Thursday 30th April

Getting a Cuban visa day! Started off really well; no breakfast or more importantly for me, no coffee!!! Have any of you ever experienced me (Jenny) without my morning coffee?! Girls were brilliant, actually. No shops open within walking distance so we had no choice but to get on the metro into the centre of Madrid with rumbling tummies. OMG - even McD's didn't open until 10am - can you believe it, we drop our principles and agree to go there and it is shut! Girls had a really healthy breakfast of a doughnut and a croissant - sorry Miss Gate! I got my caffeine.

Had the nightmare situation of needing to prove we had a hotel booking to get the Cuban visa but only had the confirmation as an email on Andy's PC which had ran out of battery and we had no EU adapter (I chucked it out of our luggage to save weight when packing as we weren't meant to end up in Europe - popular me!). Also now had less than 3 hours to find and get to the embassy to obtain our visas and still no shops open selling adapters or cafes with sockets! Could do without the Bank Holiday tomorrow here.

Got to the embassy to be met at the heavily barred gate by a Spanish-only speaking lady who told us we were in the wrong place and we had better get to the Consulate pronto - and did we really mean we needed a visa to fly this Sunday? Expectations of plans actually working out now back on the floor!

Took a taxi (that will blow the budget) to an old 6th floor doctor's surgery - well that's what it looked like; queues of people everywhere with forms. Lots of signs everywhere in Spanish that we just couldn't understand enough of (why didn't we take more Spanish lessons?). Eventually got directed to a different room where it was amazingly quick to get a tourist card rather than a visa - just took some cash really - we think it is legitimate!

We still need to book a flight to somewhere out of Cuba which is going to be interesting. We'd really like to return to our original plan of Cancun as it is the easiest way to get to see my friend Nikki in Belize and I would still like to see more of Mexico. Alas we don't have time to sit it (flu virus) out as we may be able to get on the plane to Cuba but we probably wouldn't be allowed further than passport control without our outward flight. We do have a plan, but all cannot be revealed yet... (Watch this space - it will be empty from Sunday onwards if the plan doesn't work!!)

Wednesday 29th April

What a start to the trip! News reports every day getting worse about the swine fever outbreak. Kept changing our minds about what to do. We had eventually decided to keep our flight to Cancun but to get out of Mexico and into Belize rapido and perhaps to drive ourselves rather than sit on a bus with lots of coughing locals! And then the foreign office advice came through not to travel and our flight was cancelled. HELP! Hard enough getting to Belize from Cancun, how on earth to get there now?

Andy emerged after several hours of googling and frantic phone calls with a solution. Cuba first! Now why didn't I think of that?

So we fly to Madrid, somehow get to the Cuban Embassy and get a visa before they close for the May Day holiday at 1pm tomorrow; oh yes and find somewhere to stay in Madrid tonight. Easy peasy!

Oh dear, it's the 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution - big celebrations in Havana... not easy to get a room... don't really know yet where we will fly to after Cuba as we really want to sit it out and see if Mexico would be an option in a few week's time... can't get a Cuban visa without a flight out, a hotel room for 2 nights when you arrive... and we still have nowhere to stay in Madrid!

Cutting an even longer story short, Andy was texting to confirm a room as we were sat on the plane watching the safety video - yes he turned the mobile off before we started moving!

Muchos bad parentos - the girls went to bed hungry as we had no food or drink and all the shops were closed - don't think they've realised that it means no breakfast either...

Buenos noches

spanish lessons and saying goodbye to sheepy

We had Spanish lessons on Saturday,also said good bye to sheepy and gave her to Naomi.Jo, Pippa and I have said goodbye to all our friends and teachers (especially miss barford).

from Katy x

Five days to go!

Not quite as organised as last time ...