Marcel (Nat´s Dad) had given us a mission in Cuba and there was no way we were going to leave without having achieved it - he wanted cigars - the world´s finest. The brief arrived by email and consisted of 4 pages of instructions detailing various brands, sizes and likely prices.

We had come across cigar vendors more regularly as we tracked south through Central America and had refrained from making any purchases due to the probability of fakes... having said that, the packaging was excellent and Nicaragua is now home to a reputable cigar industry of its own.

In Habana we planned to only visit official habano stores. However, as we walked through the backstreets on our way to old Habana our day took a turn.

A local couple bumped into us in a gritty non-touristy sort of area and after guessing that we were Australian offered to take us to a music festival. We found ourselves in a Chinese bar having a mojito when they (Alan and Jennifer) discovered we were looking for cigars. Alan informed us that he worked at a cigar factory and that he could get us any of the cigars we wanted at a significantly reduced price.

He offered to bring the cigars to the bar but we insisted on being taken to the cooperativa hoping that some kind of impressive backroom presentation would fill us with enough confidence to make a purchase. We were then led through streets the tour agencies don´t go and ended up on a couch in a private home that resembled a drug dealers house - think random people knocking for access and being admitted after inspection though the door within a door... think also two german shepards straining on their leashes while we sat uneasily, our bodies emitting fear.

The cigars were presented, we were assured of their authenticity (and provided with the 3 seals required by Cuban customs) and were then pressed to make a decision. Our hesitation, and many questions, caused increasing impatience and menace on the part of Alan and we were made to feel like fools who didn´t know a good deal when they had one.

Despite pressure to buy our entire order then and there we agreed to one box of Cohiba Robustos on the condition that we would have to visit a bank. They sealed the box and then began our journey to the bank. The first 4 ATMs declined our cards and as we had yet to draw any money in Cuba we were starting to doubt the logic behind buying first and paying later. As Alan, who was by this stage highly agitated made clear, once the box was sealed there was no way they could take it back.

Walking now in silence, under the midday sun, through blocks and blocks of unknown territory the whole situation became increasingly tense and when bank number 7 gave us a negative response Nat just about lost it on the street. The four of us, two locals, two foreigners, outside a bank must have looked a picture.

There was only one way to bridge the impass... a trip back to our house to get our passports and make a bank teller withdrawal. As you can imagine we had fought long and hard to avoid this and as we got in the cab (with our new friends) tourist horror stories were flowing hard and fast through our exhausted, beaten minds.

With passport in hand we went to one of Cuba's top hotels and finally withdrew the money... by this stage the four of us were barely speaking and god knows where it would have led if we hadn´t got the money.

As Nat and I pondered over the days events we almost went crazy trying to work out if it was just a complete scam or if we were just in the right place at the right time and that our suspicion and banking problems turned the deal ugly.

Points in favour of it being a scam include: they knew we were Australian, they never took us to the music festival, they never took us to the factory, they barely knew how to fill out the receipt required for customs (although this also suggests they weren´t doing this often), they were able to pay for 2 cab rides.

On the other hand the box was perfect complete with seal, holographic seal and beautiful cigars that one local we later met said were real. It is of course possible that they were husslers with access to the real product... but we just don´t know. Marcel, you be the judge!