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
Animals dance to save Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula
Last week my friend Hans Pfister sent me a link to a clever conservation program that aims to draw attention to the threats facing Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula—home to Central America’s largest stand of virgin rainforest and dubbed famously by National Geographic as “the most biologically intense place on earth.”
Hans is President and co-owner of Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality, a San José-based hotel management company that currently oversees seven eco-sensitive hotels in Costa Rica and one in Nicaragua. more >>
Cuba’s cholera outbreak said to be under control
The recent outbreak of cholera in Cuba is under control and has not spread to the rest of the country from its epicenter of Manzanillo, a city of 130,000 in Granma province about 420 miles east of Havana, according to Cuban government statements.
Travelers to Cuba have little to fear adds a European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control risk assessment, which reports: “Should the outbreak not spread beyond the Granma province, the risk of infection for European tourists visiting Cuba is negligible. more >>
Costa Rica’s naked lucky charm is a charmer
While filming in Costa Rica two years ago, TV producer and I were introduced to Ana Gabriela Alfaro, manager of the Hotel Parque del Lago in San José, Costa Rica’s vibrant and bustling capital.
She led us into the delightful lobby-café, which has been turned into a small museum with a collection of dolls, figurines, and other exhibits that celebrate Costa Rica’s traditions, legends and cultures. Here, Ana introduced us to la nigüenta, a porcelain figure of a cherub-like naked girl, one foot raised onto the knee of her other leg, picking chiggers from between her chubby toes.
Click here to see the segment Andres and I filmed, included at the 6:40 mark in a 22-minute show about Costa Rica. more >>
Cuba’s cholera outbreak. How worried should you be?
On Tuesday, July 3, 2012, Cuban Health Ministry (MINSAP) officials acknowledged a cholera outbreak in Granma province, resulting in at least three deaths, in the far east of the island. See the INFOMED (Health Network of Cuba) website.
Cholera is a highly contagious infection of the small intestine caused by a bacterium. Sufferers usually become infected by drinking or eating water or food (especially shellfish) contaminated by feces. It can be fatal within hours if untreated. more >>
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