Product Description

From landing in Havana, hoofing it all the way down to Trinidad and back in a rented Mexican built Nissan (with special insurance on the tyres in case they get stolen by raft builders), the author vividly describes his hellish time in the Caribbean's biggest island nation during Fidel Castro's 'Special Period'. Compared to Bill Bryson, this is a travel tale of three weeks in the Sunshine Socialist State where extortion, confrontation, dolphins, kidnapping, appalling food and a chance meeting with 'The Leader' became a story worth telling. And all the author really wanted at the time was a nice quiet, boring beach holiday. "Surely this holiday is just off to a bad start. It couldn't get worse, could it? No really, could it? " 3rd EDITION, REVISED AUGUST 2009 (not to be confused with earlier pre-proof read editions still in circulation).

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #354877 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 100 pages

James Bruno (Author), Lulu, 22 Sep 2006
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.

From the Publisher
What I Did in Cuba is a humorous account of the author's trip to Cuba in the mid-nineties. His joyous style of storytelling has created a mix of travelogue and travel guide and this book should be essential to anyone thinking of visiting Cuba or interested in the Caribbean's largest country.

From the Author
It was hell. Three weeks in Cuba with Betty Boo and Gary Glitter. Really, it. was. hell. Not because of them. They were the bright spots, but the country was going through a crisis. There was no food, no fuel and not many smiles to go round. Everyone, I mean everyone was out to get their theirs. In retrospect I would thoroughly recommend not visiting a country while it has food shortages. But hey, you only live once, right?

Customer Reviews

Castro, Cuba, Gary Glitter and Betty Boo too!
This very funny account of a trip through Cuba is the sort of book that Tony Hawks has sadly forgotten how to write. Packed with biting wit, genuine adventure and an insight into the mind of fallen hero glam rock Gary Glitter (before he fell, but not rewritten because of it) this is a great little book that had me chuckling louder than I thought it would!
I've been recommending this book to everyone I know, so why not here too!

what a load of rubbish
I know Cuba extremely well & have been travelling there for years. I love Cuba because it is different.This book irritated me & was a painful read - who does he think he is? I was wishing Betty Boo had hit him harder!!! hehe

Poland with palm trees?
This light-hearted travelogue documents a three-week journey spanning the turn of the year 1994/95, i.e. during the period of austerity dubbed the "Special Period" following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The main places covered are Havana, Varadero, Cayo Coco and Trinidad. Written in a racy, colloquial, witty style, this short journal is one you can zoom through in an afternoon. Mr Myers and girlfriend Betty Boo suffered an extraordinary amount of bad luck. Paramount among their misfortunes was what he calls "kidnap", though it sounds more like false imprisonment plus extortion. He also bemoans continual hunger, gristly meals, constant rip-offs, hustlers, abominable service, lack of maps and lack of music. These days you can't complain about lack of music - it's everywhere - and food is now bland rather than gristly, but Cuba is still blighted by many of the ills he lists. You shouldn't, however, infer that it's a depressing read. Mr Myers' joky style buoys us up all the way, and a chance meeting with Gary Glitter adds spice to the tale.

I enjoyed this quick romp through a country I've come to know well, but a few flaws prevent me from giving it five stars. Firstly, Mr Myers dredges up some tired old jokes about the Germans, containing the same old prejudices. Can we stop doing this, please? Secondly, the book is littered with spelling and grammar mistakes, all of which could have been avoided had he used a proof reader. Maybe next time? Thirdly, the author falls into the old trap of believing that the US embargo is responsible for Cuba's economic woes. In the main, it isn't. Maintaining the embargo in 2009 is patently absurd, but China has filled the void left by Russia, and Cuba can trade with up to 100 countries, largely through the Panama Free Trade Zone. Incidentally, "embargo" is somewhat misleading: the highest percentage of food imports into Cuba is from the USA.

Mr Myers explains that he didn't finish writing the journal till 2008. Back in 1995 he was exhorting us to steer clear of Cuba - "Poland with palm trees". My advice is to give Mr Myers' book and Cuba a chance - they're both better than you might think!