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
New rainforest adventure park opens in Costa Rica
It's hard to keep up with the number of aerial trams, zipline canopy tours, and ecotourism sites opening every year in Costa Rica. One of the consistent trends in this tiny Central American nation is that when a new entity becomes a success (such as the first zipline experience, introduced about 12 years ago), dozens of copy-cat entities soon spring up.
During my recent 10-week research trip for the seventh edition of Moon Costa Rica (to be published in September 2009), I discovered many exciting new entrees.
Perhaps the most exciting is the Veragua Rainforest Research & Adventure Park, near Limón. The park is the keystone of a private reserve protecting 1,300 hectares of primary and secondary rainforest at Las Brisas del Veragua (the turn-off is at Liverpool, about 12 kilometers west of Limón; 4WD required). more >>
Facebook for Cuba?
You heard me! Miami-based journalist and cubaphile Dave Appell and his Cuban-born partner Jose Alberto Balido have launched CubaEnLinea.net, a brand-new social-networking site that aims to be a Facebook equivalent for Cubans both on the island and throughout the world. more >>
Casa Luz offers hope for sexually abused girls in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is widely perceived as Latin America's most stable and affluent democracy, and a paradise of conscientious ecotourism. It's also considered a "sexual paradise" where prostitution is legal, drawing pedophiles and other unsavory characters. The Costa Rican Tourism Institute has launched a major campaign to combat child-sex tourism — huge signs warning that sex with underage girls is illegal and will be prosecuted make the point in the immigration hall of San Jose's international airport and on billboards nationwide. more >>
Costa Rica and Cuba to reestablish diplomatic ties... and USA responds positively!
What a fabulous symbiosis for me as a commentator on Costa Rica AND Cuba.... Almost 50 years after breaking diplomatic relations with Cuba (suspended in 1961), Costa Rica's President Oscar Arias – a long-time advocate of democracy and human rights -- announced this week that he will re-establish diplomatic relations between the two nations. El Salvador's newly elected president, Mauricio Funes, also said his nation will restore diplomatic relations with Cuba once he takes power.
Meanwhile, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met with President Obama this week and called on the United States to end its economic embargo of Cuba.
The U.S. response? Well, Thomas Shannon, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, visited Central America this week and called Costa Rica's and El Salvador's moves to reestablish relations with Cuba "important." more >>
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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.