Taxi wars in Havana

last update 03/2020 Fixed route Taxi Many people in Havana depend on the old American cars that drive around as fixed route taxi. It’s simple. You stick out your arm horizontally and shout or signal your destination at the driver. He stops, you get in and get out, paying 10 or 20 MN depending on […]

Drugs in Cuba

Don’t do drugs in Cuba. Don’t buy drugs in Cuba, Don’t bring drugs to Cuba, Don’t use it, sell it or talk about it. Don’t even think about it. Cuban policy on drugs is very, very severe. Very… Punishment Punishment for drug offenders is severe if you are caught with drugs. You will spend a […]

Visa for Cuba

Yes, you do need a visa for Cuba. Unless you live in one of the very special visa-free countries of the world… You probably don’t. But in case of doubt: Visa requirements Cuba So how do you get a Cuban visa? If your visa is included in your ticket, you have no problem whatsoever. Move […]

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 […]

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 […]

How to book a Casa Particular in Cuba

Last update 02/2020 Do Book a Casa Particular! The best way to discover Cuba is book a Casa Particular. Sometimes this is confused with ‘staying at the home of real Cubans’ but you have to realize that most Casa owners are the elite Cubans because they have access to hard currency. The ‘real’ Cubans would […]

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 […]