Transportation
Cubans aren’t just awesome in how they deal with the vagaries of their living space. Their can-do and inventive attitude extends to how they get around. There aren’t a lot of cars or trucks in Cuba (30 vehicles per 1000 people compared to over 900 per 1000 people in the US). Reason for this is the US embargo on trade to Cuba. It means that every car that’s running is backyard-engineered into keeping it running. There’s 50s era US cars, Ladas, jeeps, VWs, trucks of all manner – all pressed into service. Many of the newer buses appear to be of the imported made-in-China variety and are chivvied into use for tourists. The common theme though is that people really seem to take care of whatever driveable vehicle they have..
Horse carts are also ubiquitous; moreso in the countryside than in the city but they’re still used a ton in the city. Horses are in various condition. Some appear well-kept and some look pretty tired.
Bikes! They’re everywhere! And they’re not cheap – a bike can go anywhere from 100 CUCs or more (5x montly wage). They’re often used to double kids and other adults. They’re used to tow huge trailers. No-one seems to wear a helmet. Apparently there are quite a few accidents involving bikes – mostly occurring at night because the streets are poorly lit (power shortages and lack of streetlights) and the lack of bike lights. All that we saw that traffic was very bike aware so that just remains an anecdote to us.
Havana transportation March 2015 from Lee Lau on Vimeo.
Bike trailer hauling 4×4’s on Ave de Italia (a busy N-S main street) in Havana Centro.
Singlespeed gear train on a bici-taxi hauling us back from Vieja to Centro on a lazy day
Bici-taxi on Blvd San Rafael. Tourists pay for the rides in CUCs. Locals pay in Moneda Nacional. But these guys work hard for their money. A bici-taxi can cost this guy 200 CUCs or more to buy. They’re welded up locally and the owners take care of their means of livelihood quite well
Classic cars are a common Havana attraction. This one is in Parque Central where the cars congregate
A classic Chevy on Salud
Lovingly polished
This old Ford is in uncharacteristic disrepair. It’s being stripped to bare metal and a portion of the fender is being reconstructed. No doubt it’ll show up as a taxi as the owner slowly and painstakingly accumulates spare parts for a remake
Another random classic car sighting on Zanja
While classic American 50s era cars add character they also add pollution. Havana’s air quality isn’t the greatest and left our throats a tad raw. The cars are a vestige of prerevolutionary times and a reflection of the difficulty and expense of getting cars into Cuba. Also the tourists love them so many double as taxis. This congregation is around Parque Centrals plaza
Cuban bike shop – welding and fixing bici-taxis
Train service is notoriously unreliable in Cuba. Here are old trains being fixed and restored in a work yard in Centro
Classic work truck. But it is a real working truck being used to haul supplies.