A FEW THINGS ABOUT CUBA

        When I grew up, dogs ran free. They still do in Cuba.  

Most all of them are thin, scrappy terriers searching for their next meal.  The people we met in Cuba were tough too, friendly folks working hard to get by. 

Another thing I noticed were the old American cars.  At first I thought they were somewhat amazing but I remembered, "Yes, but... that's all they've got".  We stopped sharing our cars -and most

everything else- with  Cuba 65 years ago. 

We'd all be driving '53 Chevys if they were the only autos we had. Few Cubans can afford any kind of car.  Those who have them face gas lines three blocks long.  Almost all are used to ferry goods and people.

I could write on and on about our time there,  My wife said it best, "Our 12-day trip was more of an education than a vacation", lessons on how people manage to get by on very little.  

I took photos galore. I'll spare you except for my shots of the Cuban street dogs and old car hood ornaments. 

 

Admiring the view in Cojimar, the setting for Hemingway's "Old Man And The Sea".

 

Wandering the cobblestone streets of Trinidad De Cuba. Our paving lasts 20 years. These stones have been there since the 1700's.

 

 

 

 

 

We saw quite a few hairless terriers. One in Havana had his thin ears shredded in dog fights.

There were no tags, collars, or other ornamentation on these mutts. I saw plenty of that on the hoods of the old American cars we'd see rolling by.

 

 

 

Most of them were designed like rockets to emulate a sense of speed, flight, and freedom....but the one on this elderly Pontiac...

 

had the profile of a futuristic Indian chief.

 

Towards the late fifties ornaments got smaller 

 

 

 

 

and smaller

 

 

 

 

 

then, for the most part, they disappeared.

 

A 60's European import

 

 

 

 

 

Rest assured that these curvy chromium sculptures will be alive and well in Cuba for years to come. 

The old American classics are less than 20% of cars on the road but when you see them, they make a big impression.  It was flash-back time for me.

When I was a kid these steeds were showroom new.

 

Not all are cherry like this Cadillac. It was waiting in Old Havana to whisk away a couple of happy newlyweds.  

Some are really funky, just barely there.

A

If you added an engine, transmission, seats, paint, and windows this old Ford  could be somethin'.

Most of the cars we saw were not American-made, like these 70's Russian Ladas.  Cubans work miracles to keep the few cars they have running.

 

Check out this lumbering Chinese bus. There are no pollution laws. City air is often filled with noxious diesel fumes.

Like Togo, Burundi, and Bolivia, Cuba has higher priorities than car ownership. 

In the U.S. there are 850 automobiles for every 1000 residents.  In Cuba, 56.  Many of the vehicles are

hand built .

And others, just different. 

 

 

 

 

 

Horsepower can be measured by the size of your engine or,

 

 the size of your horse.

 

      Every vehicle (and horse) you see here carried tourists, locals, and just above, coffee beans. Bicycles were not in great numbers. Most locals ride crowded busses, pedicabs, hitch-hike, or walk. 

You do what you must to get by in Cuba.  We were told most monthly salaries were equivalent to two-hour's pay at a Gainesville Burger King. Go figure.

I'm still workin' on it. 

         _________________________________