Travel Blog | About TravelBlog | World Facts | Travel Wallpaper | Travel Forum | Travel Insurance | Services | Cameras

Cuba Travel Blogs

Background: The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule was severe and exploitative and occasional rebellions were harshly suppressed. It was US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 that finally overthrew Spanish rule. The subsequent Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence, which was granted in 1902 after a three-year transition period. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held the regime together since then. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession in 1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Cuba portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard intercepted 1,498 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in 2004.




Links: Cuba Travel Blogs (all) | Cuba Travel Photos | Cuba Travel Forum | Hotels in Cuba | Hostels in Cuba | Cheap flights to Cuba | Cuba Facts | Map of Cuba

Cuba

Cuba Location



Hostels in Cuba
Latest Cuba Blog Entries
Cuba Photos











« back 1 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 ... 470 next »
(This is an old story, never before told) A small trickle of blood collected on my neck as I tried desperately to recall the Spanish for “stop humping my leg, you stupid dog!” In all my confusion, the words failed to come, and that mangy mutt just kept doing its thing against my bare, sweaty leg. Its owner seemed to neither notice nor care, and she brushed me off despite my pleas for help. Where on earth were the police when I needed them? Probably not the wisest idea, but in my desire to escape the deceptively pretty confines of Havana’s [View Full Entry]

EJL - Around the World and Back Again | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
823 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 0 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: August 24th 2009 | 130 Views | [diary=430892]


So we left Habana on Monday morning and went westwards along the coast. We stopped shortly for lunch in the nicely prepared but rather unspectacular National Park "Las Terazzas" and made it to the nice little town of Vinales until Monday evening. The beautiful landscape consists of karstic outcrops that range out of the soil. On day two we went on along the coast driving on bumpy and only hardly frequented roads. As hitchhiking is a very usual thing in cuba we picked up several passengers on our way which mostly have been a nice company for a couple of kilometers. [View Full Entry]

HenC - Hans-Jörg Lachinger | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
437 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 128 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: August 14th 2009 | 156 Views | [diary=427994]

Playa Maria La Gorda
Playa la Gorda
Trinidad

We arrived in La Habana on Thursday 23rd of July late at night. So we had stepped from US-impacted Costa Rica into the very different world of cummunistic Cuba. Used to but also kind of tired of our usual accomodation in the hostels we were really amazed by the friendly welcome at midnight in the beautiful casa particolar "Casa Dulce" situated in an old and nicely clean prepared colonial house in Habana Centro. For the upcoming weekend we did not have much more of a plan than hanging out in Habana and see what might be going on on the July [View Full Entry]

HenC - Hans-Jörg Lachinger | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
305 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 86 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: August 14th 2009 | 115 Views | [diary=427967]

LA Habana
Sunset at the malecon
Colorful Houses opposite the Capitolio

We have coverd a lot and found no internet along the south coast. Yesterday and today we have riden north from the carrabean to the gulf of mexico. We only have a few mins on this connection so will fill in the details tomorrow when we get rto a tourist area out of havana , we go to the airport Sat. We went along the coast to the bay of Pigs. A few crabs on the road but no big exodus. 2 nights at a hotel then 3 100km days . we went inland to a dirty little town call Australia [View Full Entry]

The Costello Brothers in Cuba - Chris Costello | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
197 Words | 3 Comment(s) | 11 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: August 13th 2009 | 61 Views | [diary=427898]

097
098
093

We have had our 2 days getting 500km by different routes. James did it hard with 4 flats on the 1st day )150km) , 200km ) 9hrs23min biking time) on the autopas the next day and a cruisey 150km today in the heat. I got into town 3 hrs before and got a casa. He got to the town square at 4pm on the dot, well done. The two towns Chris stopped at had beatiful town squares with nice spanish buildings and Trinadad is the best at that. Quite beautiful. My bike suffered a bit of damage on the bus trip, [View Full Entry]

The Costello Brothers in Cuba - Chris Costello | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
212 Words | 4 Comment(s) | 11 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: August 8th 2009 | 68 Views | [diary=426560]

carnival girls
093
carnival beer

The rest is over. We did a couple of 110km days out of the dry south east. Over the Sierra Maestrra´s . Thankfully not that high by road. Yesterday we started differnet routes to Trinidad. 450km away. James wanted to do 3 big days . I cycled to Bayamo ' historical town and stumbled acress the canervial. Vet cool but my bus to Stainti Spirtitus was at midnight so a long day after 70km to hang out. I drunk homebrew and roast pig. Been on a bus for 7 hrs overnight ) few hours sleep) . So I will stay here [View Full Entry]

The Costello Brothers in Cuba - Chris Costello | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
225 Words | 2 Comment(s) | 9 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: August 7th 2009 | 139 Views | [diary=426170]

Cuba and Chile 09 Chris 069
Cuba and Chile 09 Chris 042
Cuba and Chile 09 Chris 077

We got our bus back to Hanvan and hoped to get a second overnight bus down to the East end city of Santtiago de Cuba. 10 hrs in havana , told no bus so off to train ticket office 10km away to find it closing. Thought we were told to come bak at 3pm but it was closed until Monday 3rd. We then tried to get a ticket fornight tain at public station for 2 hrs , queued 3times to be told NO way. In between we had anotrher good look around Havana and we enjoyed the people at the cafes [View Full Entry]

The Costello Brothers in Cuba - Chris Costello | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
304 Words | 13 Comment(s) | 7 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: August 3rd 2009 | 84 Views | [diary=425070]

063
062
060

Redescobrir um país fascinante, cheio de contrastes e de contradições. Ir como turista nada acidental, à procura do lugar, infinito e efémero, onde enterraram o mito e o cobriram de chavões. Mas que se lixe...Beber uns mojitos, saborear o pôr-do-sol e namorar são a grande revolução do mundo. E mais não escrevo porque me falta a inspiração. É tempo de fazer a lista de necessidades e partir para Cuba. Com Guronzan no bolso. [View Full Entry]

fjrodrigues - Fernando José Rodrigues | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
81 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 2 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: August 3rd 2009 | 28 Views | [diary=425117]

CubaReliefHi

We have had to hold here for another night but get on a long bus trip tomorow to the other end of Cuba. ) we hope as we need a connection in Havana but can´t prebook. James made use of the day and biked out over some hills to the beach Cargo Jutius ) a island connected to the mainland. He was going to stay but the only option was sleeping on the beach. Without a mossisto net or repellant that was looking a nightmare. He turnsup just as I was sipping rum drinks and getting dinner served after 6 hrs [View Full Entry]

The Costello Brothers in Cuba - Chris Costello | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
375 Words | 4 Comment(s) | 6 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: July 31st 2009 | 79 Views | [diary=424253]

la terazza
soroa casa
soroa swimming pool

¿Qué bola amigos. We are in Cuba! Yes! Now, I know it has been a week since the last blog, but as you can imagine internet is not the easiest to come by, and since I had a chance I thought I would enter a short little entry to give you all a taste of our experiences thus far. We left Miami on a charter flight. The ticket said be there by 10.30 am even though our flight didn´t leave until 2.30. We thought this might be a little excessive, but we needed to exchange money and figure out where the [View Full Entry]

Cuba Si Se Puede - Luzanne Holzen | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
676 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 0 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: July 31st 2009 | 60 Views | [diary=424165]



« back 1 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 ... 470 next »