CUBA, AQUÍ VENGO

I have managed to book a real bargain flight to Cuba, a GBP 233 return from Gatwick to Varadero. eaving on 7th April. Of course, I won't be returning back across the Atlantic at the end of my time in Cuba - instead, I will be heading in the opposite direction across the Caribbean to Cancun to start a clockwise loop of Mexico. Fidel, here I come.

THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES ... BUT WITHOUT THE MOTORCYCLE

Welcome to the Motorcycle Diaries (but without a motorcycle). I am a bit gutted about not getting my license, but since it is likely to take me another 3-4 weeks before I get it, I have decided to head off without it. Today, I have started looking at flights and planning my itenary, which I think is going to consist of essentially two parts:

1) Starting in Cuba, an anti-clockwise loop from Cancun through Mexico before meeting a couple of friends for a road trip in North America.

2) Head back down from North America through Mexico and Central America, fly from Panama to Columbia, and do a clockwise loop around South America.

HOW TO FIT 300 BOOKS INTO A RUCKSACK

My Sony eReader arrived this morning. It’s a fairly frivolous luxury-item, and as someone with a several thousand sized book collection that always said he would never read an eBook, a slightly sacrilegious one as well.

However I am not going to feel too guilty, as the  Sony PRS-300 eReader was essentially free as I got it with the points that I have accumulated on my Sony MasterCard credit card over the last few years. Okay so that doesn’t technically make it free, but if it means I can carry 300+ books in a 15 cm by 10cm sized space in my rucksack, then that is a good enough excuse for me.

MOSQUITOS: COME AND HAVE A GO IF YOU THINK YOU'RE HARD ENOUGH

Catching a mosquito-borne infectious disease is a considerable risk in South America, as this malaria hotspot map clearly shows.

Despite being suitably impressed by the disciplined self-control of mosquitoes for not crossing international borders into Argentina and Chile, I intend to protect myself from getting bitten by using a combination of repellant spray and a net during my entire time in South America.

Both my DEET and LIFESYSTEMS Ultra Mosquito net arrived in the post today from Amazon, so I now just need to order my Malarone anti-malarial tablets over the Internet and then I will be ready to take on all-comers from the South American insect world.

          

JESUS GAVE HIS LIFE FOR MANY, GSK SELL THEIR TABLETS FOR MORE

I just discovered that there are actually two special events on Tuesday March 30th. As well as being my final full day in London (I hand the flat keys back to landlord on the 31st), it is also the anniversary of Jesus' death. I know this because two Jehovah's Witnesses just ambushed me on my front door-step as I got home.

The pair of witnesses of Jehovah were armed with leaflets and bibles, and one of them actually looked a bit Mexican, but I refrained from asking him if he thought DEET 55 would be strong enough to ward off Central American mosquitoes, in case he took that as an open invitation to give me a sermon that the only thing that would protect me from malaria would be regular reading of the holy scriptures.

Mind you, it would definitely be cheaper to put my faith in GOD instead of anti-malarial tablets. When I ordered my Malarone over the Internet last night, I discovered that a four months supply of GlaxoSmithKline's patented vaccine is going to cost me 270 quid. 

My shock and disgust at the high price of antimalarials resulted in a loud JESUS CHRIST ALMIGHTY that even the most ardent pulpit preacher would have been proud of.

SABBATICAL DAY 1

It’s 08:35AM and I just woke up. No alarm clock, snooze button and alarm clock seven minutes later. No rushing around getting dressed in the straitjacket attire of the office worker (aka shirt/tie/suit and non-polish shoes that accidentally once saw polish). No eating toast as I brush my teeth, swiftly followed by a snail-paced rush hour traffic-jam commute into the office.

I watched television as I ate my breakfast this morning, something I don’t think I’ve done since University. And back then it was different anyway, as it was generally mid-afternoon television by the time I got up and had my breakfast. Reminiscing about student days makes me wonder if Countdown is still on in the afternoons, now that Richard Whitely is dead and Carol Voderman quit after being told to accept a 90% pay-cut if she wanted to continue putting up vowels and consonants every weekday.

I've taken a 100% pay-cut for the duration of my sabbatical, but have absolutely no regrets. Normally by this time on a Monday morning, I would have received and/or replied to about 250 emails and already forgotten about the weekend, that is if I even had a weekend and didn’t spend it all trying to catch up on work from the week before. Today, I haven't even checked my emails yet. Today, I've got Jeremy Kyle.

Soul-destroying daytime television aside, I could definitely get used to Sabbaticals.

LAST DAY AT WORK BEFORE SABBATICAL

Question:   Why I am taking a sabbatical from my job, and going travelling (again)?

Answer:     Nobody ever said on their deathbed, "I wish I'd spent more time at the office".