Hurricane Matthew devastated beautiful Baracoa, Cuba’s first city in Oriente, the eastern tip of the island.

For weeks after my amazing trip to this wonderful city in June I blogged about my experience there among some of the most welcoming and

Among the many interesting and unexpected findings in researching Baracoa was to learn that the oldest artifact connecting Christopher Columbus to Cuba is the Cruz de Parra, the cross he planted on the shore of Baracoa in December, 1492. Below

Unbelievable that I have been blogging about my Cuba research trip for just over a month now and there is still so much to share! For example, on the left is an amazing poster celebrating the founding of Baracoa by

To be authentic in my writing, I always immerse myself totally in my subject.

The prequel to Mango Rain (Lluvia de Mango) will be Mimi’s Path (El Camino de Mimi), out this fall, and the story begins in Baracoa.

After a few

So, this was my office during my stay at Baracoa. I stayed at the 3 star El Castillo Hotel, on the highest point of Baracoa, built in 1739 as a fort called El Castillo Seboruco.

El Castillo Hotel offers unparalleled

Wow, right?  These are the Baracoa views that greeted me in the morning.

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Baracoa is Cuba’s first and oldest city. Christopher Columbus landed here in November of 1492, writing in his journal that it was “the most beautiful place human eyes had ever seen.” It became the first Spanish settlement under a Spanish governor on August 15th, 1511. Baracoa’s special beauty and

The trip from Havana to Baracoa on a tour bus (U.S. Greyhound style) began at 6:15 a.m. when I was picked up at my hotel, and ended after midnight  when we arrived at El Castillo Hotel

in Baracoa, over 700 miles

One cannot leave Havana without at least walking  by the magnificent Capitolio which housed the Cuban Congress prior to 1959. Currently undergoing a total renovation, this is another example of the architecture that gave early 20th century Havana world wide