Circles Robinson, Author at Havana Times

Cuba-Houston Sea Connection

The huge Houston Port Authority has added a weekly shipping line to Cuba in a move that could bring considerable business if the US embargo on the Caribbean island is ever dropped.

Haiti-D.R.: Sisters in Catastrophe

The Dominican Republic, which has historically regarded its Haitian neighbor with suspicion, has turned toward Haiti with a tremendous outpouring of aid and love since a devastating earthquake rocked Port-au-Prince on Tuesday.

US Thanks Cuba for Gesture on Haiti

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has thanked the Cuban government for the opening of its airspace to aircraft with emergency and health evacuation missions from Haiti. For several years Cuba already had over 400 doctors and other health staff working in Haiti, and with reinforcements arriving from a special emergency service brigade, the island is the main health care provider facing up to the crisis.

Canada Gets Domestic Cuba Flights

Canadian airlines will be granted access to fly between multiple domestic locations within Cuba announced The Canadian Press on Friday. Canada provides Cuba with over 40 percent of its overall tourists. Cuba’s ambassador to Canada, De JesDus Vicente Sotolongo, told The Press that the measure would apply to four Canadian charter airlines that currently run tours to Cuba: Air Transat, Sunwing Airlines, WestJet and Canjet Airlines.

What is legal to bring to Cuba?

Aduana General de la República de Cuba (General Customs of the Republic of Cuba) has a website, called AduaCuba, which is available in both Spanish and English and which can be found atwww.aduana.co.cu

Can a boat clear customs in Puerto de Vita?

Marina Internacional Puerto de Vita, located on the northeast coast of Cuba in Holguín Province, is one of three international marinas coming under the Cuban tourist agency Gaviota. The other two are Marina María La Gorda, located on the west coast of Pinar del Río Province, and Marina Varadero, located in Matanzas Province.

Can I pack a vibrator in my checked luggage to Varadero?

According to the regulations listed in the website of Cuban Customs – www.aduana.co.cu (available in both Spanish and English) – the only electrical equipment that tourists are prohibited from bringing into the country are the following:

Matanzas, the City of Bridges

As we entered the city of Matanzas, for me it was a completely new sensation and utterly different from what I’d imagined. I only knew that this province was a major producer of citrus fruit and henequen fiber, that it had a very intense cultural life, and that a large number of Cuban baseball stars had been born here…ah, and that it’s known as the “City of Bridges.”

Cuba Fans Views on Chapman’s Contract

Another Cuban baseball player has signed with a US Major League team and fans from Havana make no attempt to conceal their happiness. Lefthanded pitcher Aroldis Chapman from Holguin penned a US $30 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds.

Tragedy at Havana Mental Hospital

A tragedy has occurred at the main Havana Psychiatric Hospital with 26 patients dying, possibly from hypothermia during one digit cold this past week, informed the Cuban Public Health Ministry on Friday. The ministry said the exact cause of the deaths at the 2,500 patient facility is still under investigation and that “deficiencies were found in measures taken at the hospital.”