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
Believe it or not, Havana has its own brewpub!
Travelers to Cuba can tell you that, sure, the island is known for its rums, but it also produces some pretty good suds. Forget the watery lager called Crystal, which the government foists on tourists. I'm talking about the flavorful and richer Bucanero, plus regional beers such as Mayabe and Hatuey.
But for the best brew of all, you should head to Havana's Plaza Vieja, where tucked into the southwest corner you'll find the only brewpub in Cuba...and the only place in town serving draught beer.
In 2003, Habaguanex (the Cuban organization that operates all tourist enterprises within Old Havana) partnered with the Austrian firm Salm to open Taberna de la Muralla (San Ignacio #364, tel. 07/866-4453; open daily 11am-1am) , which opened in June 2003 in the former Casa del Conde de Casa Lombillo. more >>
Chorotega Indians keep Costa Rica's indigenous pottery tradition alive
When I wrote the first edition of Moon Costa Rica, (then called the Costa Rica Handbook) two decades ago, the country's crafts scene was relatively undeveloped. Happily, the tourist dollar has since spawned a renaissance, nay, a veritable explosion in quality crafts.
Today, everywhere, souvenir outlets display the Boruca people's stunning devil masks; plus miniature carretas (traditional ox-drawn carts); sensuous wooden bowls; and, most prominently, quintessentially Costa Rica ceramics.
The vast majority of ceramics hail from the tiny hamlet of Guaitíl, 12 kilometers east of Santa Cruz, in Nicoya. A visit here is de rigueur for anyone heading to Nicoya's beaches. more >>
Cuba Travel Service reinstates direct flights between Los Angeles and Havana
Cuba Travel Services, Inc., (tel. 1-800-963-2822) plans to reintroduce direct non-stop flights to Havana from Los Angeles for Cuban-Americans living on the West Coast. The move restores flight service that was shut down in 2004 when the Bush administrtion imposed harsh new restrictions on family visits by Cuban Americans; in April, 2009, President Obama lifted all restrictions for family visits to Cuba.
Other individuals licensed to travel to Cuba will also be able to utilize the weekly flights, which in the past have been operated by United Airlines. Additional direct flights to Havana (and elsewhere in Cuba) operate from Miami and New York. more >>
Costa Rica's La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Peace Lodge reopen after earthquake repairs
I'm delighted to report that La Paza Waterfall Gardens has reopened, six months after a 6.4 earthquake devastated the Poas region, destroying the village of Cinchona, on 8 January, 2009.
La Paz, which I visited the month before the quake, is one of my favorite destinations in Costa Rica. I consider it the best all-round facility in Costa Rica, with its snake, frog, butterfly, hummingbird, bird, wild-cat, monkey, and other exhibits, and its trails down to the eponymous La Paz Waterfall. more >>
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