Cuba

How many people speak English: Hard to tell exactly, but a growing number
What it's like as an English speaker: Overall one of the easiest Spanish-speaking countries to get around, since English is taught in the public schools, which almost everyone attends. Restaurant staffs, shopkeepers, random folks on the street -- everyone's eager to chat with Americans, a novelty to most, since we haven't been able to visit in over 50 years. Use your street smarts and beware of hustlers, though. Everyone is friendly, but some are working an angle to get you to a music performance or into one of those sweet old cars driving along the Malecon. Don't be scared -- you're safe. Just don't believe every guy who tells you the Buena Vista Social Club is playing on a Monday night. BVSC retired a few years ago. Some of the members have passed away. They are not playing tonight, or any other night this week.

What Cuba has to offer: Food, dancing, rum, cigars, and yes, those pre-1960-embargo American classic cars. They're a cliché by now but, truly, they are freakin' amazing, and as taxis not a bad deal when you want to get around Havana. Don't believe what anyone may tell you about the food being bland. It is perfectly seasoned and a dream come true if you love rice, beans, and piles of meat. Avoid the hotels and government-run restaurants in favor of paladores (privately run restaurants, usually in someone's home or what used to be their home) for the best food in all of Havana. The three-flight walk up to the rooftop bar will give you an inside look at local and expat life in this city. 

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