Bespoke Cuba Travel

17/05/2024

It's about time...

United States Department of State Washington DC 15 May 2024 "On May 15, the Secretary determined and certified under Section 40A(a) of the Arms Export Control Act that four countries – the DPRK, Iran, Syria, and Venezuela – are “not cooperating fully” with U.S. counterterrorism efforts (NFCC...

16/05/2024

Rick Crawford (R- 1st District, Arkansas), a member of the United States House of Representatives, visited the Republic of Cuba from 11 May 2024 to 13 May 2024, for work relating to the United States House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. While in the Republic of Cuba,

16/05/2024

Would you like to see the smallest bird in the world? Then you’ll need to visit Cuba.

Your best bet for tracking down the tiny bee humingbird is to visit a forest edge hung heavily with bromeliads ans vines. There, amongst the flowers — if you squint hard enough — you’ll find it.
Even among hummingbirds, the Bee Hummingbird, which can be found only in Cuba, is an absolute miniature. This tiny bird measures a mere two & a quarter inches long and are often mistaken for bees. They weigh less than a dime, about two grams. That’s half the weight of the hummersfound in the US. The female builds a nest that is barely an inch across. Her eggs are the size of a coffee bean.

In flight, this tiny bird's wings beat 80 times a second., and during a courtship flight, they beat up to 200 times per second!

15/05/2024

The Cuban Flag was designed in 1849 and officially adopted May 20, 1902. It is a Lone Star flag and is in the stars and stripes flag family. The poet Miguel Teurbe Tolón along with Narciso Lopez designed the flag.

On May 20, 1902, the day Cuba became an officially independent republic, General Máximo Gómez hoisted the flag on the flagpole of the castles of the Tres Reyes del Morro, in Havana; thereby with this act he sealed the end of the Cuban revolution against the Spanish Crown; the end of struggle for Cuban independence, and also justifying the sacrifice so many offered to make this dream become reality.

Surprisinhly the Cuban flag has remained unchanged even after Fidel's 1959 Cuban Revolution, which established the present-day communist state of the Republic of Cuba.

14/05/2024

Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz Telles (18 November 1907 – 13 July 2003), though known professionally as Compay Segundo (of Buena Vista Social Club fame), was a Cuban trova guitarist, singer & composer.

Compay which means "compadre"and Segundo because he was always second voice in his musical partnerships, was born in Siboney, Cuba & moved to Santiago de Cuba at age 9. His first gig was in the Municipal Band of Santiago de Cuba.

At approxametly age 27, he moved to Havana where he also played the clarinet in a Municipal Band. He learned to play guitar and the tres, which became his usual instruments. In order to fill the harmonic jump between the Spanish guitar & the tres, Compay invented the armónico, a 7 stringed instrument similar to the guitar.

In 1947 he formed a a duo with his friend Lorenzo. By the 1950s he was well known as the second voice, & tres player, in Los Compadres, one of the most successful Cuban duos of his generation.

International fame came in 1997, with the release of Ry Cooder's the Buena Vista Social Club album, a very successful recording which won several Grammy awards. Compay also appeared in Wim Wenders film of the same title.

Segundo's most famous composition, the song "Chan Chan," the opening track on the album Buena Vista Social Club, a four-chord son cuban song. "Chan Chan" was recorded by Segundo himself multiple times as well as by many other Latin artists.

He predicted he would live to be 115 but unfortunately, he died of kidney failure in Havana at the age of 95

14/05/2024

13/05/2024

More images connecting Cuba and Coca Cola

13/05/2024

In 1906 the Coca Cola Company began bottling operations in Cuba, making the island one of the first countries to bottle the cola outside of the USA. Although Cuba experienced plenty of political turmoil during the first half of the 20th century, business ran more or less smoothly until the Cuban Revolution of 1959.

Fidel Castro regularly preached about the evils of capitalism. Accordingly, he began nationalizing both foreign and domestic company assets shortly after assuming power in Cuba. He proclaimed that the presence of American companies in Cuba symbolized U.S. imperialism, and they had to be nationalized to protect Cuba’s sovereignty.

Coca Cola made the decision to leave the island shortly after the seizure of of the company's assets. It ended their operations on the island in 1960.

The image was adapted from an actual photograph of Fidel eating Chinese food and drinking a Coke. It was taken the same year that Coca Cola was forced out of Cuba.

