Traveling around the Caribbean island is an adventure
It is in Cuba that they circulate older cars and obsolete of the world, which hover about roads full of potholes defying the laws of mechanics. Until a few years ago, the only cars that could be bought and sold freely were those imported before the revolution: colorful and picturesque Chevrolet, Cadillac e Buick which have always delighted tourists and photographers.
There are 50 thousand glorious American cars from the 70s on the streets of Cuba, as well as a smaller number of Soviet and Italian cars from the 70s and 80s.
If the photogenic Cuban fleet of cars, constantly polished and repaired, is particularly beautiful to look at, it is not so pleasant in terms of kept on the road and the safety. The terrible state of Cuban roads it causes makes the situation worse continuous failures, even though for decades Cuban mechanics have been doing their best to overcome the chronic shortage of spare parts.
“The spare parts are not in good condition, and these vehicles they should not continue to circulate, but as we say in Cuba when faced with problems, we must resolve and move forward” the tire dealer Iran Garcia commented to Askanews.
The main problem for Cuban car bodies and tires are potholes in the roads, especially during the rainy season. The highways then they are such only in name and it is certainly not possible to travel along them as quickly as we are used to: in the one that connects Havana to Santiago you can travel with horse carts and bicycles and from Casa Particular in Camaguey onwards there is only one lane in each direction.
Travelers who wish to undertake a car trip to Cuba by renting a vintage car should therefore prepare to arm themselves with patience and marry a slow travel philosophy, at least until the effects of the end of the embargo begin to be felt.
