thanks for that. really enjoyed the photos as well as your take on that... subash
On Thu, 14 Jun 2018 11:47:43 -0400 (EDT) Igor PDML-StR <pdml...@komkon.org> wrote: > 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! -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
