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Event Coverage Greetings from the boys of Veradero Cuba.

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by ramblin dan, Feb 13, 2020.

  1. ramblin dan
    Joined: Apr 16, 2018
    Posts: 3,609

    ramblin dan

    It is referred to as the largest museum on wheels in the world. After being dragged kicking and screaming to join a Canadian Rum drinking team to a resort in Veradero Cuba I took these pictures. Almost every other car you see on these streets in Cuba are of a fifties vintage and are used as taxis. Here's just a small sample. DSC00800.JPG
     
  2. ramblin dan
    Joined: Apr 16, 2018
    Posts: 3,609

    ramblin dan

  3. ramblin dan
    Joined: Apr 16, 2018
    Posts: 3,609

    ramblin dan

  4. ramblin dan
    Joined: Apr 16, 2018
    Posts: 3,609

    ramblin dan


  5. Cuba has cool rides.
     
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  6. fiftyv8
    Joined: Mar 11, 2007
    Posts: 5,394

    fiftyv8
    Member
    from CO & WA

    Yes, I loved my visit there.
    It was like stepping back in time, plus the aroma of coffee and Cuban cigars.
    You will note some of those cars are sitting on later model chassis and running gear.
    Cuban hot rodders thru necessity.
     
  7. ramblin dan
    Joined: Apr 16, 2018
    Posts: 3,609

    ramblin dan

    These Model A replicas were all over and had rear engine Bug motors.
     

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  8. Squablow
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 17,388

    Squablow
    Member

    Neat pictures, thanks for sharing. Looks like quite a few hardtops and sedans had their roofs removed to make convertible jitney cabs, I imagine it's easier to get fares that way. I really admire their dedication to keeping these cars functional for all those years, even if some of them appear to be pretty cobbled up.
     
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  9. 2935ford
    Joined: Jan 6, 2006
    Posts: 3,843

    2935ford
    Member

    Many of them run diesel engines.
     
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  10. fiftyv8
    Joined: Mar 11, 2007
    Posts: 5,394

    fiftyv8
    Member
    from CO & WA

    I've seen old Cadillacs fitted with truck engines and front beam axles on semi elliptic springs.
    Crazy stuff, but it keeps them running.
    There was also great range of the old Ford F series trucks (not pickups) right upto F600 or could have been bigger if there was such a model.
     
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  11. cool........thanks for sharing....one of the little books my mother gave me soo long ago before her passing was a "Cars of Cuba".......and my sweet Lucia's family fled in the late 50's to the USA....she got her licence at 15 and a 1960 Chevy hardtop - I kept running as our get around car....my dad didn't like it much......so much history from there..
     
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  12. fiftyv8
    Joined: Mar 11, 2007
    Posts: 5,394

    fiftyv8
    Member
    from CO & WA

    Here are a few more memories from Havana and Guantanamo City.
    I am no photographer and these were taken in 2005.
    The full size pic's are across the road from a Military Hospital that Castro was held up in, during an illness.
    You can see the gates in the background.
    I was staying right across the road from this hospital and it turns out that I should not have been there.
    After a day or two I was discovered and arrested and taken in for interrogation, with the Cuban FBI wantabe's.
    I lost a full day of my vacation (but kept my teeth), got given a hard time and rough treatment and told to stay out of this district. I was less than 100 yards from the gate.
    The district is called Marianna, if my spelling is correct.
    A little bit of BS went a long way with these guys who lacked technology at the time and weren't that smart.
    All the same it was a staggering experience for a young fellow like me...
    Maxwell Smart would have been no match for these clowns.



    Cuba Pics 002 (2).jpg Cuba Pics 004.jpg
     

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  13. Jalopy Joker
    Joined: Sep 3, 2006
    Posts: 31,179

    Jalopy Joker
    Member

  14. My wife, kids and myself went to Cuba 3 years ago. We went on an antique car tour. The driver could basically speak no English and I can't speak a word of Spanish but we really hit it off because of our love of old cars. I wasn't The typical tourist because I was telling him the make and year of each old vehicle we seen...he was amazed. It really is neat to see how they've done whatever necessary to keep them going and are truly proud of their vehicles. His car was a 56 buick special with a Mercedes diesel. Of course I asked to look under the hood. After seeing the master cylinder attatched to the booster with strap steel (not bolted directly), I kinda became squeamish, and then wondered how his Mercedes front disc brakes were attached, but we made it safely and it was enjoyable.
     
  15. jimmy six
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 14,799

    jimmy six
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Barrette-Jackoff would love to get a few of babies up here to pimp up to 1/2 million each....easy.
     
  16. ramblin dan
    Joined: Apr 16, 2018
    Posts: 3,609

    ramblin dan

    It was funny when you would see a 57 Ford pulling up in front of the resort and hear a diesel engine running in it.
     
