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 iPad book about Cuba’s Harley-Davidsons
I’ve long had a fascination with Cuba’s harlistas—the owners of pre-revolutionary Harley-Davidson’s who go to extreme (even absurd) lengths to keep their antique hogs running half a century after the last Harley-Davidson dealership in Cuba closed.
It’s a fascination shared by my friend Tracey Eaton, a Harley rider who I got to know in Havana when he lived there full-time as the Havana bureau chief for the Dallas Morning News, 2000 to early 2005. (I was jealous as hell that he actually got to live there full time, but that’s another story!)
A couple of years ago, Tracey told me he was working on a book about the harlistas. more >>
Costa Rica retires old money for new – spend now!
If you’re planning on traveling to Costa Rica any time soon and you intend bringing the notes left over from your last trip, be aware that the old 1,000 and 2,000 colones (¢) bills issued prior to mid-2011 are no longer legal tender and that after December 31, 2012, the ¢5,000 and ¢10,000 bills will also cease to be accepted for everyday transactions.
On August 27, 2012, the Banco Central de Costa Rica introduced the final denominations of a new family of banknotes, launched on June 20, 2011, with release of the ¢1,000 and ¢2,000 notes, plus a ¢20,000 bill. Introduction of the new “family” of six banknotes coincided with the 60th anniversary of the Banco Central, in San José. more >>
United Nations condemns U.S. embargo against Cuba
Three days ago, on November 13, the United Nations voted to condemn the United States’ unilateral embargo against Cuba by a whopping 188-3 vote. Only tiny Palau (which abstained in the 2011 vote) and Israel (which actually trades with Cuba) sided with the United States, while tiny Micronesia and the Marshall Islands abstained. more >>
Environmental Problems in Costa Rica’s Tortuguero National Park
Tortuguero National Park, long considered a crown jewel of Costa Rica’s national park system, is often touted as an exemplar of the nation’s conscientious environmentalism.
I always love visiting this spectacular park (see my blog post of October 10, 2012)—a place of exceptional biodiversity and the third most visited park in Costa Rica.
I first visited Tortuguero in 1991, and have made regular visits since then… most recently six weeks ago, when I spent a few days exploring Tortuguero National Park and the community—Tortuguero village—that is the hub for the region. more >>
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