marcin jucha
For visitors to Havana, one of the most popular day and overnights trips besides colonial wonder Trinidad is a visit to the far west of Cuba, the mostly rural province of Pinar del Río (whose locals, by the way, have over the yea
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Lonely Planet recently came out with this article from their Cuba guide writer about pandemic-era travel to the island, which has had a low number of COVID cases and the world's second highest vaccination rate. Interesting
As Cuba opens up even more, even more folks are discovering that dining in Havana has evolved far beyond the mediocre state-run restaurants of yore. Of course, most of said state-run restaurants are still around, but the new tourism economy has force
When it comes to cities in Cuba, capital Havana does hog a disproportionate share of the attention – and it’s not hard to understand why. But at the southeastern tip of this island country, 540 miles (870 kilometres) from the capital, is another wh
When I started visiting one of Cuba’s earliest settlements (founded in 1514), down in the central south coast some five or so hours from Havana, in the late 1990s, Trinidad was a sleepy little colonial gem in the rough – as in, fairly shabby like
Sure, going out for an intimate dinner à deux is pretty much everyone's default on this day for lovers. But to make Valentine's Day extra special, seek out an experience that will make it truly memorable for years to come. High and low, on land and
Welcome to February! Since 1970, it's also been Black History Month in the USA, and since 1995 in Canada, as well (whereas it's observed in October in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands). And though the reason for the African diaspo
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In the Western Hemisphere, the religions brought over by African slaves have been part of the scene for centuries in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and most famously Haiti. But until not many years ago, they were largely condem
There's no other Caribbean island that's quite the total package like Cuba, with not just enticing beaches and verdant landscapes but history, culture, and friendly people. And though many visitors don't get beyond splendid capital Havana and the
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For those of you who haven’t visited this city of just over two million residents, I highly recommend you put it on your bucket list, because it’s an experience like no other in the world.
Once known as the “Paris of the Caribbean” thanks to its i
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Globalization has been a sometimes controversial mixed bag in different areas and different parts of the world, but I think we can all agree that on the plus side, one of its grooviest benefits has been to bring to spread many of the exciting cultu
There is something about the music, the cars, the colors, and the weather, that is so… well… cool. It's not important if you are going to stay one day, one month, or for what purpose you are there, there are a handful of classic Cuban activities y
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In the past decade or two, art has truly been one of the bright spots in Cuba‘s cities, and especially in capital Havana. In addition to a quite fine Museum of Cuban Fine Arts (Calle Trocadero between Zulueta & Monserrate), with works spanning the
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Who is this bewhiskered gent with the big ol' stogie? Find out here.
Thanks to Cuba's long isolation from most international trade, the United States’ economic embargo since 1960, and a ban on Cubans buying new cars, one of the things most striking about Cuba has been that many if not most of the automobiles
On the 48th anniversary of the Stonewall Riot in New York City, its spirit has spread to Latin America, where after Europe and the USA, significant chunks this region have seen, despite the traditionally conservative nature of Latin society, the gre
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“Ay, no hay que llorar
Que la vida es un carnaval
y es más bello vivir cantando…”
Today marks exactly a decade since the world lost one of its most memorable pop music giants. In the lines above, from one of her signature songs, Carnaval, the late Celia
Certainly Cuba has no shortage of charming Spanish colonial and early post-colonial architecture, from Pinar del Ríoout west to Santiago in the east. But for me the place that most makes me feel like I’ve actually stepped into the past of a century
I have this kinda funny (as in funky, not ha-ha) tree growing right smack in the middle of my front yard in Miami. It’s admittedly not a particularly cuddly or friendly looking bit of botany, its trunk prickling all over as it is with conical thorns
