day 3 to ??

[Ken Gargett]

first, apols to anyone who might have been waiting on an update. not quite sure how lisa had heard of the supermodels but...

how many countries can you turn around in the lobby and find yourself next to uma thurman. true.

we have sort of lost track of time. if memory serves, nothing much happened on day three. a few of us made a valiant effort to get out and about but gave up. we did make dinner - a really lovely garden restaurant called cocina de lilliam. one of havana´s best (yes, i am aware that competition isn´t all that strong). got home and most crashed but a few stayed up, had a cigar or two and waited for the last member of the group to lob. most discussion, as we waited, was what luggage mike would lose this trip. all of it as it happens, bar his fishing rod. so any photos you see of a bloke in badly faded floral shirts could be rob or mike. check for a moustache, tho as every cuban he has met has told him the mo makes him look old, mike soon might be sans lip hair.

day 4 - possibly the best day in human history (and yes, i´ve been told a billion times not to exxagerate). made the wake-up calls (there has got to be some perks in this guide job) and the bus was off at 5am. when there, we split with two doing the rivers for a few tarpon and the rest of us with our guides off for the day bonefishing. in this extraordinarily beautiful place (las salinas), a day of total solitude (just you and your guide) interspersed with wild action as the best sportsfish on the planet explodes. it really wouldn´t matter if there were no fish, it is such a wonderful spot (and that is just as well for most of the guys - a lot of casting practice needed by us all) but the fish are a bonus. as this is supposedly a cigar diary, i won´t bang on forever about how good this is. to finish, rob, despite flaunting the competition weigh-in rules and his camera again breaking so we have been deprived of the evidence, claims ten (some may recall that the alleged three he got last trip has now become 9). yours truly a reasonable 5 (they were far harder to catch and not the same size as last time 0 about 3 and a half lbs the best) and pj got a snappper. merls got a lesson in humility and everyone was happy.

a top dinner with the locals finished a brilliant day. it was a tired mob that finally dragged themselves home.

day 5 - has any mob ever slept so soundly? alberto, our guide for a few days (nicknamed tom, as he looks a little like magnum pi - hey, the locals think i look like gerard depardieu so nothing is too precise here) has us in tow. we bounce around havana for a while, down to the commodoro (mike is sick of looking like a rob-wannabee and needs clothes) but we all ended up at the bar. so then to havana veija and a walk thru with tom pointing out may of the lesser known spots. lunch at mamy´s (a nice paladar but one better suited to a romantic candlelit dinner than lunch with 8 smelly blokes trailling cuban toilet paper out of every spare pocket). after that, rob and i checked out the habanos joint on the embassy avenue. had a delicious la gloria cubana each but their stock was far less extensive than on previous visits. we had noticed one place and asked tom. turns out this is where havana´s top models put on a nightly show, with bands etc so those still standing - around five at the time - lined up for dinner and a show. and what a show.

sorry - appartently we are off to the beaches to examine the near naked beach girls and then dinner with the supermodels - still no idea how lisa knows - so i will continue this when i can.

[First Lady]

Great to see that you guys are alive .......we were abit worried as you dropped off the planet (it must be all those supermodels ). Ken when will you learn that I know things and I will always be ahead of your guys.

BTW My list is growning so you all better purchase another suit case

Keep partying or keep up the Research and Develpoment (yeah right)

TFL

[bdurkk]

It seems they are having too good of a time to check in. Anymore news?