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Hamming it up in Havana

I have a love/hate relationship with Cuban food. The love part is that it can be delicious when prepared properly, but when I actually spent time in Cuba, I struggled to find much food that was very tasty at all – the hate part of my trip. It is a trip from my past that has left the most indelible impression on me, but the food from that country has left me less than impressed. I spent the night at a charming little home in the Western part of Cuba in the pleasant town of Vinales, surrounded by tobacco fields and rolling countryside. Read more

The Music and Rhythm of the Cuban Spirit

he waves of the Atlantic Ocean cannot be contained by the walls of the serpentine boardwalk, known as the Malecon, where the northern edge of Havana meets the sea. The swells of the ocean burst into a mist of salty spray over the sidewalks and roadways. Despite the occasional shower of sea water, locals and visitors alike congregate here at all times of day to socialize and it has become the city’s largest hangout. The buildings that line this section of town have the architectural savvy of being majestic even while crumbling and deteriorating from decades of neglect. Contributing to this atmosphere of old-time elegance in Havana are ancient Cadillac and Chevrolet taxis, also in various stages of deterioration, that have paraded the streets of the Malecon since the 1950s. Read more