The best way to explore an off-beat destination

by Alyssa Ramos If you don’t already know what “Hablo español, pero muy poco” means, we’re in some real trouble. Luckily this is a little cheat sheet for you to take to Cuba, where NO ONE speaks English, or any other Spanish speaking country! Here are the phrases I used the most while I was there: Greetings/Intros “Hablo español, pero muy poco” — “I speak Spanish, but very little” “Hola! Que tal?” — “Hi! How are you/what’s up?” “Bien, bien, gracias, y tu?” — “Good, good, thank you, and you?” “Estoy bien, gracias!” I’m good thanks!” “Bueno!” — “Good (morning/day/night)” (Everyone just says “bueno” as a passing greeting) “Como se llama?” — “What is your name?” “Me llamo ____” — “My name is ____” “Mucho gusto” — “...

by Alyssa Ramos “So, anyone can just go there now, right?” This is the number one question I hear about Cuba , and it makes my eye twitch a little. Technically, you could always have gone to Cuba if you just flew out of a different country, but what many people think is happening now that Obama has opened relations with Cuba, is that you can just hop on a plane and jet over. That’s not exactly the case. Although now U.S. citizens can fly to Cuba from the U.S. on a 45 minute flight from Miami to Havana instead of having to sneak in from another country, you must, however, apply for, qualify for, and pay for a specific visa/reason for traveling to Cuba. I have a few sneaky tips for doing this if you don’t already have a reason. Some of the visa options are; Research, Education Purposes, Humanitarian Work, Support for the Cuban People, Exhibitions, Journalistic Purposes and Family Visit. Chances are you are just going to Cuba because you want to, but you can m...