Cuba

I went to Cuba in Feb 2020 with Road Scholar. Loved Cuba. If you go to the Road scholar site and find any of their Cuba trips, they have a recommended reading list. We met with a lot of people in the arts, played dominos with some senior citizens which was a great time. They take dominos seriously. Enjoy, it is a special place with warm and friendly people.

I visited Havana for 3 days back in May. Solo travel and planned the entire trip myself. Not sure what all your guide arranged as far as visas, transportation, logistics, etc. but if you have questions, please let me know. A few basic tips that first time travelers could probably use:

• Other than in restaurants, bottled water was at times challenging to find. So take advantage of places that have it while you can.
• Definitely bring hand sanitizer around with you at all times. When using public restrooms, it was 50/50 chance they had soap and toilet paper.
• Cell phone - I just stayed on airplane mode because I heard cell service is very expensive and poor service. Wi-Fi is poor at best. Thankfully my casa I stayed at had it and it was just good enough to check emails and check in with family. Download an offline map on Google maps or maps.me to help navigate with no service. But if you are always with a guide, navigating shouldn’t be an issue.
• as you are a fellow American, I’m sure you are aware our credit cards don’t work there. I brought 3x the amount of cash I thought I needed to be safe. Exchanged it with my casa host. There used to be two currencies in Cuba, but now there’s only one regularly used so that made things easier. Some places still accepted American dollars too.

Havana is easily the most exotic place on Earth I’ve been so far. It’s definitely sad to see how these people live and at a place that’s only 90 miles away from America. But at the same time, Cubans are also some of the most friendly, inspiring people I’ve met in my travelers. Have a great trip!

I’m going to Cuba at the end of April. I am reading The Cubans-Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times by Anthony DePalma.

Cuba
by Pierre Hausherr (Photographer), Francois Missen
With full-page photographs, introductory essays on history, architecture, music, food and more, this oversized, illustrated paperback by Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Francois Missen and photographer Pierre Hausherr captures the spirit of Cuba, its people, nature and culture.
Cuba, A Traveler's Literary Companion
by Ann Louise Bardach
Bardach (Without Fidel) samples terrific contemporary writers for this anthology, organized geographically.
Cuba, Art and History from 1868 to Today
by Natha Bondil (Editor)
With ravishing color reproductions of murals, posters, paintings and photographs, this magnificent book documents the history of art in Cuba from independence.
Our Man in Havana
by Graham Greene
The classic story of a British vacuum cleaner salesman who gets accidentally drawn into cold war espionage with disastrous results.
This is Cuba
by Ben Corbett
Corbett interviews everyday people living on the fringe's of Castro's official Cuba for this account, both a stinging indictment of government policy and a testimony to the Cuban spirit.
Cuba Map
by Borch Maps
A detailed, double-sided laminated map at a scale of 1:1,000,000.
Trading with the Enemy
by Tom Miller
Miller captures the openness, sensuality and pride of Cuba and the Cubans in this eloquent account of entertaining travels in Fidel's Cuba.
The Sugar King of Havana
by John Paul Rathbone
John Paul Rathbone recounts "elegant, decadent and whirligig years" of pre-revolutionary Havana and the dramatic life of Julio Lobo, the richest man in Cuba (until Castro’s revolution did away with such men). Surviving assassin's bullets and making and losing two fortunes, Cuba's last tycoon went from glittering man about town in pre-Revolutionary Havana -- and one of the world's richest men -- to solitary exile in Spain. With a mother that traveled in those same circles in Havana, Rathbone brings depth and the perspective of an insider to this fantastic story.
Cuba, What Everyone Needs to Know
by Julia Sweig
Director for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, Sweig traces the geography, history and identity of Cuba in this admirably succinct history of the island nation and its role in world affairs.
Culture Smart! Cuba
by Mandy Macdonald
A concise, well-illustrated and practical guide to local customs, etiquette and culture.
Without Fidel
by Ann Louise Bardach
A PEN award-winning journalist who has covered Cuba for 15 years, Bardach (Cuba Confidential) brings knowledge, tenacity and verve to this report on the future of the country.
Teachings of the Santeria Gods, The Spirit of the Odu
by Ocha'Ni Lele
Ocha'Ni recounts 100 sacred stories of Santeria, collected from the oral tradition of the African diaspora, ranging from creation myths, to love stories and share the wisdom and spirituality of Yoruba people.
The Cuba Reader: History, Culture, Politics
by Aviva Chomsky (Editor), Barry Carr (Editor), Pamela Maria Smorkaloff (Editor)
Organized chronologically, this multi-faceted portrait of a nation, with most of the selections by Cuban writers, includes not only history, journalism and literature but also songs, paintings, poems and cartoons and speeches.
Dreaming in Cuban
by Cristina Garcia
A short, poetic novel of three generations of Cuban women, their reaction to the revolution and the complex relation between those who remained in Cuba and those who settled in the United States. Excellent reading.
Havana, A Cultural and Literary Companion
by Claudia Lightfoot
An illuminating guide to the city, its history and geography, as the inspiration for writers, artists, musicians and intellectuals.
Moon Handbook Cuba
The Old Man and the Sea
by Ernest Hemingway

I just copied the reading list from Road Scholar and posted above. You can get their suggested reading list for every trip they offer and buy them in their online shop I believe.

I went to Cuba on a tour in February 2020 (just before Covid shut everything down). All the details of the itinerary are on my blog, as are my stories about the things we saw and did, but I'd be in violation of the terms of this forum if I link to my blog or promote it here.

Thank you all so much for responding to my questions! I am even more excited to visit and appreciate the great tips for advance reading. Sincerely, Joanne