travel | Christopher P Baker | Travel Writer & Photographer | travel writer, photographer, tour leader, lecturer, adventure motorcyclist

Costa Rica’s Indigenous Boruca People Make Magnificent Masks

11 years ago 11 years agocosta rica, crafts, culture, guidebook, indigenous, travelart, boruca, costa rica, crafts, culture, guide, guidebook, indigeneous, information, masks, travel

When I first began researching my Moon Costa Rica guidebook two decades ago, I don’t ever recall having seen Boruca masks. Today, these distinctive cultural icons are ubiquitous throughout Costa...

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La Colmenita–Havana’s endearing children’s theater group–spreads message of love

11 years ago 11 years agocuba, cuban-american, culture, havana, politics, terrorism, theater, Uncategorizedchildren, christopher baker, christopher p. baker, cuba, cuban, cuban five, expeditions, guidebook, havana, information, la colmenita, luis posada, moon cuba, music, national geographic, performance, terrorism, theater, tours, travel

Without a doubt, the seminal highlight of this past year leading people-to-people tours of Cuba for National Geographic Expeditions was my introduction to the children of La Colmenita. This amazing...

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Capitalism is taking hold in Cuba — BBC This World documentary

11 years agocuba, culture, documentary, economics, havana, hotels, politics, travelagriculture, bay of pigs, change, cuba, economic, economy, fidel, private enterprise, raul castro, reforms, restaurants, tourism, travel, u.s. embargo

I just watched this magnificent video about Cuba by Simon Reeves for BBC This World. It’s indispensable viewing for anyone interested in learning about a sclerotic nation now in the...

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Road Scholar cancels proposed Cuba cruise programs

11 years ago 11 years agocuba, travelcruises, cuba, embargo, jamaica, license, national geographic, ofac, people-to-people, tours, travel, travel restrictions

When Boston-based travel company Road Scholar last month announced with fanfare that it would launch people-to-people trips to Cuba that would transport U.S. citizens there by cruise ship, I was...

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Interview about Cuba travel on NPR’s “Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer”

11 years ago 11 years agoTV & radio, Uncategorizedchristopher baker, cuba, motorcycling, motorycle tours, national geographic, npr, radio interview, touring, travel, travel writer

Last weekend, while motorcycling south from Oregon, I overnighted with my friend and fellow travel journalist Tom Wilmer, host of “Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer”–a production of KCBX.FM. Tom’s...

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