A Vintage Car Lover's Paradise

Where in the world can you see Ford Fairlanes, Chevrolet Belairs or 59' Thunderbird Convertibles routinely cruising down the street?

If it's your first visit to Cuba you may be surprised at the number of vintage American cars from the 50's that are still on the roads of practically every town. It's like being part of a living museum of Classic Cars. Classic car enthusiasts will think they've landed in Vintage car heaven. It's quite common to see old Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, and Chevrolets and many other US made cars from the golden age of the automobile industry.

Before the revolution of 1959 there were close to 150,000 American cars on the streets of Cuba. As a result of the revolution many people had to flee the country leaving all their belongings behind. Currently it is estimated that there are about 60,000 of these classic American cars left. If you think about what that means it's quite amazing. For almost 50 years the Cubans have been maintaining these cars with skill, cleverness and ingenuity. After all, it's not like you can get replacement parts at your local automotive shop. And in reality, it's not so much a love of these cars as it is an economic necessity.

Vintage  Classic Cars in Cuba

Here is a short video showing some of the cars on the roads of Cuba.

Learn more about Cuba's Vintage Cars

If you are interested in learning more about these automobiles there are two great books to look at. The first is Cuba Classics: A Celebration of Vintage American Automobiles by Christopher Baker. The second one is titled Chariots of Chrome: Classic American Cars of Cuba by Simon Bell.

Chariots of Chrome from Amazon.ca

Cuba Classics from Amazon.ca

Dance: A National Pastime in Cuba

Cubans love to dance. They take their dancing very seriously. With a blend of Spanish, African and Caribbean cultures to draw from, Cuba is home to many dance styles, some well known, others less so. In Cuba you will find the following popular styles of dance:

• Danzon
• Timba
• Son
• Rumba
• Salsa
• Mambo
• Cha Cha Cha

Apart from spending time at the hotel disco, Varadero offers a number of locations where you can immerse yourself in the vibrant dance culture of Cuba.

• La Comparsita
• La Rumba Club
• Cueva del Pirata
• Mambo Club
• Habana Club

For the latest hot club in Varadero or just to make sure you get what you are looking for, ask some of the locals, a tour rep or other guests for recommendations.

Bay of Pigs Cheet Sheet

Photo Credit: Bay of Pigs

When you visit Cuba you may come across references to The Bay of Pigs Invasion. There are even excursions from Varadero to visit the site. Here's a bit of background information.

In 1959, Fidel Castro and his rebel army succeeded in overthrowing the Cuban government forcing many people to flee the country. Anti-Castro Cuban exiles, based in the US, quickly plotted to invade Cuba and remove Castro from power. The US government supported the invasion but wanted to keep their involvement hidden. They helped by providing military equipment including airplanes for the invasion.

The plan was to launch an initial air strike to destroy the Cuban Air Force, establish a presence at the Bay of Pigs and move forward to Havana. The exiles believed that the Cuban people would rise up in support of their cause and help to overthrow Castro. A group of 1300 Cuban exiles, many with little or no military training were set to invade Cuba by landing at the Bay of Pigs.

Fidel Castro outmanouvers the exiles

News of the invasion leaked out and Castro was able to anticipate the attack. He moved much of his air force out of harms way. The exiles believing that they had destroyed most of the Cuban Air Force launched their land invasion on April 17th, 1961. Their lack of training coupled with Cuba's ability to support troops from the air sealed their fate. The US, even though they supported the invasion refused to be involved directly with it and did not provide any reinforcements for the exiles. More than 100 of them were killed and the remaining exiles were imprisoned.

The Kennedy administration was deeply embarrassed as the world found out about the US involvement in the failed attack. The invasion actually strengthened Castro's support among the people and increased their suspicions of the US. Fidel Castro eventually negotiated the return of the exiles to the United States by trading them for $54 million dollars in aid to his country.

The US government to this day continues to maintain policies designed to destabilize Castro's government.

If you are interested in more information on The Bay of Pigs Invasion here are a few interesting links to check out:

• You can browse through the CIA's database of declassified Bay of Pigs Invasion Documents.



• The National Archives has a collection of links to A Collection of documents relating to the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban missile crisis.



• You can watch a short news report video on The Invasion of Cuba.