I had a very brief visit to Cuba last year.
One of the things that everybody who visits Cuba realizes is the old cars
on the streets. I've heard this long before the trip, and saw plenty of
photos. But the personal impression was much stronger.
If you are not interested in reading the story, - feel free
to skip it: https://42graphy.org/galleries/2017-havana-cars/ .
While looking at the cars, I realized that the cars essentially tell the
geo-political history of that country.
You see many "classic" pre-1959 US models, including Oldsmobile,
Chevrolet, Buick, Ford, Plymouth.
Those symbolize the vicinity and the close connection to the US prior
to the revolution.
Then you see Lada (aka VAZ), Moskvich, Volga (and Kamaz and ZIL trucks) -
brands from the Soviet Union - covering the "Soviet Block" era (1960-80s)
And then, you see European makes: Fiat, Renault, Peugeot, Mercedes (I
don't remember, maybe also VW), Korean Kia and Hyundai, and a
few Chinese makes: Geely, Emgrand, GAC, as well as Chinese-Australian
(SAIC) Maxus and MG. Most of these cars are from post-2008, the era when
_some_ small private business has been allowed in this highly regulated
country, and especially post-2014, when Raul Castro, has abolished the
need for official permission to purchase a foreign-made car. They are
still much more expensive compared to what you pay for them in the US and
in Europe.
Actually, it is MUCH MORE, in capital letters.
I've heard that some people make a trip to Moscow, which is easy
logistically, buy auto-parts, and then resell them in Cuba, - thus
covering the cost of the trip and earning money for living.
The presence of the cars from China is a sign of the growing economic
relations with China (presumably, it is the biggest (or the 2nd biggest,
behind Canada) trade partner for Cuba now).
The "classic" cars serve too major roles:
1) The better preserved/restored ones (most convertible) are used for the
"fancy" tours around the city, - and you see many of those cars parked
along the "Central Park" - Parque Central - in the historical part of
the city "Habana Viejo" (old Havana), - next to the three luxury (and
very expensive! - $300+ per night at Hotel Parque Central) hotels.
2) The "regular" cars, often with the crude patches on the body (sometimes
with large rough bolts, sometimes, - torch-welded), - are used as the city
transportation. This includes private taxis and so-called "collectivos",
which stands for "collective taxi". This is a type of a taxis that circulate
along the well known routes (just a handfull) - throughout the city.
You can get in and get out along those routes, and pay a fixed price
(at least for locals, but we've also used this): 10 or 20 CUPs, depending
on the part of the city where you go (about 40 and 80 US cents,
respectively).
These collectivos can get packed: a couple of times, I was riding among
total of 8 passengers (in a bigger, almost SUV-ish or station-vagonish
old car with the 3rd row of seats)
I've seen a few private taxis using old Lada and even Moskvich. (If you
are not familiar, - those are rather small cars, no larger than Dodge Colt
or Toyota Tercel from 1980s)
Also, you can take a collectivo to travel to a different city. In that
case, I've read, the prices are on par or above the price
for the bus (Viazul, - the buses that targeting foreigners, and
Astro bus, where there is a large price difference for locals and
foreigners). The advantage is that there is a bit more flexibility
w.r.t the time, but you are riding in a car that might not have an A/C
(Viazul bus has), and might break in the middle of the road.
The curious thing is that quite a few collectivo drivers would caution you
about not slamming the door, - as the doors and door latches are often a
fragile point on some of the "classics".
So, here is a photo gallery that illustrates this story:
https://42graphy.org/galleries/2017-havana-cars/
Unfortunately, I've failed to take a reasonable photo of a "half-taxi" - a
moto-scooter with a roof that can take 2-3 passengers, such as this one:
https://www.losviajeros.net/fotos/america/Cuba/index.php?fn=coco_taxi
For me, it was a fun and quite an adventure to ride the collectivos and
and negotiate the prices with others, - mostly of the "jalopy" kind.
It was an inexpensive and reasonable way of getting to and from a small
family-owned B&B that I've chosen to stay at.
I've read that prior to 2011, it was forbidden to take foreigners into a
car that didn't have a special taxi permit, but that rule has been
relaxed since that.
I hope you enjoy the photos and the story they tell.
All comments and critique are welcome!
Igor
PS. I hadn't been familiar with most of the Chineese auto makes until
just recently.
I just recently found out that GAC has displayed its car in the US, and
they "have been teasing a move to the US for at least five years":
https://jalopnik.com/chinas-gac-which-has-a-huge-display-in-detroit-aims-t-1822126769
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