'Camello' says goodbye to Havana
Campaign News | Wednesday, 21 May 2008
The infamous but necessary humped-backed public
buses which locals dubbed “camellos” in Havana say good bye to the
streets of the capital after Chinese and Russian made buses came in on
relief.
For thirteen consecutive years, the camellos have been the only choice
for average people among the 2.5 million inhabitants in Havana back and
forth from work, home, school; notwithstanding the not-very-pleasant
expletives when they got over-crowded during peak hours in summertime.
The last of these vehicles in the capital drove to the Calvario bus
station in the municipality of Arroyo Naranjo on April 19th where it
was met by some of the fathers of the invention: engineer Alfredo Muñoz
Martinez, (project designer of the Empresa Industrial Guanabo), the
National Office of Industrial Design, architect Adrian Fernandez
Marquez, designer Pedro Garcia Espinosa and engineer Nestor Alonso
Rodriguez.
The revitalization of local transport in Cuba, still insufficient
though, is a sign of economic recovery but not yet the end of the
economic crisis known as “special period” which began after the collapse
of the socialist block and has been aggravated by the US economic
blockade.
It is not yet time to let go of the “camellos”. The humped-backed buses
are now being allocated for public transport in Havana province.
It will probably be a long time before anyone can forget them in Havana.
Those surprised visitors to the city and locals with good memories will
never forget the camello, one of the symbols of the city already, along
with the Morro Castle and the Giraldilla.
Cuban News Agency
