Cuba & Costa Rica Blog
About this blog
Written by Cuba and Costa Rica expert Christopher P. Baker, this blog will update readers on life in these two diverse and exciting countries.
Recent Posts
- Last blog post on Costa Rica and Cuba
- First-ever group motorcycle tours of Cuba successful
- Cuba’s Mariel port readying for Panama Canal expansion
- Musings on wildlife encounters on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula
- Cuba’s Steam Trains puffing their last gasp
- My top five thrilling activities in Costa Rica
- Cuba’s fun February festivals include Harleys, Books, Cigars
- Five top volcano viewing experiences in Costa Rica
- New road along Costa Rica / Nicaraguan border mired
- Cuba’s Hotel Campoamor at Cojímar to be restored?
- Cuban revolutionary Celia Sánchez honored in new book
- Christmas challenge for Costa Rica’s sexually abused girls
- Costa Rica opens Chinatown in downtown San José
- David Soul films Hemingway’s car restoration in Cuba
- National Geographic Expeditions receives license for Cuba tours
Travel Channel airs ‘You can fly to Cuba’
If you’ve been watching The Travel Channel’s new show, “Airport 24/7: Miami”, you may recall the irate passenger who on the second episode, entitled "Category X," chews out an airport employee because her bag has been lost. (The show, which highlights what Miami International Airport operations is all about, airs on Tuesday nights.)
Asked if she drinks Cuban coffee, the irate passenger snarls: "I don't do Cuban. I live in America!"
Hahahahaha!... Funny at first take, but pathetic when duly considered!
Meanwhile, last week’s episode—“Fuel Fire”—featured a piece called “You Can Fly to Cuba”. more >>
Former Frommer’s author to offer Costa Rica tours
Two months ago I had dinner in San José, Costa Rica, with my pal Eliot Greenspan, author of Frommer’s Costa Rica guidebook (yes, many guidebook authors have evolved friendships with authors who write competing guidebooks for other companies).
One of our talking points was our mutual concern about diminishing print-edition sales of guidebooks in general, and uncertainty about whether our falling revenue would be off-set by the parallel rise in sales of electronic format editions. My Moon Handbook Costa Rica is, of course, available as an e-book for the iPad, Kindle, Nook, and Sony Reader, etc. more >>
Hurricane Sandy devastates Cuba’s coffee crop
While the northeast USA cleans up after Hurricane Sandy, Cubans in the eastern half of the isle are doing the same.
Sandy killed eleven people and damaged more than 3,000 buildings in Cuba. Alas, it also devastated the island’s coffee industry as it ripped across the Sierra Maestra and Sierra Cristal – the heart of plantation country, where more than 90 percent of Cuba’s domestically-produced coffee is grown. more >>
Café Britt stores to stock Moon Costa Rica
It thrills me no end that finally my Moon Handbook Costa Rica guidebook is going to be stocked in Café Britt’s retail stores.
Britt Shops is the number one travel book retailer in Costa Rica, with 42 outlets that sell a wide range of English-language guidebooks, coffee-table books, and nature- and culture-themed guides.
Unless you’re arriving overland (which I doubt), your very first impression of Costa Rica may well be of Café Britt, the gourmet coffee and coffee-goods purveyor whose presence is now as synonymous with the nation as marimba music and the traditional painted ox-cart. more >>
Buy Moon Travel Guides
Search
Moon Travel Guides make independent travel and outdoor exploration fun and accessible. With expert and adventurous travel writers delivering a mix of honest insight, first-rate strategic travel advice, insider travel tips and an essential dose of humor, Moon Travel Guides ensure that travelers have an uncommon and entirely satisfying experience. Each travel book is filled with unique trip ideas, easy-to-use maps, and detailed information on sights, restaurants, and accommodations. Moon Travel Guides not only point you in the right direction, they inspire new ideas and adventure. Whether you are seeking a relaxing beach trip to Hawaii, or an adventure travel trip to the rainforests of Costa Rica, Moon guidebooks—and Moon.com—are with you every step of the way. Founded in 1973, the Moon Travel Guides series includes Moon Handbooks, Moon Outdoors, Moon Metro, Moon Living Abroad and Moon Spotlight travel books. Moon is based in Berkeley, California and is a proud member of the Perseus Books Group.