Images of Che Guevara were everywhere. Murals, sculptures, banners and T-shirts. A national hero despite being Argentinian. He got bored of doing administration work in Cuba when the revolutionary fighting was over and went to the African Congo to carry on rucking. He was finally captured and shot in Bolivia were he was fighting with the rebels. Their other big tourist trail is based on the house and haunts of Ernest Hemingway. You too can get pissed where he did (at inflated prices).

Advertising hoardings had communist revolution slogans rather than adverts. 42 Glorious Years (since Fidel Castro took over), United we will always win, Struggle for eternal victory, Patriotism or death - your choice, Everybody has a part to play, Viva the Revolution, Work is freedom etc. etc. etc.

Everybody gets paid the same, be they a doctor or a taxi driver, the equivalent of $15 US dollars per month (about £10 quid). They also get a minimum food ration consisting mainly of rice and beans, several eggs plus the luxury of meat twice per year. Workers in the tourist industry are relatively rich as they get to eat well and get tips in American dollars. Cigar factory workers are paid an additional bonus as the work is so miserable that nobody wants to do it.

Cuban successes are health and education and cheap rum. Havana Club rum is $3 per 75cl bottle. Everyone has a relative "who works in a cigar factory" and can sell you cheap (usually counterfeit) cigars.

Most property and farm produce is owned by the state. School children get the opportunity to work on a farm for a month per year as part of their education. Most men in prison are there for killing cattle, all owned by the state, for meat. Most women in prison are there for killing their husbands!

Travel for the locals is mainly by hitch-hiking. People are employed to flag down state-owned vehicles which are obliged to give lifts if they have space. Vehicles are identified by the colour of their number plates, as to their function and ownership. In town there are crowded public buses called "camels" which are more like cattle trucks.

Music is everywhere. Whenever you sit down to a meal a 4 or 5 piece Cuban band will appear and strike up a traditional tune. Followed by the inevitable passing around of a hat for contributions (preferably dollars).

Cubans are rarely allowed to travel abroad and are forbidden to have Internet access or e-mail. Nobody knows where Fidel Castro lives, although it is rumoured that he has a house in every Cuban state. Nobody knows if he is married but he is widely believed to have 5 children. His long rambling speeches have been known to go on for as long as 17 hours.