Cuba has been on our list to hit for a very long time and when the opportunity presented itself this winter to get away for seven days we jumped on it. We had to go now, because when the Castro brothers are gone, it
will change. What it will look like is anyone's guess after that, but for better or worse there is great history to see here.
First off I need to come clean: I did not ride on this trip. I had planned to ride, however the only bikes available were 50cc scooters and after seeing the traffic, and witnessing other tourists having a miserable time trying to navigate the highways while attempting to not get flattened by one of the many tour buses I decided not to. It was a difficult decision as to live in Cuba is to be affected by motorcycling, and the motorcycling culture here is different than anywhere else that I've been. But this vacation was about relaxing in a 5 star resort after a crazy year of work and getting to Havana to learn what life is really like in this unique country. So Cuba remains on the bucket-list to ride when this work thing finally goes away and I have serious time to do this right. For now, a little bit about the bikes and the country....
As most people know, following the revolution in 1959 and the subsequent nationalization of US assets, the US embargo of Cuba has made it extremely difficult to import anything from anywhere other than communist Russia or China. Even then, having the financial means to actually buy a motorcycle is a challenge. Therefore to motorcycle in Cuba is to be your own mechanic, and often your own parts manufacturer and this is reflected in the bikes that you see here.
To visit Cuba is also like visiting a museum of 1950s era automobiles as well. For us to learn more about how life in Cuba really works we opted out of taking a tour bus in to Havana and instead hired the bongo player from the pub in our resort to take us there. He in turn hired the '55 Chevy Nomad that you see here and gave us all kinds of insight in to how things really work. For example, to own one of the pre-revolutionary private taxis such as the one that we took was to have it made (as long as it has been retro-fitted with a modern diesel engine). You can then hire a driver let the income come in. Our driver, who didn't speak a word of English, drove an average of 350 miles / day burning low cost "contraband diesel" and kicked the car in to neutral on every downhill stretch. As he was "just the hired driver" not the owner of the car he wasn't likely making much money, however like most Cubans, he felt that with his extra little money making angle he had it made in the shade.
A eastern block communist era Mz with optional "side bags". In a lot of ways the lack of need to look cool here was somewhat refreshing....
These "Coco Taxis" were a popular way for tourists to get around Varadero and surrounding area. They mostly seem to be piloted by middle-aged moms and are incredibly slow out on the highway to the resorts. After seeing how the tour buses gave them no room we decided to take a pass on experiencing this local form of getting around.
Havana was an amazing history lesson in US colonialism gone bad. On one hand you have to realize how incredible this place must have been in the 1950s just prior to the revolution. With a replica (only larger version of) the US capitol building downtown and extensive early 20th century high end architecture everywhere this city was destined to become one of the western hemispheres greatest. The shady politics and selling out of the Cuban people that allowed it to become great was ultimately the cause of it's fall from grace. Now these crumbling, once majestic buildings are what is left behind to remind us of what can happen when things go horribly wrong (my opinion, in my blog - I acknowledge that this not the opinion of others).
The Capitol Building as seen from the window of a '55 Chevy Nomad. Castro's pride would not let him use it for anything other than some lower level government offices...
On our walking tour, Jesus (our tour guide) takes us to the other side of the street. It seems that every now and then people are killed by debris from crumbling buildings that have seen virtually no maintenance since 1959....
The National Ballet - majestic, yet crumbling....
Hemingway liked to get drunk here, thus we should paint this one..... 
Yet another communist era sidecar rig that would draw a crowd if parked anywhere within a Canadian city. Here it is just transportation....
Hey, we can't all have helmets....
And finally one of the coolest parts about Cuba and another large part of our motivation to go there. The music. It's everywhere. Walking down the side streets of Havana or Varadero we were never more than a few steps away from live music. Much of it was a mix of Latin and reggae influences, and it was really unlike you would find anywhere else. As you can make the same wage whether you become a musician, or an architect, our buddy Jesus gave up on his trained career to play the music that he loves. Many others do exactly the same.
Our new friend Jesus and the lovely Jennifer at the pub....the guy on the piano was the best that I have ever seen and I have lived my life surrounded my music and musicians!
The most important thing that I have learned from this entire trip is that I
need to go back.....only this time with a month and a motorcycle. I have the feeling that there is so much more to see here and I have only scratched the surface. Cuba is a beautiful country with exceptional people....
To be continued shortly after retirement....
. Speaking of which - playing catch up to the CBR is risky for your license now that B.C. has the 40km/hr over law that will see you lose your ride. And it's worse than it sounds: B.C. also has some of the most ridiculous speed limits ever, combined with some of the most opportunistic cash-generating police forces in Canada. We were just lucky to get out unscathed!
