Cuba, Travel Guide

Information on getting there and getting around,Address: Calle Cárcel, Havana Schedule: 9-17;
attractions, culture and history.Sundays 8-12; Closed on Mondays Entrance is paid
- To get into the tropical atmosphere of Cuba at itsThere are exposed numerous Afro-Cuban musical
fiftieth. Among the American automobiles, the smokyinstruments, besides the Fernando Ortiz
bars of Havana, the effect is assured. - For itsanthropologist's private collection. Disks, scores and
fantastic sea. Cuba offers about six thousandinstruments are sold, also some concerts are
kilometers of splendid Caribbean coast, with beachespresented in the museum saloon. CUBAN CUISINEThe
and cliffs for all likes. - For the people's hospitality, nottraditional cuisine in Cuba is excellente and it would be
always interested as it is wanted to make youa sin to get lost looking for other inetrnational plates,
believe. The Cubans are people full of happiness andproposed in other local. The Cuban culinary art is born
eager to leave, people who love to find thefrom the encounter of the precolumbian cuisine with
foreigner, just to exchange ideas. - To smoke thethe African, French, Spanish, English, and the Hindu
best tobaccos in the world, made by hand with theand indonesa. The result of this is a miracle of the
leaves of Vuelta Abajo. You can also attend to thebalance. There are fruits very often so as (mango,
making of the tobacco in a factory or maybe insidepapaya, avocado,) mainly to accompany salted plates
of a big hotel, where there are exhibited in parties,and to form part of the base of cocktails and
authenticate preparations for the tobacco's artists. -drinks.It is used a lot the pig meat, lots of chicken,
To travel through out the town of Hemingway, amainly in the inside of the country, while in the
North American writer that lived in the island fromcoastal restaurants are intend exquisite sea plates:
the 1939 to the 1961 and where he wrote some offish, crustaceans cooked in several ways. The
his romances. GEOGRAPHICAL DATA Located in thenational plate is the "ajiaco" a soup with the help of
Caribbean Sea, Cuba, with a longitude of about 1.200potato, banana, corn, calf meat, Chicken, and dry
kms and a surface of 110.860 Km., is the biggestmeat. Another typical food is the "congri", made with
island in the biggest Antilla. It is at about 200 Km.black beans and rice cooked all together ,
from the island of Keys and it is close to Theaccompanied by "pig pork cracklings". The "fufú"
Mexican peninsula of Yucatan in and the island ofis on the other hand a banana puree seasoned with
Hispaniola. More than the main island, The Cuban"mojo", a fried lightly of oil garlic and cumin. Do not
Republic gathers all the isles and islands that surroundloose teh oportunity to taste the "Creole lobster"
it. Great part of the Cuban coast is low and sandy,that is nothing else but a fried lobster with tomato,
with numerous bays and areas of lagoons andonions, peppers, spicy pepper and sour orange juice.
paludose. Its interior is of plains, interrupted by theAmong the candies the "boniatillo", made of sweet
Sierra de los Organos to the west, the Sierra delpotato and sugar and the "coquito acaramelado" also
Escambray to the center and the Sierra Maestra to"la mala rabia" also made of sweet potato sugra cane
the east. Its population is of about 11 millionsirope, cinnamon and sweet orange shell. The
inhabitants. Time Zone: -6.0 (summer); -6.0 (winter)diffused drink is the coffee, served to the American
Duration of the days 13.5 hours (June); minimum 11.0way, that is to say not few, and the rum is pure
hours (December) WHEN TO GO Period better:that serve as base to any prepared swig or the
February, March Good period: January, April,numerous cocktails so as Cuba Libre, the Rum punk
December Worse Period: September, Octoberor Piña Colada. Cuba also produces an excellent
WEATHERThe dry station which is naturally the bestbeer. The diffused national marks are the Mayabe
period to go, begins at the end of October andand The Lagarto. FUN/SHOPPING Who doesn't know
finishes in April. The rains station is from April tothe Cuban rum and tobacco, known for everyone as
October, but in these months precipitations, althoughbest in the world? In the island there are lots of
are abundant always occurs in the half-day and for aopportunities to return home with some good music,
short period. What to take Without doubts therevolutionary souvenir and why not an automobile of
bathing suit. And then summer clothes, shirts andthe fifty years.
cotton pullouvers, short and long pants. And do notTobaccos The tobaccos or cigarettes are of
forget besides, the shoes for walking in thedifferent sizes, they are sold loose or in elegant
afternoons, to take also a pair of sandals. CULTUREwooden boxes. Just to see them makes yoy buy
MUSEUMS City Museum Address: Plaza de Armas,them although you are not a smoker, maybe for a
Havana Schedule: 9.30-18.30 Entrance is paid One ofbeautiful gift. The prices are almost half of the prices
the main museums of histoty and culture of the isle.in Italy. For example a box with three Montecristo
It offers a rich exposition ofartistic testimoniesSigars N.4 costs at about 10 American dollars. They
bengining from the colonial period up to firts years ofcan be bought in the stores. At Havana in the House
the republic. Revolution Museum Address: Palacioof 5a and 16 (5a Ave y 16). In Santiago in Casa del
Presidencial, Calle Refugio, Havana Schedule: 10-17;Tabaco (Ave. Jesus Menéndez 730). Pay
Saturday up to 18 Entrance is paid All that is wantedattention to the conservation of the tobacco. An
to know about the myth of the Cuban revolution isadequate humidity is needed for them. Craft Cuban
exposed in this place, in the ex-presidential buildingcraft reflex the influence of diverse cultures, mainly
that housed as last tenant, the dictator Batista up tothe African. Many objects are related with the
1959,documents, registrations and movies on thesantería, the Afro-Cuban religion diffused per
revolutionary epic poem. National Museum Address:excellency in the island. There can be dolls of pieces
Calle Trocadero, Havana Schedule: 10-17; closedand ceramic, masks made of paper maché and
Tuesday and Wednesday Entrance is paid Thewooden sculptures. Puppets of tamarind seeds are
exhibition is divided in several sections. Thealso made. Pretty hats palm feathers fibers or of
pinacoteca, with linens from Spanish, Englishmen,knitted coconut. Baskets and bags are also made. In
Danish teachers, among them stand outold Havana there is the Craft Palace (Calle Cuba 64).
Velásquez, Murillo, Goya and Turner; the EgyptianIn Santiago in the Craft House (Cathedral Plaza).
old art collection, grecian and Roman, considered theFoods The rum is bought obligatorily and the most
most important in Latin America, the gallery dedicatedfamous mark is The Havana Club in several versions:
to the Cuban painting from the XVII century to ourLiquor, the most economic; Carta Blanca 3 years and
days, the ceramic collection, and a space for theparticularly used for the cocktails. Carta Oro, 5 years,
contemporary exhibitions. Hemingway Museumand the most refined matured during 7 years. The
Address: San Francisco de Paula, San Miguel delprecise goes from 4 to 7 American dollars each
Padrón, 12 km from Havana Schedule: 9-16;bottle. For adventurers the most valuable rum in
Sundays 9-12.30 Entrance is paid Dedicated to theCuba is the retained Matusalem, product from
enthusiasts of North American writer who lived in thisSantiago de Cuba matured during 25 years, it can be
building from 1939 to 1961. It was here wherearound the 15 dollars the bottle in Casa del Ron de
Hemingway wrote "Whom sound the bells for" andObispo y Bernaza in Old Havana.
the "Old man and the sea". Music National Museum