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With Only the Ocean Between Us

Growing up in Key West and knowing that you can’t just climb aboard a neighbors’ boat to go explore Cuba, as we explored the various other islands that dot the Atlantic, is an odd feeling. Knowing that you are closer to an island that you can’t visit than the continental U.S. always made me feel isolated, like there was a twin somewhere in the distance that I’d never met and would never get the chance to. Somewhere out there beyond the waves were the people whose customs my island had stolen over the years.



The Writing on the Wall: Street Art in Cuba




The Korimacao Culture Group

I’ve been fortunate enough to experience a lot of the world through travel and working overseas. Having lived in China for 4 years, I know that my friends in the ultramodern city of Shanghai have completely different life experiences than those of the rural students I taught in Hunan province; or the monks and nuns I dined with over a fire in the frozen mountains of Gansu province.



Playing Chess in Cuba

World record for the most people playing chess simultaneously? Check. Fidel Castro vs. Bobby Fischer? Check. Home of the “Human Chess Machine” and one of the greatest players of all time? Check. Che Guevara once said “Naturally, chess is a hobby, but it is also a teacher of reason, and the countries that have good chess teams also lead the world in other more important spheres”. According to, Cuba is currently ranked 20th in the world. About a decade ago, the training of chess professors with a university degree began, and there are around one thousand of them in Cuba today.



A Letter for the UNESCO Seeker

So, you’re the kind of person who has a travel list. You dream of seeing every attraction that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) deems worthy. You make it a point to visit well-known architectural structures like the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge, or the Great Wall of China and you enjoy visiting areas that are best known for their diverse wildlife, like the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. Heck, maybe you think traveling to Tajikistan to see the ancient settlement of Sarazm is worth the sense of elation and accomplishment you feel when you take the tip of your pen and scratch another site off you’re well-wrinkled UNESCO check-list that you keep neatly folded in your pocket.



The Spirit of a City, Havana’s Malecón

With each passing day, insightCuba continues to eagerly anticipate the arrival of our People-to-People Travel License from the U.S. Treasury Department. Until the big day arrives, we thought it would be a great idea to resume writing about Cuba, today’s topic: the Malecón. First, we'll set the right tone by listening to these musicians and checking out the scenery.