Category: Caribbean

Jun

2

Here Is Havana

Posted by Larry Habegger

Perhaps it won’t be long before the U.S. embargo of Cuba is over and Americans of any stripe can freely visit the island. Until then, Triporati’s Conner Gorry will keep us abreast of developments on her new blog, Here Is Havana, whether cultural, political, or just plain fun.

Here are a few of the many things she loves about Cuba:

  • The way the palm trees smell after it rains
  • 5 cent cigars
  • Drinking little cups of sweet, black coffee around the kitchen table with friends
  • Yucca with mojo
  • The music – from Pancho Amat to Pancho Terry, Los Van Van to Los López-Nussas.1
  • How anything under the sun can be fixed and rendered functional

There’s more, so check it out.

Conner has covered many Latin American destinations for us, including Belize, Guatemala, Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, and Panama.

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Caribbean, Cuba, Feature, Travel

Apr

17

Triporati’s Christopher P. Baker on Cuba Travel

Posted by Larry Habegger

Triporati’s travel experts spend a lot of their time reporting on news and events around the world, so it’s no surprise that Christopher P. Baker, our Cuba expert, has some things to say about the Obama Administration’s softening of travel restrictions to Cuba. On his blog at Moon Guides he makes the case for pushing to lift all travel restrictions. If you agree with him, you can follow his steps to take action; if you disagree with him, you can tell him what you think.

Christopher calls this first step “tremendous, and long overdue.” You can see and hear his comments on Palm Springs’s ABC News Channel 3, and listen to a live radio interview with him on KGO Newstalk with Travels with John Hamilton, Saturday, April 18. See also his comments on CNN.com.

Seems to me normalized relations with Cuba are long overdue.

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Caribbean, Cuba, Feature, Travel

Jan

30

Rainforest Renewal

Posted by Darya Mead

Trekking through the Brazilian Amazon Rain Forest, so much was made clear to me about the importance of these ecosystems: the interconnectedness of plants and animals, the habitat and the horror of the destruction of our planet.

Like many, I have tried to eat less meat, support legitimate ventures that protect the jungle environment and visit various rainforests to enjoy and learn more about them. Whether soaring above the canopy on a zip line, boating down the Amazon or hiking to an idyllic tropical waterfall in Fiji, rainforests are hot travel destinations. I nearly coughed up my granola this morning as I read a front page story in The New York Times entitled: New Jungles Prompt a Debate on Saving the Primeval Rainforests.

The key word is “debate” and controversy there will be about this article, I am sure, but it was a fascinating read. The premise of the article is that as fast as original rainforests are being decimated by farming, logging and industry (about 38 million acres a year), replacement forests are growing at a much faster rate. Continue reading »

1 Comment | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Birdwatching, Brazil, Caribbean, Eco Friendly Travel, South Pacific

Sep

8

Layover in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Posted by Larry Habegger

With Caribbean hurricane season in full tumult it’s possible you’ll end up in San Juan, Puerto Rico with time to kill between flights, so what’s there to do besides hang out at the airport? If you have a minimum of a few hours you can see and do a lot: tour the famous castle El Morro; wander the blue-stoned streets of Old San Juan; luxuriate at a nearby beach; even escape to El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest system. But be careful to watch the time because it’s easy to get lost in your surroundings. In fact, people have got lost in the rainforest. A few years ago an American biologist got disoriented and ended up spending a week or more wandering around the jungle, surviving on what he could scavenge. Continue reading »

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Caribbean, Feature, Puerto Rico

Aug

14

Cruise Book Spotlights Life Below the Waterline

Posted by Larry Habegger

Almost 30 years after my one and only Carnival Cruise I still have a twinge of guilt over the tip I left my waiter at the end of my week. I didn’t know at the time that waiters relied exclusively, or almost exclusively, on tips from their guests for their livelihoods. My guy was too overbearing for me, and when I gave him an envelope containing maybe half of what he expected he just about chased me off the ship. When I learned why he was so distraught it was too late to do anything about it. Now a new book, Cruise Confidential, brings it all back to me in living color (and then some). USA TODAY travel editor Chris Gray takes a look at it on The Cruise Log blog.

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Books, Caribbean, Cruises