...do as the Cubans do. The past 5 days in Cuba the loco (crazy) knob has been turned way up. I'm living in a seaside apartment with my Cuban buddy Roberto and his girlfriend Yudis (names changed to protect the not-so innocent). My name as of the past couple weeks I've changed to Santiago as it's much easier for Cubans to remember and pronounce. Plus its one of my favourite story characters names from Paulo Coelho's 'The Alchemist'.

Anyhow... the loco knob; first meal at my new home was turtle meat (many environmentalists cringe I know, but it was on my plate, rude not to eat it), that night we went to the local loco disco and ended up hitchhiking home in an ambulance, next night was Pulpo (octopus) for dinner... also really good. All our meals have been coming from our front yard ocean reef... stoked. We've been snorkelling loads, until the other day there was many reported sightings of hammerhead sharks a couple hundred meters north of the reef... a bit of a deterernt now eh. I ended up with a random pair of sneakers from Diablesse, traded them for 10 lobster tails. In the midst of simplifying belongings and lightening the load, so traded my snorkelling gear for 5 nights stay at Roberto's place. It's beautiful, waves rolling up the shore lulling my into tranquil days and restful nights. Days of exploring Santa Fe, teaching english, playing frisbee and baseball with the locals, learning spanish; nights of awesome food, rum, dominoes, and trading stories of Cuban and Canadian adventures.

A year ago, a brutal cyclone wiped out 20 families homes, neighbours of Roberto's and with little money and materials, no new homes have been built there, so there's people everywhere sharing homes and it makes for many fiestas and wikid energy with dogs and kids running all about.

I met a couple dudes who attempted an escape a couple years ago to Key West. Frustrated by lack of opportunities and the thirst for new lands, attempts are made all the time, some make it, some get busted. They were in a 15 footer, 6 guys, 30HP, 150 liters of fuel, water and milk powder, left at 10pm, busted 12 km offshore and into jail for 2 years or bail for 1000 Cuban dollars (approx. 1300 CAD). That is why it's illegal for Cubans to own GPS units. Also illegal for them to own DVD players as they don't want the counter-revolutionary influence.

Cuba is a strange and wonderful place, I feel like I could write a book about just a 24 hour period here it's so full of life and questions and double takes.

But instead I've compiled a little list of Random facts.

1. The Maternity Hospital in Habana is shaped like a womb.
2. The average Cuban makes 12-25 dollars a month. (every cuban gets a monthly ration card for food, but it's not enough).
3. If an extranero (foreigner), is seen walking/chilling with a cuban lady, she could be arrested and sentenced to 3 years in prison if the policia think she's a prostitute. In Cuba you are guilty until proven innocent.
4. Fidel pays for free eye operations and return flights to Cuba for Central Americans and Caribbean'ers.
5. Cuba was not invited by American organizers to the World Baseball Championship 2006. Other countries declared they would not play if Cuba couldn't play. Cuba went on to place second in the World. Ya, crazy party in March. U.S. didn't want the prize money to go to the Fidel regime, so Fidel donated it to the Hurricane Katrina relief fund as Bush can't take care of his own people. What a kick in the teeth!
6. There are no advertisements here, no commericials.
7. To take the regular taxi from Habana to the marina costs 15 bucks (30km). If I take the illegal cuban taxi (illegal for the driver, not me), its costs 30 pesos (about $1.25).
8. Every year the Cuban government has some focus of celebration. This year it's the Energia Revolution. Giving out solar panels, efficient fridges, flourescent lightbulbs, water saving equipment. Wikid.

Time is running short here at the CyberCafe, time to move along. I'm off to meet a friend in Plaza Vieja (the old plaza), rumour has it that a microbrewery has opened... must check it out. Then, tonight a baseball game at the national stadium, tomorrow a boxing match and saturday a cockfight.

Weather permitting, we set sail for Bermuda on Sunday. Approx. 1160nm. If anyone has connections in Bermuda or Portugal, must sees or dos or wants to contact me by email at sea between now and mid-May.

My email addy on S/Y Diablesse is
sydiabl at attglobal.net minus the spaces

It's shared with all crew, so put my name in the subject line. Love hearing from home and those abroad.

And a !!!HUGE CONGRATS!!! to my brotha Mr. Dave Craig and his wife to be Karli Emmet! Engaged in Scotland! Beautiful! Stoked for the future life, the party (aka wedding), and helping teach the little whipper snappers to slide down mountains on sticks.

Scott