Very crazy. This keeps coming up lately. People often come to me thinking that going to Cuba is way easier than it is. So I’m posting about it again. (I wrote a few months ago on similar themes: Traveling to Cuba These Days.) Here’s the deal: This is a tricky time to visit Cuba. Too many people are trying to go, Cuba is over capacity,…
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This May, I’ll be leading a trip for Yale GALA, the LGBT alumni association of Yale University! It’ll be a very special trip… in part because we’re so well connected there. You don’t have to be a Yalie, or LGBT – everyone’s welcome. You’ll find all the print information below: The condensed brochure with reservation form, plus a larger brochure with more detailed itinerary. To…
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I often hear a Cuban say something memorable – whether because it’s funny or because it’s somehow revealing of Cuban culture. Sometimes these are so memorable, they’ve stayed with me ever since. Here are some of my favorites… 1. Mmm… sin chicharro In Cuba, there are two ways to buy coffee. You can buy a package of high-end coffee in a fancy shop for several…
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Someone just contacted me who’s writing an article about LGBT Cuba. He asked for my perspective on the LGBT community there and how it is for LGBT travelers to visit Cuba. After I talked with him, I realized others might also be interested in what I have to say. So here it is! First off: My experience is that of a gay man, bilingual in…
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Cuba’s famous for rum and rum drinks. Mojitos, daiquiris and Cuba Libres are everywhere, especially everywhere there’s tourists. But I’ve got another local favorite: Guayabita del Pinar. Guayabita means “little guava.” The deal is, in the Pinar del Rio region of Cuba, there’s a particular tree whose berries are tiny guavas. They’re about the size of a blueberry. And someone got the bright idea of…
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I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries lately about private trips. That is, someone calls and says, “My friends and I want to go to Cuba, just the four of us. What can we do, and what will it cost?” Here’s the thing. The trips I run are People-to-People programs, legal because we spend time with Cuban nationals in meaningful ways. Within that framework, there’s…
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Some of my favorite moments in travel revolve around food. Some of my favorite foods are actually drinks. And some of my favorite drinks in Cuba are home brews… beverages people make in their own homes. Here are three I’ve known and loved: Pru This is pronounced just like Shannon Doherty’s character on Charmed, except with a Spanish tapped r. I first encountered pru as…
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I constantly hear people confused about the changing relationship between the U.S. and Cuba… and what that means for us as travelers. So here’s a rundown of what’s changed and what hasn’t. Also, my next post will explore options for private trips to Cuba. So if that might interest you, stay tuned! What’s legal New embassy or no new embassy, not much has changed for…
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Mamoncillo is a fruit in the soapberry family. My friend Dayron and family introduced me to it a few weeks ago, as it was in season when I visited. In their rural town, you just pick mamoncillos off the trees, and they laughed about people in the city who pay money for them. The fruit looks like a small lime, and in English it’s actually…
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Dayron is a friend of mine from the province of Matanzas, Cuba. He’s a musician and used to belong to Quinteto Cubanacan before joining a new band closer to home. In fact, in the first video at that link, Dayron’s the one playing guitar. Nice guy. (Scroll to the bottom for a video of him playing and singing.) Dayron invited me to visit, as he…
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