Iowa Yankee King Castro's Court: Back Road Travels in Cuba and Mexico, (Paperback)

World traveler, Kirk Stephan, recounts his travel adventures in Castro's Cuba and in Mexico. On foot and behind the wheel of his VW bus.Cuban Slang

Ese huevo quiere sal - Literally, That egg wants salt. As slang, doing something because you want something

Guaricandilla - A prostitute or, a lady with vulgar manners.

Gaviota - First foreign (Colombian) TV series allowed into Cuba. A super-soap, packed with emotional drivel, guaranteed to make women feel stranger than fiction, and each of them, from one end of the island to the other, know every detail and delight in retelling a missed segment to the unfortunate one who may have been bathing or working at the moment. Of course, all Cubans also know every word of the cutesy theme song and burst out huskily with it on the streets.

Jinatera - Literally a cowgirl, as slang, a hooker.

La Ultima Coca-Cola Del Desierto - Literally, The last Coke in the desert. As slang, Conceited

La Ronca El Mango - Literally, The Snore of the Mango. As slang, Too much to handle. Something extreme. Due to not being able to have mangos, Cubans refer to everything that was above, or beyond, or extreme as mango.

Mojito - Rum and mint leaf. Ernest Hemingway's favorite drink.

No dispara un chicharo - Literally, Don't shoot an egg. As slang it refers to someone lazy, who does nothing. Believed to have been started by farmers whose crops would not grow.

¿Qué Bolero? Que Bola' ¿Qué Bolaita? - Literally, a Bolero jacket (a piece of clothing). Bolero an Argentinian dance. Bola is ball. As slang this phrase means, What's up with you? One of, if not the most popular of Cuban phrases.

Tremendo Mango Tremenda Manguit - Literally, Tremendous Mango. A good looking guy or girl.

Tremenda muela (muelero) - Literally, What a tooth (molar)! As slang it means, You talk too much, a big flirt.

About the Author

Kirk Stephan, Master of Oriental Medicine, has been practicing for 35 years and has established many clinics and exchanges around Latin America.