11/05/2024

10 May 2024: DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Western Union, in coordination with its processing partner Orbit S.A., today announced the resumption of its service from the United States to Cuba, effective immediately. With service reinstated, Western Union customers are now once again able to send money f...

10/05/2024

On the opposite side of the harbor from Old Havana sits El Morro Fort. Built-in 1589 in response to raids on the city, the Fort protected the entrance of the harbor with a chain strung out across the water, known as the boom defense to the fort at La Punta. The Morro fortress shares its name with Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca in Santiago de Cuba and the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In this case, the Spanish "morro" means a rock that is visible from the sea and serves as a navigational landmark. The fortress is part of the UNESCO Old Havana World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1982 for its historical importance in the European conquest of the New World and its unique mix of architecture.

The Morro Castle is a must-see historical site for anyone visiting Havana. The castle offers stunning views of the Havana skyline and the ocean. The architecture is impressive, and the history of the castle is fascinating to learn about from our expert guides. You can explore the interior of the castle, including the various rooms and corridors, and learn about its role in defending Havana. Inside is one of the best cigar shops in Havana.

07/05/2024

For years, Bacardi and Havana Club rums were rival spirits, and their founding families — the Bacardis and the Arechabalas family, respectively — were fierce competitors, until both clans were forced into exile in 1960 by Fidel Castro who then Nationalized both distilleries.
The revolution didn’t end the rivalry. Cuba continued to export Havana Club and the Bacardi family set up shop in Puerto Rico and bought the Arechablas' Havana Club recipe. And now there are two Havana Clubs.

After decades of trademark lawsuits, the French liquor giant Pernod Ricard distributes the original Havana Club (produced in Cuba) throughout the world except in the US (due to the Embargo). Now Bacardi also distributes its own version of Havana Club (made from the original Arechabalas family recipe).

07/05/2024

While those with limited time or desire stick to Havana, those in the know take the time to swing by the colourful city of Trinidad, Cuba's colonial masterpiece located between mountains and a beautiful ocean. She exudes a relaxed energy and seems as if stuck in the 17th Century. Havana may have the reputation for being Cuba’s delightfully colourful city, but charming Trinidad really steals the show.

The town is in the province of Sancti Spíritus in Southern central Cuba. It was founded on December 23, 1514 by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar (that same year Sancti Spiritus, and Havana were also founed). Along with the nearby Valle de los Ingenios, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 because of its historical importance as a center for the sugar trade in the 18th & 19th centuries. Trinidad is one of the best-preserved cities in the Caribbean from the time when the sugar trade was the main industry in the region.

Nowadays, Trinidad's main industry is to***co processing. The older parts of town are well preserved, as the Cuban tourism industry sees great benefit from tour groups.

A nearby islet has beautiful beaches such as Playa Ancón (Ancón Beach), a white sand beach and was one of the first new resorts to be developed in Cuba following the 1959 revolution.

24 Kilometers seperate Trinidad from the Topes de Collantes ( Collantes’ Highs), nearly 800 metres (2,600 ft) above sea level. A nature reserve park established in the south-eastern ranges of the Escambray Mountains, protecting and showcasing canyons gorgeous waterfalls, caves, and rivers. Ecoturism is done here, along with hiking and bird watching.

07/05/2024

Boxing is a popular sport in Cuba, second to Baseball. It originally started in Cuba as a tourist attraction principally as championship fights between North American Boxers during tourist season. The first domestic professional fight in Havana accored in 1909. The following year a Chilean by the name John Budinich started Havanas's first boxing academy. In 1912 the government banned boxing because of violence on the streets between whites and blacks. Boxing had to go under ground as it grew popular throughout the country. Despite the banishment, boxing represented for the lower classes a potential ticket out of poverty as well as reliable entertainment.

Cuba had several professional world champions by 1959, all considered to be the founding fathers of boxing as well as national heroes of the island. These fighters included Eligio “Kid Chocolate” Sardinas, Gerardo “Kid Gavilán” González, and Benny Paret.

Cuban boxers were dominant in the Olympics and all major international amateur competitions by the 80's, Throughout its Olympic history, Cuba has won 78 boxing medals (41 gold) in boxing, second place to the United States' 117 medals (50 Gold). Cuba's boxers Félix Savón and Teofilo Stevenson are the only two three-time Olympic champions.