We relaxed over breakfast and didn’t hurry out this morning. Our hostess put on a Mel Gibson film after breakfast. I think I know better than to watch any more Mel Gibson films. Blech. We aren’t here to watch movies anyway.
Out destination today was Chinatown and a highly recommended restaurant. We set off in that direction, took a detour to a parallel street and got somewhat lost, but in time got ourselves straightened out thanks to some saved maps in my tablet that I brought just in case.
Chinatown is not really a Chinatown like we would expect. I saw one person that looked like she could be Chinese. I saw one sign and a our destination restaurant, and that was about it. The rest of the area was very Cuban, but not as prosperous or upscale as the areas we had seen before. I saw some furniture making businesses, some shops, lots of flowers for sale on the street, but otherwise mostly very small apartments and buildings in somewhat poor condition.
We walked around exploring a new park and some new areas until we were hungry enough for lunch, which took a while after our typical hearty breakfast served by our hostess.
Eventually we decided to make our way back to the Flor de Loto (Flower of the Lotus), our restaurant destination.
Entering the restaurant was like entering a different world of linen tablecloths, attentive waiters, and excellent food. For less than $20 we had two large dinners and three beers, enough for Joel to bring home a lot and to keep me full for the rest of the day. That a great thing about staying with a family. They know the area and can recommend the best places.
Our legs were feeling the effects of daily walking so after our late lunch, we slowly ambled home and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.
Out host was also home, having cut his hand at the base of the thumb at work. He said he had to go to three different clinics/hospitals to find someone who could take care of him. The first said the cut was too deep and bleeding too much. The second was afraid he had cut the tendon and sent him to a specialist. The specialist determined that the tendon wasn’t cut and stitched him up. It has been very interesting listening to him talk about work, health care, the economy, business, etc etc in this very different country though of course it’s still just people trying to live well and take care of their families.
PS his hand was doing well when I left, healing with no signs of infection and minimal pain.
The Panama Adventure 
Hi Kris
Thanks for all the wonderful pictures of your visit to Cuba. I especially love the street scenes. I love exploring on foot.
Looks like you had yourselves a wonderful time.
Nick
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I love on foot too. You can wander around as you wish. Yes, we had a great time.
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I was amazed they had a place called China Town. Although you only saw one oriental person – perhaps there were more orientals in past decades. The Cubans certainly love bright colors for their vintage cars. I think they would paint more buildings in bright colors if they had the paint. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
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I’ll have to see if I can find more info on Chinatown. I thought Cuba imported workers from other Caribbean islands for sugar cultivation, so maybe they imported Chinese people too.
We heard a gallon of paint is 1/2 month salary, which would explain why so many buildings have been unpainted for ages.
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I figured they could not afford paint. Thanks for sharing Cuba with us Kris.
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If I didn’t know any better I would have said you were in Puerto Vallarta Mexico! The church and some of the streets looks EXACTLY the same! Looks like you had a great time!
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Really? Mexico is way up there on my list of places I want to see soon, and I’ve heard Puerto Villarta is really nice.
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It’s beautiful! I highly suggest a visit.
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Still following these beautiful posts 🙂 Yes, when you travel and begin to realize that people all over the world are just trying to live their daily lives with family, work, and relaxation. No different but just different cultures. It is interesting that they were able to share their experiences of work and healthcare.
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That’s the main reason we stayed with a family, so we could get to know them and how they live their lives, and it worked out great.
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So glad you got to do something on your ‘BUCKET LIST” and shared it with the rest of us. So very interesting and your pictures are all so great. Keep up the blog as I enjoy reading all of them.
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Thanks! I’m glad you are enjoying all the pictures 🙂
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