No, here in Merida, it looks as if there was a great migration at some point in the city's past of the venerable Volkswagen Bug. You can scarcely walk down a single block without seeing one or two of them parked at the curb, and hearing the distinctive sound of another one traveling up the adjacent block.
According to Wikipedia, the Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, was an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003. There were more than 21 million manufactured, and the Beetle is the longest-running and most-manufactured automobile of a single design platform anywhere in the world.
That explains a lot about the situation on the streets of Merida.
From 1955 to 1964, the Bug was shipped in un-assembled "complete knockdown kits" from Germany to be put together here in Mexico, and in 1964 the car began to be produced locally. The VW Bug was even used as a common taxicab in Mexico City. (Thanks again, Wikipedia!)
Unlike mosquitoes, the VW Bug is one of the nice things about Merida. I grew up with the old Herbie the Love Bug movies (the version with Helen Hayes, not the more recent LiLo adaptation), and Darren had his own bug during his early years in Sydney. So a walk down the streets of Merida in the cool mornings past a rainbow collection of these particular bugs brings a little bit of nostalgia about the past to go along with the excitement about new experiences to come.
You're testing my resolve not to have a car in Mérida. I love old Volkswagens. (The newer ones, not so much.)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Mexicans play "Punch Buggy". Probably not. Everyone would look like they'd been in a bar fight if they did...lol.
ReplyDeletefun post - Thanks! I love the look of them, and I know they are economical, but oh I hate these things. They are loud and spew horrid fumes, and they are loud, did I mention loud?
ReplyDelete