Cuba - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture - Softcover

Maddicks, Russell; Culture Smart!

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1857338480 ISBN 13: 9781857338485

Publisher: Kuperard, 2016

Synopsis

Cuba is a land of contradictions that is easy to enjoy but difficult for first-time visitors to decipher. The largest island in the Caribbean, it is a tropical paradise that Christopher Columbus called “the most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen.” It is famous for the romantic charm of its crumbling colonial cities, the beauty of its white sand beaches, and its irresistible Afro-Cuban dance beats. But it is also a land of shortages and tight government control, which has been in a sixty-year political standoff with its superpower neighbor, the USA. The homegrown version of single-party socialism created by Fidel Castro has kept Cuba in a Cold War time warp that only now is beginning to change. As travel restrictions are relaxed US tourists can once again visit the island. Greater flexibility toward private enterprise is opening it up to boutique hotels and high-quality home-based restaurants. There is a boom in special-interest tourism for cyclists, hikers, birdwatchers, and scuba divers, while foreign entrepreneurs are eagerly exploring investment opportunities. Culture Smart! Cuba will take you beyond the usual descriptions of Havana nightlife, vintage cars, and hand-rolled cigars and give you an insider’s view of an island that is teetering on the brink of historic change. It offers insights into Cuba's fascinating history, national icons, unique food, vibrant cultural scene, and world-renowned music. Practical tips help business travelers gain an edge on the competition. But most of all, this book aims to show you how best to break the ice and get a better understanding of the infinitely resourceful Cuban people, who despite severe hardships and shortages over many years remain optimistic and fiercely proud of their heritage and culture.

About this title

About the Author:

Russell Maddicks is a much published BBC-trained journalist, translator, and travel writer. A graduate in Economic and Social History from the University of Hull, England, he has spent the last twenty years traveling, living, and working in South and Central America, most recently as Latin American Regional Specialist for BBC Monitoring. He has made many extended trips to Cuba, a country that continues to dazzle and surprise him. He is also the author of Culture Smart! Venezuela (2012), Culture Smart! Ecuador (2014), and the Bradt Guide to Venezuela (2011).

Review:

"Culture Smart! has come to the rescue of hapless travellers." —Sunday Times Travel

"The perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries." —Global Travel

"Full of fascinating, as well as common sense, tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas." —Observer


"As useful as they are entertaining." —Easy Jet Magazine


"Offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." —New York Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Kuperard
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1857338480
• ISBN 13: 9781857338485
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 168