RAMBLINGS OF A TRAVELER: #3 CUBA – Leaving There

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#3 LEAVING THERE

Now I love to travel – that should already be a known fact by the reader of this blog. And the last day on any trip is the worst possible day of my life at the time. Not because I don’t want to go home, because I do, but because I have gotten such an extreme thrill out of visiting whatever country I am in. But I have to say that to leave Cuba was unusually hard on my mental psychic, to say the least. So here is what I am going to miss about Cuba for the rest of my thrilling life.

I will miss the transportation other than the group tour bus.

• I will miss the Taxis. Believe me, if you have never ridden in a Cuba taxi you are missing out on a whole bunch of thrill. Not only are these taxis fun, but they are still very cheap (about 10 cents US). I won’t bet the farm on the stability of the units either, especially if the driver is breaking the speed limit, turning corners, trying to avoid hitting someone, or in heavy traffic (none of which are major concerns in Cuba).

• I will miss the vintage cars. These cars were made in the USA (Chevys, Fords, Pontiacs, Edsels, Cadillac’s, and I am sure I have left out some other USA cars). These cars were left behind when USA had to leave Cuba in the 50’s. Same with the USA motorcycles, of course, really old Harley Davidsons are most popular. If a citizen in Cuba owns a vintage car, the car is passed down through generations. The owner of the car is also free to sell it. Other cars in Cuba are owned by the government, but can be rented/leased/otherwise provided to the people. Here’s the problem with the vintage cars – any parts that are needed to keep the cars running can not be purchased or imported from the USA. The group and I learned on our people-to-people exchange that these cars are kept running by using duct tape, spit, and big time improvising. We visited repair shops with homemade machines and presses fabricating homemade car parts. These people are experts at vintage auto repair. Not only do the Cuban Vintage car owners keep the cars running, but also the cars are kept immaculate. The vintage cars are polished and shined so brilliantly it makes your eyes string to look at them.

Notice the Russian car in the background that is NOT spit shined in the picture below. That’s a government provided car and is not owned by the people.

Now, make no mistake, there are all kinds of new cars in Cuba, but there are none from the USA. We saw Audis, Volkswagens, lots of Russian made cars, to name a few. We even saw Cuba’s very first car factory. It was Mercedes.

• I will miss the donkey/mule and cart, still one of the most dependable and accessible transportation for the majority of the Cuban citizens.
• Read more at: http://thethrillsociety.com/ramblings-of-a-traveler-3-cuba/