"RickL's Cuba Page" Cuba by RickL

I have become a big fan of La Isla Grande and it's people over the last 10 years. I respect their ability to weather the hardships of this "Special Period" and persevere in the face of the American Embargo and the shortcomings of the revolution. The music, history, and warmth of its well-educated people make it the most unique country in Latin America that I have visited. I hope that you enjoy the stories and information. I will be heading down to Cuba for the eleventh time in ten years this August. Buenas vacaciones!

Some useful links:

If interested in some FREE websites for translating Spanish text into English and other languages. They do a fairly good job of translating to a point. Anyway, enjoy!

http://www.world.altavista.com
http://www.freetranslation.com
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This site gives you the information for Email access for Cubans through one of two post offices in Havana. Cost is a bit high for Cuban standards but not for the Cubans I know:
http://www.correosdecuba.cu/
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A website with a choice of 4 Cuban radio stations to listen to. Que Cool!!!
http://www.media.islagrande.cu/radio/radio.html
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This is a website of a Canadian company that issues cards for transferring funds to Cuba. Convenient but it has a price!:
www.transcardinter.com

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Antillas Express is a courier service between Cuba and Canada. They delivered packages for me while my letters and postcard continue to languish in the twilight zone between Cuba and Canada:
http://www.antillas-express.com/
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Here is a link for the Canadian Cuba friendship association. Some good links and articles but is politically inspired:
http://www.lefca.com/ccfatoronto/English/index.htm

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Here is a link to a site which shares some background and stories from an organization linking Canadian and Cuban farmers:
http://www.farmertofarmer.ca/voice_on_water.html
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This is a website with many pro-Cuba and pro-Fidel links:
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/cuba/links.html

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Some great unbiased BBC business stories at this site about the Cuban economy and what the embargo has wrought on the Cuban people:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_2019000/2019633.stm
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This is a website that's got some great pics of a Canadian company searching for sunken treasure in Cuba:
http://www.visagoldexplorations.com/index.htm
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This is a website that hopes to send pianos to Cuba on a regular basis. I'm not endorsing it but it's an interesting cause and apparently they have already sent 160 pianos!
http://www.sendapiana.com/sphmssn.htm
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List of special events and festivals in Cuba including contacts. From the Cuban Embassy website:
http://www.embacuba.ca/Eventcub-e.htm
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This is the Cuban customs guide in case you were wondering what you can and cannot bring into Cuba: http://www.aduana.islagrande.cu/pasajero3.htm
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Here is the address of an excellent Cuba discussion forum for very useful Cuba related information. Not just travel but all aspects of Cuban culture. Check it out:
http://www.cubamania.com/cgi-bin/cubaforums/YaBB.pl
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Here's a link to a website for Cuban radio programming as well as many other useful and interesting Cuban cultural and media links:
http://www.radiococo.cu/

• Pros:Que cosas
• Cons:Que lastima
• In a nutshell:Es Cuba!!!