  17. ramblin dan
    Joined: Apr 16, 2018
    Posts: 3,609

    ramblin dan

    Love your pictures thanks. I wanted to go to Havana but it was two and a half hours one way from the resort I was on and I didn't want to waste a day travelling back and forth. As of January 2020 many of the resorts of Cuba no longer allow Americans to stay. Which is a real bummer. But judging from all the shortages of things I probably will travel elsewhere next time. They ran out of everything daily. No Butter, wine, mix for drinks, condiments, hot water and the main entertainment we had was watching a stray cat battling a snake in front of the main buffet one night. Still everyone told me I had a great time.
     
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  18. fiftyv8
    Joined: Mar 11, 2007
    Posts: 5,394

    fiftyv8
    Member
    from CO & WA

    My trip was no different really.
    I saw Havana, Santiago de cuba and Guantanamo city.
    I travelled the length of the island by coach one way then flew back from Santiago to Havana, boy was that a mistake I got away with. Knowing what I know now, I would never have set foot on one of those aeroplanes.
    They were the DC style planes, basically a cargo plane with seats.
    I guess they match their cars with their aircraft for that ultimate tourist experience.
    Only a few windows, no toilet, no seat belts, crap seats, no pre-flight safety demo etc.
    When we took off the plane almost fell apart shuddering and similar when landing.
    The pilot or steward announced that we must fly on the far east side of the island as directed by the Govt to prevent us attempting to stray towards the USA and we only had limited fuel for the same reason.
    Sounded to me like at best we probably had 2 attempts at landing and then the gas would run out.
    Some how we made it and I don't know why we should have...

    I stayed in private houses for accommodation using the Govt B & B system that works pretty good, but no English was definitely a big problem.
    Sourcing places to eat and meals outside was challenging every day, even for the locals who used coupons for food purchases but generally Govt food outlets were poor stocked at best. The best B & B places to stay were those owned by Spanish Cuban's who seemed to be economically better off and were better placed to acquire steak etc.
    It was the norm to enter a Govt food take away shop and stand there and read the menu and place you order only to learn that all but say, one item was available. Generally it was a basic frozen pizza wrapped in plastic, thrown in the microwave oven and served on a paper plate.

    Cuban beer was pretty darn good and the people over all were great to deal with and very proud of their Govt/country. No choice I guess, any words of decent would probably be dealt with harshly.
    I learned each street or block had it own communist party member snitch who was some how looked after and provided with a free telephone in their home. It seems the idea was that they would keep an eye on their part of the street/neighbourhood and if anything did not look right they would be required to place a call to the local Nazi's (who ever) and they would move in under cover and sort things out.

    In Havana, I noted where I was staying, that after dark they had guys dressed like SS troopers walking around the streets at night armed with a small tommy gun, radio and big flashlight, they would walk around in what appeared to be their designated blocks.

    I could tell you guys so many stories both funny and scary about how that place functioned.
    Not sure I'd go back based on the costs and amount of effort required to get around, but it was worth every minute of it from a worldly experience point of view.
     
    Last edited: Feb 14, 2020
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  19. I wonder how scary it would have been if they truly suspected you of something ?
    It is still a communist state down there,,,had the local party snitch wanted to make some points and accuse you of a crime ?
    Holy smokes,,,,,at least you made it alright this time .

    Other than that,,,I won’t comment !

    Tommy
     
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  20. fiftyv8
    Joined: Mar 11, 2007
    Posts: 5,394

    fiftyv8
    Member
    from CO & WA

    They regularly had communist propaganda advertising on TV in Spanish shit canning the US Govt and blaming them for almost everything as far as I could tell.
    It would appear that after having his own revolution, Castro was always paranoid they somebody was going to do the same to him.
    Even my night long coach trip was stopped at so many check points and everybody taken off the bus and checked.
    It really did remind me of a Get Smart TV series kind of attitude only thing was it was real...
     
  21. ramblin dan
    Joined: Apr 16, 2018
    Posts: 3,609

    ramblin dan

    DSC00769.JPG I recently watched a Netflix documentary about the Rolling Stones playing various countries they had never been allowed to play before and one of the places was Havana Cuba. The people in Cuba are crazy for rock music due to many years of not even being allowed access to it for years. Here's a picture of the Beatles Bar in Cuba.
     
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  22. jimmy six
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 14,799

    jimmy six
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    You were safer in a DC 3 or 4 than a few of the newer planes as long as the heater wasn't on and you lit up a dubbie.
     
  23. fiftyv8
    Joined: Mar 11, 2007
    Posts: 5,394

    fiftyv8
    Member
    from CO & WA

    Man I was crapping my self once we started to taxi and I realised what the hell was going on.
    Mind you I have flown in India and thought a couple of the aircraft there we not too special either.
    So far I have gotten away with it but do choose more carefully in my old age these days.
    I just wont fly in a helicopter or light aircraft any more.
    I don't feel I am that lucky at the best of times (certainly not in Casino's) and going by my past history I may have used most of my staying in the air luck all up.



    Cuba Pics 012.jpg
     
  24. sololobo
    Joined: Aug 23, 2006
    Posts: 8,378

    sololobo
    Member

    So proud of our Cuban brothers for keeping those classics on the road. Viva boys in Cuba!
     
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