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Florida Companies to Begin Ferry Service to Cuba?
In pre-revolutionary days, thousands of U.S. travelers every month arrived in Cuba aboard the overnight City of Havana and other passenger-car ferries from Key West, Palm Beach, Tampa, Miami, and Jacksonville. You could drive down to Key West and the next day be in Havana.
In 1949, when Ernest He
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Cuba Welcomes New Cruise Ship
The Terminal Sierra Maestra cruise port in Havana. Photo © Christopher P. Baker.
Last week, the Thomson Dream cruise ship berthed in Havana carrying 1,500 passengers, resurrecting a new era for Cuba as a popular venue for cruising. At least that’s the hope of the Cuban government, which rolled out
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Casas Particulares in Havana's Habana Vieja
A building in Habana Vieja. Photo © Anja Disseldorp, licensed Creative Commons Attribution.
Casas particulares (privite room rentals) listed here have air-conditioning and private bathrooms, unless noted.
Casa de Daniel Carrasco Guillén (Cristo #16, 2ndo piso, e/ Brasil y Muralla, tel. 07/866-2106
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Making Travel to Cuba a Reality with Christopher P. Baker
1. What do the new Cuba travel provisions mean for U.S. citizens?
The Obama administration’s announcement on January 14—that it is expanding the categories of permissible travel to Cuba—opens the door to a much wider segment of U.S. citizens eager to learn about Cuba firsthand. Some of the details
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Sights in Parque Central, the Social Epicenter of Habana Vieja
Parque Central in Habana Vieja. Photo © Tony Hisgett, licensed Creative Commons Attribution.
Spacious Parque Central is the social epicenter of Habana Vieja. The park—bounded by the Prado, Neptuno, Zulueta, and San Martín—is presided over by stately royal palms shading a marble statue of José
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Visiting Baracoa in Guantánamo Province
A street in Baracoa just after the rain has passed. Photo © kayugee, licensed Creative Commons Attribution No-Derivatives.
Baracoa (pop. 65,000) lies 200 kilometers east of Santiago, 120 kilometers east of Guantánamo, and is really miles from anywhere. The somnolent town nestles hard up again
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Sights in Havana's Plaza de la Catedral
Catedral San Cristóbal de la Habana. Photo © Byron Howes, licensed Creative Commons Attribution No-Derivatives.
The exquisite cobbled Plaza de la Catedral (Cathedral Square) was the last square to be laid out in Habana Vieja. It occupied a lowly quarter where rainwater and refuse collected (i
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What to See along Centro Habana's Malecón
View of the Malecon in Havana all lit up. Photo by Paul Keller licensed Creative Commons Attribution.
Officially known as Avenida Antonio Maceo, and more properly the Muro de Malecón (literally “embankment,” or “seawall”), Havana’s seafront boulevard winds dramatically along the Atlantic shoreline
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Hemingway’s Chrysler to be restored in Cuba
At the Museo Ernest Hemingway, Ada Rosa shows off the famed Chrysler. Photo © Christopher P. Baker.
On March 26, 2011, I posted about speculation that Ernest Hemingway’s long-lost Chrysler had at last been found in Cuba. As I mentioned, Bill Greffin, a former board member of the Ernest Hemingway F
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Sights in Havana's Parque Histórico Militar Morro-Cabaña
Parque Histórico Militar Morro-Cabaña
Looming over Habana Vieja, on the north side of the harbor channel, the rugged cliff face of the Cabaña is dominated by two great fortresses that constitute Parque Histórico Militar Morro-Cabaña (Morro-La Cabaña Historical Military Park, Carretera de la Cabaña
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What to See in Havana's Plaza de la Revolución
The “mural” of Che Guevara on the Ministerio del Interior building. Photo © Guillaume Baviere, licensed Creative Commons Attribution.
Havana’s largest plaza, Plaza de la Revolución (Revolution Plaza), which occupies the Loma de los Catalanes (Hill of the Catalans), is an ugly tarr
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Background Cuba: The Land
Limestone mogotes jut out of the ground in beautiful Valle de Viñales. Photo © Ryan Ready, licensed Creative Commons Attribution.
Cuba lies at the western end of the Greater Antilles group of Caribbean islands, which began to heave from the sea about 150 million years ago. Curling east and south l
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The Downside of Cuba's Healthcare System
A filthy dental tray in Cienfuegos Hospital. Photo © Christopher P. Baker.
A few weeks ago while escorting a National Geographic Expeditions’ 10-day “Cuba: Discover its Culture & People” trip, one of the participants fell ill with a serious dental problem.
I accompanied her to the Clínica Inte
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The Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba
The impressive Hotel Nacional in Centro Vedado, Havana. Photo © Chris Brown, licensed Creative Commons Attribution.
The landmark Hotel Nacional (Calles O y 21, tel. 07/836-3564) is dramatically perched atop a small cliff at the junction of La Rampa and the Malecón. Now a national monument, th
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Using Cell Phones in Cuba is Frustrating and Costly
Photo © Christopher P. Baker.
One of the first observations that visitors to Cuba have is that unlike almost every other country in the world that they’ve visited, Cuba has relatively few cell phone users.
In June 2010, the nation had 1,098,000 cell phone users according to Cuba’s National Statist
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Cuba’s “horse whisperer” promotes Monty Roberts’ equine techniques
Julio Munoz and horse. Photo © Christopher P. Baker.
My friend Julio Muñoz has always had a passion for horses. He also has a knowledge of communicating with horses that is perhaps unique in Cuba. This thanks to his enthusiasm for the techniques of Monty Roberts, the impresario who has revolutioni
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A Merry Cuban Christmas
Even years after Christmas was reinstated as an official holiday, Santa remained a no-show. Photo © pashapixel/123rf.
There’s a good reason that Cubans have never seen Santa, and it’s not because he couldn’t get a visa—nor that it’s never been known to snow in Cuba. Truth is, Saint Nick was offici
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A Conversation with Travel Memoir Author Julia Cooke
$17 | Seal Press
ISBN: 9781580055314Earlier this year, I was asked to review The Other Side of Paradise: Life in the New Cuba, journalist Julia Cooke’s insightful look at contemporary Cuban reality. Cooke lived in Havana at intervals over a period of five years, developing close relationships with
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Cuba's Best Beaches
Cuba boasts glorious beaches. Most are scattered along the north shore, with concentrations immediately east of Havana; in Varadero; Cayo Largo; the Jardines del Rey (Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey Provinces); and Holguín. The south coast has relatively few noteworthy beaches. Swimming requires cauti
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Where to Find Havana’s Gay Nightlife
The Malécon at sunset. Photo © Diego Cervo/123rf.
Gay life in Havana has expanded noticeably in recent years, although homosexual venues remain subject to police crackdowns. There are no established gay bars or clubs, which are banned, and the gay “scene” revolves around “hangout” street loca
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