Tag Archives: Cuba Calling

Car in Havana

Cuba Calling

Timing is everything. We’re on our way to Cuba. I won’t say that our bags were already packed, but our tickets were booked when Obama surprised the world (and us!) with his announcement. It has all the intrigue of a best-seller – secret talks for months, even the papacy is involved…and just where is Fidel? Hey, this is long overdue! Obama is on fire for his last two years! And we hee Cuba Calling.

I last visited Cuba so many years ago I can’t remember, and in those days you could use dollars instead of Cuban pesos. And what will be the consequences for Cuba of lifting the ban? More Americans for sure, although over a 100,000 Americans visit Cuba each year, either legally or illegally. We’ll be flying from Miami on a charter flight and we can bring back, legally, $400 in Cuban cigars. No more sweating at the airport going through customs with those Cubans innocently packed in your backpack! And imagine, in the not too distant future we’ll be able to use credit cards and not carry bundles of cash around with us.

Here is the delicate balance that Cuba needs to strike. The US has been in fast-forward, meanwhile this island just an hour flight from Miami has remained unchanged. There is speculation that Cuba will become the new Cancun – let’s hope not. Let’s hope they take everything that’s good about modernization – without disrupting the old world charm that makes visiting Cuba so great. How do you avoid the mess and all that you get through overdevelopment? And remember, that none of this stuff is going to change overnight.

I could just see the auto industry salivating at the prospect of getting into Cuba – but Cubans need money to buy cars and the most important thing is to invest in the Cuban people, not the foreigners who are apt to move in, make their money and leave a whole bunch of people in pretty much the same situation as they were before. Smart tourism investment is key.

Carrepair_cuba
And what would we miss once this thing starts to happen? Well, the cars. The average lifespan of an American car is 16 years; the average lifespan of a Cuban car is 60 years! And Castro’s 1959 revolution came at a great time for American cars, which is why the streets of Cuba, and specifically Havana, look like a car museum. Imagine if the Cuban Revolution had taken place in 1971 – it would be a Ford Pinto graveyard!