Cuba's Soviet cars just keep rolling along
Published 08 January, 2008, 18:04
Decades of communist rule and a U.S. trade embargo have turned Cuba into a nation of mechanics. Classic cars which would be museum pieces in most countries are still going strong. Considered out-of-date at home, old Soviet cars are getting a second wind in Cuba.
For a Russian tourist a trip to Cuba could seem like a trip back in time.
Because of the decade's-long U.S. trade blockade, and Cuba’s long friendship with the Soviet Union, Russian vehicles are in a majority in many car parks.
Low salaries and governmental restrictions make a new car for an ordinary person an almost unobtainable goal.
And as desperate times call for desperate measures, Cubans have turned into real magicians when it comes to keeping their old vehicles alive.
Modern technology seems to have bypassed this land where car parts are still being made and attached by hand.
Optimists as they are, Cubans refuse to succumb to gloom and even say they like their old wheels better than the new ones.
Cuba is probably the only place in the world where the Russian and American past blend so well together.
As it is almost impossible to find U.S. car parts in this country, Cubans have found another way to keep their American oldies in good shape – they use Russian and Soviet spare parts for American cars.
Usually they'd be gathering dust as exhibits, but Cuba is like a museum come to life.
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