• Cuba,  Snapshot Sunday

    Snapshot Sunday: Cuban Market

    Finding Gratitude at the Cuban Market I wrestle with the emotions surrounding seeing real struggles while abroad, like the embargo up close when I visited Cuba.  The stores are fairly barren, nothing like our massive grocery stories in the US.  Food is rationed for locals, the stores have empty spaces on dusty shelves.  Here you’ll find a lot of canned goods or prepackaged items.  Waiting in line to enter the store, checking your bag and having little choice, food felt more like a luxury than a necessity.  There are some free market stores but they are more expensive and your average Cuban will have to shop for beans, rice, bread,…

  • Caribbean,  Cuba

    Cuba 101: Things to know before you go

    Cuba seems to have topped the destination bucket list and with fast changes between US and Cuban relations the island in the Caribbean is a hot spot for upcoming travel.  Here are my tips on things to know before you go, things I researched before I left and things that I wish I would have known before I landed in Havana. Get all of the planning out of the way so you can enjoy your Cuban holiday! Currency in Cuba The Plastics So as an American citizen, you currently can not use your US debit or US based credit cards in any establishment or at any ATM once in the…