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
An Open Letter to Presidential Candidates on Cuba
Dear President Obama, Mr. Romney and Senator Ryan,
Last year, you, President Obama, took a wise and ethical decision in the best spirit of the democratic tradition when you authorized unrestricted travel to Cuba for Cuban-Americans wishing to visit their family, and by reactivating the Clinton-era “people-to-people” (P2P) license category permitting all U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba on licensed group programs intended to facilitate direct educational interchange with Cubans. more >>
More entities receive licenses for tours in Cuba
Once this election season is over I look forward to returning to reporting from Cuba on what’s new, what’s hot, etc.
Meanwhile, with the presidential election just one month away, currently—as ever with Cuba—it’s all about politics.
This year has been a real roller-coaster when it comes to issues of U.S. regulations regarding freedom to travel to Cuba, with the adrenalin-charged thrill of the downhill ride (read: easing of restrictions) tempered by the inevitable uphill braking (read: reinstitution of obstacles courtesy of arch anti-Castro Republican congressional representatives; for a concise explanation, see Cuba Central's recent blog post "On the Freedom to Travel"). more >>
Kurà, Costa Rica’s newest—and most sensational—hotel
Every time I explore Costa Rica tip to toe while researching each new edition of my Moon Handbook Costa Rica, I expect to discover one or two new boutique hotels that make me exclaim “Wow!”
Usually there’s a stand-out newcomer that raises the bar a few inches.
Well, last week I stayed (as the first-ever overnight guest, I'm told) at what will undoubtedly be Costa Rica’s most sensational hotel, period, when it opens in November 2012. In fact, Kurà Design Villas ups the ante by miles.
Costa Rica has seen nothing quite as sexy as this. more >>
Paul Ryan does a 180-degree flip on Cuba
If there’s one thing I can’t stomach in politicians, it’s spineless toadying to special interests. Couple that with spineless failure to honor their principles. And did I mention flip-flops?
Speaking of which, Senator Paul D. Ryan, Mitt Romney’s vice-presidential running mate, last Saturday displayed the most abject cronyism and craven lack of principle when he genuflected to Miami’s arch right-wing Cuban-American lobby. more >>
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