Local Havana Hero

Finally, I did it! I’m a HERO A local one, that’s true, but I am a Hero 🙂 (just a local one). What happened? TripUniq a website that specialises in unique trips (the name gives it away) is expanding to Havana, and they asked me to be one of their Local Heros… Their website is […]

Missing in Cuba

Things you don’t see in Cuba Of the things you don’t see, half might be there but out of sight. A friend of mine told me that you should never believe what you hear in Cuba and only believe half of what you see. Whining kids Walking through town, you will see a lot of […]

Time in Cuba

What time is it in Cuba? Officially the time in Cuba is GMT – 5. But since Cuba also applies daylight saving and is not very good in synchronizing its systems nor at communicating, in March and November time is an, even more, fluid concept than normal. Automatic time setting in Cuba: I’m the proud […]

Cuba Peso

Two Peso in Cuba The currency in Cuba is called Peso. Both of them are called Peso. So if people say Peso, then they are talking about CUC or Moneda Nacional (MN). Up to you to figure it out. CUC Peso The CUC is the Cuban ‘hard currency’, pegged roughly 1-1, to the US dollar. […]

Cuban Cigars

How to buy Cuban Cigars? Lots of people return from Cuba with one or a few boxes of Cuban Cigars and want to sell them for a profit because they bought great cigars at a very low price. Let me pop that dream for you: If you know nothing about cigars and don’t understand Cuba, […]

Free Wifi in Havana

Yes, read that again: Free WiFi in Havana! The internet in Cuba Cuba has slowly opened up the Internet. First, there was the problem that all Internet communication should go via satellite and that made it slow and costly. Consequently, Internet access was slow and expensive. Fiber optics Then, in 2011 the optic fibre cable […]

10 do’s and don’ts for Americans in Cuba

Americans in Cuba Yes… I know this page is full of prejudice :-)… It’s fun to write with a bias for a change! Until 3 or 4 years ago I was very impressed with the Americans I met in Cuba. They were civilized, spoke some Spanish (or even very good), adapted to local culture and […]

Cuban absurdities

Just a few short stories to show that Cuba does not fit our reference frame: Rum on an AA terrace. Driving around with a friend we spot a beautiful terrace and decide we want to have a rum there. That’s just something we do. We stop and sit down. 4 waitresses are chatting with two […]

Gifts for Cubans

What are appreciated gifts for Cubans? Update August ’18 Why gifts and for whom? If you want to take some gifts for Cubans with you to thank them or just to make them happy, you should consider a few things: Who do you want to make happy? The owners of you casa particular is not […]

Wi-Fi in Cuba

I published this post in 2014 It’s history now… for the latest on Wi-Fi and the Internet in Cuba click on the link. Internet and Wi-Fi in Cuba. Cuba is slowly opening up to the Internet. Penetration in the Cuban homes is about 0,5%, and most of those connections are illegal, very slow and expensive. […]