This year marks the 60th anniversary of the first bilateral document signed between the Philippines and Cuba, the Treaty of Friendship which was signed on 03 September 1952 in Washington D.C. by former Philippine Foreign Secretary Carlos P. Romulo and then-Ambassador of Cuba to the United States, Mr. Aurelio Concheso. However in […]
Camagüey, Cuba’s third largest city, has retained its reputation as the quaintest and least known of Cuba’s big cities. Camagüey barely registers on the average tourist’s itinerary. This is perhaps because it is located right in the middle of Cuba, in tierra adentro; a good nine hours from Havana in the west, and […]
It was a summer experience like no other. From whacking golf balls in Cuba, to joining anti-austerity protests in Madrid and, finally testing the surf in my very own island of Samar. The Summer of 2012 was indeed like no other I have ever done before. The whole experience spanned […]
Ah the heat of summer beckons. It’s about time to get out of the rut. I finally had the temerity to sign up for a golf lesson at Havana’s one and only golf course, the nine-hole Havana Golf Club, which I had been angling to do for the longest time. […]
Formerly celebrated as the Independence Day of the Republic of the Philippines, 4th of July has been downgraded to Philippine-American Friendship Day when President Diosdado Macapagal amended the date of Philippine Independence to 12 June 1898 in 1962. And, rightly so. This has been a contentious issue. My own point of […]
In the realm of amusing signage, Cuba’s lack of mastery with the English language (which is totally understandable, by the way), while not in the same category and magnitude as those in China (gotta love those funny Chinese signs), brings us some amusing stuff as well. Here are some funny […]
The western part of Cuba’s old Oriente province, which is now divided into the provinces of Holguin, Granma and Las Tunas, has been a hotbed of dissent since Spanish colonial times. This was the region were Cuba’s first call to arms for self-determination was proclaimed at the Cry of Bayamo. Three generations of rebel leaders have emerged, […]
Pope Benedict XVI came and went. No, he did not dance salsa nor chugged down a mojito (we don’t really know that), but he managed to momentarily rouse Cubans from the monotony of their vida cotidiana. He came and went so fast, but managed to leave a few lasting impressions, […]
I was watching Robert Redford’s flick, Havana, which is a fictional yet enlightening portrayal of Havana’s socio-economic situation in the throes of the 1959 Revolution. In the movie, the two American lady tourists, clearly looking for sleazy fun, pleaded the fictional character Jack Weil (played by Redford) to show them the real Havana. […]