Travel to Cuba – Episode 170
categories: caribbean travel
The Amateur Traveler talks to Sam about his recent trip to Cuba with his brother.
Sam visited Havana and Trinidad. He reveled in the local music, the warmth of the people, the beautiful and enigmatic scenery and tolerated the food.
Sam, who is one-eighth Cuban, also met family that he had not known about until recently.
Sam’s highlights include walking with tourists and locals alike along the Malecon on the shore of Havana.
As a photographer, he came back with over a thousand pictures of the people, the colonial architecture, and the classic cars of Cuba.
A small sample of Sam’s work can be seen in the iTunes enhanced version of the show.
click here to download (mp3)
click here to download (iTunes enhanced)
Show Notes
Cuba
Regulations on U.S. Citizens Traveling to Cuba
Relationships (who is my second cousin)
News
Travel News – US Airways Flight 1549, Travel to Cuba?, No Smoking in Taiwan, Pay by the Minute Flights
- US Airways Flight 1549
- Clinton Says Obama Wants to Lift Travel Ban on Cuba
- Taiwan bans smoking in hotels, restaurants, airports
Internet Resources
StudySpanish.com – free audio/visual Spanish lessons
Community
Remember the Your Favorite City Blog Contest
Mark inspired to travel for fun
Daniel adds Isreal to his “Top Ten” list
Travel to Havana, Cuba – Episode 806
Cruising to Havana, Cuba
Cruising to Cuba – Episode 509
Book Review: “My Lost Cuba” by Celso Gonzalez-Falla
by Chris Christensen
Chris Christensen is the creator of the Amateur Traveler blog and podcast. He has been a travel creator since 2005 and has won awards including being named the "Best Independent Travel Journalist" by Travel+Leisure Magazine.+Chris Christensen | @chris2x | facebook
4 Responses to “Travel to Cuba – Episode 170”
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Tags: audio travel podcast, cuba, havana, podcast
Robert Morales
Says:January 30th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Hello Chris,
I have been listening to your podcast for nearly a year now and I really enjoy it. I particularly liked your last episode about Cuba because I was born on the island and lived there until I was 16. I would have liked it more if your guest had mentioned the names of the restaurants and nightclubs in Havana, which are many, even if nowadays only tourists have acces to them. He also didn’t mention that besided the CUC or convertible pesos there are also the Cuban pesos, which is the currency most Cubans get paid with, and is pretty much worthless except to buy the rationed goods at the state’s shops. That’s something tourists should know going to Cuba, as they can get scammed. Well, I could be writing about Cuba for an hour. I will have a few episodes on Cuba on my own podcast in about a month, covering my last two trips to the island in 2001 and 2004. My podcast is Traveling with Robertico http://www.wetravl.com.
Thank you for your great work, and I look forward to your next episode.
Robert
Travel News - Best Public Restroom, Plane Engine Fire, Travel to Cuba? Japan The Favorite, Fewer Airline Complaints | Amateur Traveler Travel Blog
Says:February 14th, 2009 at 8:02 am
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Derek Blackadder
Says:April 18th, 2010 at 8:06 am
Was interested to listen to this episode just now as I just discovered your podcast. After 50+ trips to Cuba I’d add a few things and have a much different take on a bunch of others, but it was fun to listen to a US traveller’s impressions.
Derek Blackadder
Says:April 18th, 2010 at 8:21 am
Sorry, things keep occurring to me: I dunno where Sam was eating, probably in the touristy bit of old Havana from the sound of things, but there are lots of small very good and really cheap restaurants all over Havana; state-owned, paladars and co-ops. An especially easy way to find good food is to eat at one of the restaurants in the various Spanish ethnic (Andalucian etc.) associations.
The ‘tax’ Sam mentions only applies to US dollars. Take CAD or Euros and there’s no ‘tax’.
I can only encourage US citizens to zip up here and jump on a plane, see for themselves…