We did not catch a blue marlin - but had some fun. It is a kind of a Hemingway feeling when you cruise up and down the Cuban coast, sipping drinks and smokin' the best cigars in the world. To be repeated !

Dressed up for the 10th Habanos Festival Gala Diner at the Pabexpo I arrived at the main entrance minutes before the doors opened. Elegant dressed ladies, black ties, tuxedos, expensive Gala outfit everywhere. Standing next to my old friend Adriano Martinez Ruiz, Consultant of the MRN Encyclopaedia we had a little chat about the lastest gossip when doors flapped open.

Floating into the enormous hall it tooks us some time to find the tables - no wonder as by guess 1400 guests attended this final event of the festival. Within minutes the room was smoky, yet not as bad as last years when the place was just packed with smoke all night long. Poor Alejandro Robaina was surrounded by people hugging him for almost an hour, Julio Bermejo brought some of his famous Tequila (good he did so), James Suckling and Max Gutman kept puffing Mexcian RE 109's, - and in fact we kept saying hello to friends from all over the world. Yet one guy was missing ! Were was Claudio Schawalder. The Swiss chef and his team that performed so well during the Swiss-German Distibutors night should have taken care of the Gala Diner catering as well. The served diner was as terrible as ever. I dare saying that I left the Gala early and enjoyed some italian food downtown Havana.

See you again tomorrow. Best from smokin' Havana