I don't know what it is with our writers and going off to honeymoon with the communists. What’s wrong with a nice two weeks on Great Keppel Island, drinking Southern Comfort with coke and stuffing yourselves at the seafood buffet? - Eds

Editors of the esteemed Kings Tribune might be surprised and honoured to read that my new husband and I picked up a copy of their superb publication on our wedding day, and that it has travelled with us on an onerous 28 hours' journey through international airspace, so that we now write a missive from our honeymoon destination - beautiful Havana, Cuba.

Having travelled in a time of terror and worldwide swine flu alerts, we felt we might have something to contribute on how travel has been affected by the Digital Age.

Cuba is a glorious country - blessed with architectural gems, a populace of unequalled humanity and a climate which demands mornings spent in the sun, afternoon siestas and evenings of cool drinks and dancing. It is, however completely untouched by the religion of Digitalism.

For those of us who are accustomed to informing our social networks of our every sentiment, insight and bowel movement via Facebook or Twitter on our 3G phones, it is strange in the extreme not to be able to immediately share our discoveries in this country with 300 others.

Here, when we were overjoyed to find fresh apples in the taberna, we couldn't update an UrbanSpoon listing; our glee remained a special secret between the two of us.

The lack of communication has not been so easy on our comrades in Sydney and Melbourne, who had been erstwhile accustomed to us being available on MSN Messenger at most hours of the day. My poor mother was beside herself with worries of H1N1 virus transmission in Latin America (we came through Los Angeles and Cancun wearing fetching dust masks in addition to our newly minted wedding bands).

In Cuba, however, we aren't troubled by continuous news feeds of WHO alerts and Google maps showing confirmed cases; we had to trust in our own feelings of rude health (and concentrate on ruder honeymoon activities!).

The people of Havana are friendly, open and generous. They receive their news through the daily organ of the Communist party, the Granma, sold on the streets by workers who can no longer contribute to their country in the rum or tobacco factories. The publication features daily reflections by Fidel, memorials of Che, and articles about the advances of socialism in sister countries. All completely untroubled by news blogs which might give an alternate view.

Advertising is a foreign concept; the Bienal arts festival is promoted by outsized canvasses, leant against the crumbling buildings of the seaside boulevards.

The roadside hoardings between the airport and city centre feature political messages painstakingly painted in a charming naif style.

Fashion here remains untouched by Western mega-brands, and the locals appear to choose their costumes according to what has best availability in the mercado and leaves least to the imagination when worn. You can't blame internet pornography for the sexualisation of the way these youngsters dress.

We are revelling in our Cuban escape from the modern world. There is an unrivalled immediacy here - no filters on our experience, our construction of our 'status' for Facebook followers.

Logging back in might be difficult... Vive la (non-Digital) Revolution!

+ 1

+ 1