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
Christopher P. Baker launches a new website as a "Costa Rica Travel Expert"
OK, I know that my "Cuba & Costa Rica" blog hosted by Moon Travel Guides keeps you abreast of what's going on in Costa Rica. Still, I couldn't resist building a new website to promote myself to the world at large specifically as a Costa Rica expert.
Hence, I've launched a new website: Costa Rica Travel Expert
You can view:
• my entire 30-minute interview with Fanny Kiefer, of Studio4 TV
• a gallery of my photography
• a webinar with myself and tour guide Gustavo Abarca
• a video of the cruise-tours I escort on behalf of National Geographic Expeditions
• some of "my fave" recommendations for hotels, etc. more >>
Thompson Holidays to add Cuba to its cruise itineraries for 2010
Cuba's cruise industry has been a laggard while tourism to the island has boomed during the past two decades. First, the U.S. embargo has restricted the cruise industry's access to Cuba. And even foreign cruise companies have been hesitant to include Cuba on itineraries, since U.S. law prevents vessels that have berthed in Cuban waters from visiting U.S. ports for six months.
Nonetheless, several foreign cruise ships have featured Cuba on their itineraries. None has stood the test of time. The hassles of operating in Cuba have apparently been too much. Meanwhile, in 2005 Castro belittled the cruise industry and said cruise passengers were no longer welcome. Passenger arrivals plummeted from 102,000 in 2005 (generating $15 million) to 11,000 in 2007. more >>
Jungle Crocodile Safari gets you up close and personal in Costa Rica
The bridge over the Río Tárcoles, 25 km south of Orotina, is the easiest place in Costa Rica for spotting crocodiles, which bask on the mud riverbanks beneath the bridge. However, to get up close and personal, I highly recommend you take a Jungle Crocodile Safari on the river.
The two-hour croc-spotting trip aboard a pontoon boat ($25) also offers a chance to see roseate spoonbills, scarlet macaws, and other beautiful birds. But the real highlight is if your guide decides to pull up to the muddy banks, hop ashore, and call up one of the three giant male crocs–Mike Tyson, Fidel Castro, and Osama Bin Laden–by slapping the waters with a dead chicken. With luck, one of the behemoths might appear to snatch the chicken from the guide's hand!
Stupid?... For sure. Politically incorrect?... Absolutely. Great for YouTube videos... You bet! more >>
Possible passage of the 'Freedom to Travel to Cuba' Act' has U.S. hoteliers flocking to Havana
"In my career, I have never seen a single piece of legislation with this many co-sponsorships before going to a vote," said Congressman Jeff Flake (R-AZ), who earlier this year introduced the bipartisan 'Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act' (HR974) with Bill Delahunt (D-MA). As I type, the bill had 180 co-sponsors and needs 218 to pass the House.
Meanwhile, the Cuban government released data showing that only 41,000 of last year's 2.3 million visitors were from the U.S.. This includes legal travel by Cuban Americans. It's a staggering shortfall from the more than 150,000 who visited Cuba annually during the Clinton years. more >>
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