Soltura Cuba Travel Blog

Written by Sophia Bass, translated below by Izzy Valdés. I've always wanted to trace the origins of Salsa music. When I was traveling through Havana in 2017, I learned that Salsa is one of the most dynamic and important musical phenomena of the 1900's . Salsa combines Afro-Cuban dance, Spanish guitar, and complex rhythms that have become internationally acclaimed in cities such as New York City to Barcelona, Spain. While New York actually created the term "Salsa," the United States did not create the dance. Historically, Cubans gave birth to the origins of what is referred to as Salsa. The term became popular to refer to the variety of music from Latin American countries including Mambo, Rhumba, Bomba, Cumbia, Charanga, and many other forms of dance. The most famous musicians of the 1950's were Tito Puente , called the King of Mambo, and Celia Cruz, known as the Queen of Salsa. To trace the roots of Salsa music we can look to West Africa where slave trade thrive...

Written by Sophia Bass, translated below by Izzy Valdés  When I first arrived in Cuba I was intrigued when I learned that public education is one of Cuba's top priorities. Ever since 1959 when President Batista was in political power, he was determined to eliminate illiteracy throughout Cuba. According to the World Bank, Cuba reported 12.84% of GDP in 2010 for public spending on education. Today, Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates in the world. As I was perusing the streets of Old Havana, I met young men and women between the ages of twenty-five and thirty waiting tables or playing music on street corners. One man named José who served me coffee said, "Would you believe me if I told you I was a dentist?" I replied, "Yes, but why are you serving me coffee then?" José stated, "I make more money waiting tables than I do working as a dentist in Cuba." José explained that the joke about Cuba is that there is a doctor or lawyer on ever...

Written by Sophia Bass The recent boom in travelers visiting Cuba is aiding tourism throughout the Caribbean region. In the last year, Cuba’s wave of tourism rose by 13.9 percent to a record of just over 4 million. With a 4.2 percent increase as a whole for the Caribbean region, Cuban tourism officials are expecting a record high for tourism in 2017. St. Lucia Prime Minister, Allen M. Chastanet stated, “Cuba opening up is a fantastic thing for the Caribbean. It only strengthens the brand of the Caribbean.” With nearly 2 million international visitors in the first few months of 2017, Jamaica also hit a record high, raising $1 billion in tourism. Because Cuba attracts visitors from Latin America, Europe, Canada, and the U.S., Cuba may inspire visitors to travel to other Caribbean islands. Currently, the United States government allows U.S. travelers into 12 categories, such as support for the Cuban people, humanitarian missions, family visits, journalism, research, or people to people ...