), and shadowing my every move.

I agree with Mr. Myers about Cuba's vast untapped potential; disagree with him on the impact of the U.S.'s ineffective half-century-long embargo (it's the surreal, failed political system!); and agree with him that you'd be best to take your hard-earned wages elsewhere until things change in Cuba.

Finally, this hilarious and incisive treatise is in desperate need of a rigorous proof-read and editing. But one shouldn't be picky with a free download. It's like finding a lobster on your plate where the gristle should be.

A truthful account of the author's holiday in Cuba, this book tells it like it is - capturing both the beauty and the poverty of the place, and puling no punches as to who is truly responsible for the cruel conditions Cuban's have lived under for years. Despite all the mishaps, I sensed the author got a grat deal from his visit, and some descriptions are positively evocative. It's an amusing read offering a valuable first-hand insight into the country. Some moments are completely ridiculous ($20 kidnappings), others beautiful (swimming with dolphins), and some are truly tragic, the old woman begging Western tourists for soap really brings home the true face of America's one-sided battle with a country it once had no problem taking advantage of. Do read this book to understand a little more about this beautiful country.

Shouldn't the title of this book be 'What the Hell am I Doing Here in Cuba with Betty Boo and Gary Glitter?"!

I loved this book!

Short and easy to read, I found myself really getting into it. Great place descriptions and very, very funny. How on earth do all these things happen to one person?!

It reads like it was written by Bill Bryson with a dash of Michael Moore. 5 stars!