My Most Memorable Bus Ride
Riding the camel bus to Finca Vigia back in 2003
With a roaring laugh. That is how our host of the casa particular — the Cuban version of an Airbnb even long before some guy thought about making a platform for people who wanted to rent out space for an air mattress — responded when we told him how we were planning to travel from Havana to San Francisco de Paula. He even gave us enough Cuban Pesos to cover the fare of a return trip.
We thought about this, while waiting at the bus stop. The roaring laughter, but also the warnings in our guide books. This is not how tourists move about on this island. Certainly not in 2003. Hesitation clouds our minds until the last moment. Then a truck rounds the corner. It pulls a trailer. There is no doubt that this is what we were waiting for. Still, the first sight of this is something that you have to take time for to really understand what you are seeing.
When I was younger, I would turn on the television in my bedroom when I woke up. My school days would start with either an episode of M*A*S*H or Operation Petticoat. That last one featured a pink submarine. That pale pink of the USS Sea Tiger is what comes to mind when I see the Camelo for that first time.
Yes, the Camelo is a bus. It’s a truck pulling a trailer which is built to carry passengers. The trailer is lower in the middle. That gives the impression of it having two humps. Hence the name Camelo, or, yes, camel. These were the buses that were used on the metropolitan bus lines of Havana in those days. All in those pale-bright caribbean colours. Apparently they were hunting grounds for pickpocets and other criminals. And tourists tend to be seen as easy and deserved targets. So, this was generally not the mode of transport tourists would care to use. We did, though. And the moment this bus drove into view, I knew it was the right decision.
We were on the line heading out to San Francisco de Paula. That is the part of greater Havana where Finca Vigía is located. Sure, when you’re in Cuba, you can have a daquiri in El Floridita and a mojito in La Bodeguita, just like Papa himself. But why not get out to the home of Hemingway while you’re there. and make it an adventure.
There’s a certain down-to-earthness to the works of Hemingway. I love reading them. The Old Man and the Sea is a favorite, and of course I visited that fishing port while in Cuba. Taking the Camelo out to Finca Vigía, being among Cubans in their daily lives, seemed the most fitting thing to do. And it was. Surely I had taken some precautions. Not too much money on me, hidden away in several pockets and my book. No backpack. Just a guy on a bus. It even felt like the locals loved it as much as I did. People were extremely friendly and helpful. Bus stops at that time in that place, especially outside of the city, are not overly advertised. Mostly it was just the corner of an intersection with no signage. A lady asked where we were headed. She knew the place. It would be a couple of stops after she got off, she told us. Then she turned away, speaking to the young man standing next to her. I thought she was finished with our short conversation. I did speak a little Spanish, but not too much. I was wrong, though. She turned back to us, and explained that the man next to her would tell us where to get off, as he was going a few stops further.
The camelos no longer colour the streets of Havana. I read somewhere they have been phased out since 2008. Although they had quite a bad reputation, this trip is one of the most memorable public transportation trips I have ever taken. The fare we got from our host? Well, don’t worry about that. I don’t think we took advantage of him. Plus, he had a good laugh and he really insisted. A clear win-win.
