A few months ago, one of my travelers was excited about Cuban salsa. This meant two things: One, I incorporated a lot more dance into the trip than I normally would. We hung out with some dancers I’m friendly with, got expert instruction from them, and found fun places to go out dancing. And two, I was confronted with the sad state of my salsa…
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I often hear a Cuban say something memorable – whether because it’s funny or because it’s somehow revealing of Cuban culture. Sometimes these are so memorable, they’ve stayed with me ever since. Here are some of my favorites… 1. Mmm… sin chicharro In Cuba, there are two ways to buy coffee. You can buy a package of high-end coffee in a fancy shop for several…
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Dayron is a friend of mine from the province of Matanzas, Cuba. He’s a musician and used to belong to Quinteto Cubanacan before joining a new band closer to home. In fact, in the first video at that link, Dayron’s the one playing guitar. Nice guy. (Scroll to the bottom for a video of him playing and singing.) Dayron invited me to visit, as he…
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I keep hitting milestones in my Cuba travels… and a lot of them involve relationships. For example, one milestone was the first time a Cuban friend trusted me enough to tell me everything they hate most about life in Cuba. Another was being asked to record a song with a Cuban band I’m friendly with. Other milestones are just about learning my way around and…
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Okay. Cutest moment ever? Maybe. And I got photos and video! Picture it: Old Havana. Early afternoon. A troop of schoolchildren are sitting on the curb… …when a couple street performers take a break from working to have some fun! And the video:
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On my first trip to Cuba, I lasted about a day before someone told me about Cuba’s second national pastime. (The first being baseball, of course.) Little did I know, I’d hear about Cuba’s “second national pastime” again and again – and the pastime would change with each new telling! Cubans use this phrase to joke about any key aspect of Cuban life. So for example,…
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