Jane Sutton | Reuters

U.S. cruise companies are eager to add Cuba to their itineraries; but even if U.S. policy allowed that, Cuba’s ports would need years of rebuilding to accommodate the ships, industry officials said on Wednesday.

“Our business has grown so much that these ports in Cuba that were (established) in the time of the Spanish conquistadors, that size of ports, they’re going to need a lot of infrastructure improvement,” John Tercek, vice president of commercial development for Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, said at an industry conference in Miami.

The world’s three largest cruise companies—Carnival Corp &…
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Rob Sequin | Havana Journal

Starting on May 1, 2010, the Cuban government will require all visitors entering Cuba to purchase Cuba health insurance from government approved vendors.

Only foreign insurance companies approved by the Cuban government will be able to sell this mandated Cuba medical insurance.

If a traveler arrives in Cuba without medical insurance, he/she will be required to purchase coverage from a Cuban government vendor, many of which will be set up in Cuban airports.

This requirement also applies to Cubans living abroad returning for a visit so only diplomats and representatives of accredited…
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By Ben Ross | Independent.ie (Ireland)

Salsa, socialism and sophistication share the faded magnificence of the Cuban capital. Ben Ross prescribes a revolutionary city break.

Why go now?

If President Barack Obama carries out his pre-election promise to liberalize relations with the only communist country in the West, millions of US tourists currently barred from entry will descend on Cuba. Now, then, is the ideal time to enjoy one of the most alluring capitals while its idiosyncrasies are still intact.

Havana’s tropical climate is a welcome contrast to our midwinter, with current temperatures reaching 30°C. Intellectual pursuits are also available…
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Lydia Bell | Telegraph.co.uk

An old man, with a warm smile decorated by a single tooth, is our hitchhiker of choice for the morning. His wiry grandson helps him haul a bulky package into our rented car. The package emits a loud grunt. “El Puerco,” the old man announces, “es para mis cumpleaños 80 el jueves.” The pig is for my 80th birthday on Thursday.

We are in the heart of Cuba, the middle of this long streak of island, and in search of the country’s provincial face and a gentler pace than urban Havana. In a country where a…
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BY FRANCES ROBLES | Miami Herald

Jan Bubenik went to Cuba to ``spread the hope’‘ but did everything wrong.

Working on behalf of an American pro-democracy group, the former student leader of the Czech Velvet Revolution knocked on a Cuban dissident’s door and sat down to chat—then spent the night in a hotel in the same Ciego de Avila town. He was quickly picked up by Cuban authorities and jailed for more than three weeks.

“Nobody ever told me to look over my shoulder,’‘ Bubenik said in a telephone interview from Prague. “They sent us like lambs to the slaughterhouse.’‘