Traveling to Cuba was never something I ever considered, even though both sides of my family have their roots there. Growing up as a Cuban-American during a time when there was nothing but tension and hostility towards Cuba made me feel like I should never go there, and well, also the fact that it was illegal for me to anyway. I think my mom once even told me that if...
Cuba might not strike you as the safest place to be traveling solo, but after walking around Havana and the beaches by myself for two weeks, I can say that I really wasn't worried the whole time.
by Alyssa Ramos When I first arrived in Vedado, an area of town in Havana, Cuba, my jaw dropped and my brain went into a frenzy trying to figure out why there were so many astounding mansions everywhere, and why in the hell they were all crumbling. There was literally block after block of the most opulent architecture that boasted styles from the colonial and baroque...
by Alyssa Ramos Wellp. Since soon pretty much anyone is going to be able to go to Cuba now that flights are open and talk of a ferry is happening, you might want to avoid the mobs of tourists in Havana, where most of the touristic activities take place. Havana is great and all to experience, but you’ll see what I mean when you get to Havana Vieja and there are...
by Alyssa Ramos Sometimes my head is so far in the wanderlust clouds that all I can think about is where I’m going to travel to next, and forget to appreciate all of the places I’ve already been to! There have been places (and moments) I’ve loved…and some serious travel fails that I’ve learned from. So in honor and in gratitude of the...
by Alyssa Ramos If you don’t already know what “Hablo español, pero muy poco” means, we’re in some real trouble. Luckily this is a little cheat sheet for you to take to Cuba, where NO ONE speaks English, or any other Spanish speaking country! Here are the phrases I used the most while I was there: Greetings/Intros “Hablo español, pero...
No, you can't "just go" to Cuba now, you still need to apply for, qualify for, and pay for a specific visa/reason for traveling to Cuba. Here's sneaky ways how.
by Alyssa Ramos After spending 9 days in Havana working on the editorial shoot for Geo Chic Magazine, we finally got a day off to relax! Well, technically I was meandering around all of Havana during the photo shoots, but still. Unanimously we decided on checking out this famous beach in Veradero that everyone raves about. Veradero is about two hours from Havana, and...
By Alyssa Ramos (Note: Sorry if these posts seem rushed or have any errors or missing links – I only get one hour of wifi per day in Cuba!) Sometimes doing your research really pays off. While brushing up on my extremely rusty history of the Revolucion, and gawking at photos of Che on the flight to Cuba, something stuck out to me that no one had mentioned while...
All of the younger locals I’ve talked to have all recommended two places to go to at night – Casa de la Musica, or Fabrica de Arte. Some people will also recommend the Malicón at night, but it’s mostly for locals who go there to sit, talk, make out, etc., and unless you have a romantic partner to sit there and smooch with sans cell phone…it...
