america left to the elements, left to collapse, were frozen gloriously in time. in fits and starts, cuba is changing, but it's not sugar or rum or tobacco or casino gambling that is the new god. [ horn honking ] it's tourists. ♪ all right. so here, chinatown. such as it is. but are there any chinese left in havana? >> jon: no. there's a few new chinese. >> anthony: right. >> jon: at one point the chinese community in cuba was huge, but they pretty much cleared out after the revolution as did most of the russian, jewish immigrates who were here. so the state erected a few quintessentially chinatown gates. mustered the 14 chinese people
>> jon: yeah, i would say so. >> anthony: will every cuban have an inalienable right to free medical care and education at that time? >> jon: that's what they're worried about. the last time i was here which was in 2013, i counted 8 to 10 homeless garbage-eating people in the street. and i thought, "wow, i've never seen that before in cuba." that's something the old cuba, the socialist cuba that could look after all of its citizens would never have allowed. it's allowing it now. this period we're here in, it's the lull before it all hits. the train is coming. it's either going to roar by and they're going to be able to jump on and go with it, or it's going to derail and it will be a mess. all of it's possible. ♪ >> rosa: [ speaking spanish ] >> yusimi: my mom is asking me if you would like to taste the rice?
quite bad food. under fidel's rule, that's the way it was. >> anthony: it's like a cargo cult version of chinese food here. dumplings. the szechuan chicken dish that's about as szechuan as, well -- -- i am. what's going to happen? what's next? >> jon: the uptick in tourism after the december 17th announcement, the surprise announcement by raul and obama, in which they said, "we decided to make friends again." the surge in tourism and american interests in cuba is like this. you now have an island where every room is for rent because you can make $30 or $40 a day. that's more than a state employee makes in three months. >> anthony: there will be wealthy hipsters, women in tiny black dresses drinking ironic rifts on the mojito. lobby of the spanking new "w" hotel with [ bass ] in the background . >> jon: yep. >> anthony: and that's within five years.
what was once one of the wealthiest cities in latin america left to the elements, left to collapse, were frozen gloriously in time. in fits and starts, cuba is changing, but it's not sugar or rum or tobacco or casino gambling that is the new god. [ horn honking ] it's tourists. ♪ all right. so here, chinatown. such as it is. but are there any chinese left in havana? >> jon: no. there's a few new chinese. >> anthony: right. >> jon: at one point the chinese community in cuba was huge, but
difficult quality of life on the island. >> jon: there was one place where we could buy food which was a soviet-style place with food that was flown in. quite bad food. under fidel's rule, that's the way it was. >> anthony: it's like a cargo cult version of chinese food here. dumplings. the szechuan chicken dish that's about as szechuan as, well -- -- i am. what's going to happen? what's next? >> jon: the uptick in tourism after the december 17th announcement, the surprise announcement by raul and obama, in which they said, "we decided to make friends again." the surge in tourism and american interests in cuba is like this. you now have an island where every room is for rent because you can make $30 or $40 a day. that's more than a state employee makes in three months. >> anthony: there will be wealthy hipsters, women in tiny black dresses drinking ironic rifts on the mojito.
lobby of the spanking new "w" hotel with [ bass ] in the background . >> jon: yep. >> anthony: and that's within five years. >> jon: yeah, i would say so. >> anthony: will every cuban have an inalienable right to free medical care and education at that time? >> jon: that's what they're worried about. the last time i was here which was in 2013, i counted 8 to 10 homeless garbage-eating people in the street. and i thought, "wow, i've never seen that before in cuba." that's something the old cuba, the socialist cuba that could look after all of its citizens would never have allowed. it's allowing it now. this period we're here in, it's the lull before it all hits. the train is coming. it's either going to roar by and they're going to be able to jump on and go with it, or it's going to derail and it will be a mess. all of it's possible. ♪ ♪ ♪
they pretty much cleared out after the revolution as did most of the russian, jewish immigrates who were here. so the state erected a few quintessentially chinatown gates. mustered the 14 chinese people left and summoned their relatives. >> anthony: for more than 35 years, jon lee anderson has been reporting from conflict zones such as syria, lebanon, libya, iraq, and afghanistan. >> jon: i lied about my age and travelled around africa. when i was 13, i told people i was 26. >> anthony: in the early 1990s while researching a biography of che guevara, he and his family moved to cuba and ended up staying for three years. >> anthony: you lived here during the special period, which was not so special. that was the bad times. >> jon: that was the bad time. >> anthony: the russians had pulled out. soviets all done. >> jon: the economy went like this. >> anthony: completely tanked. >> jon: 90%. it just tanked. >> anthony: cuba lost 80% of its import goods which led to widespread hunger, malnutrition, and a nose dive for the already
background . >> jon: yep. >> anthony: and that's within five years. >> jon: yeah, i would say so. >> anthony: will every cuban have an inalienable right to free medical care and education at that time? >> jon: that's what they're worried about. the last time i was here which was in 2013, i counted 8 to 10 homeless garbage-eating people in the street. and i thought, "wow, i've never seen that before in cuba." that's something the old cuba, the socialist cuba that could look after all of its citizens would never have allowed. it's allowing it now. this period we're here in, it's the lull before it all hits. the train is coming. it's either going to roar by and they're going to be able to jump on and go with it, or it's going to derail and it will be a mess. all of it's possible. ♪ ♪ ♪
immigrates who were here. so the state erected a few quintessentially chinatown gates. mustered the 14 chinese people left and summoned their relatives. >> anthony: for more than 35 years, jon lee anderson has been reporting from conflict zones such as syria, lebanon, libya, iraq, and afghanistan. >> jon: i lied about my age and travelled around africa. when i was 13, i told people i was 26. >> anthony: in the early 1990s while researching a biography of che guevara, he and his family moved to cuba and ended up staying for three years. >> anthony: you lived here during the special period, which was not so special. that was the bad times. >> jon: that was the bad time. >> anthony: the russians had pulled out. soviets all done. >> jon: the economy went like this. >> anthony: completely tanked. >> jon: 90%. it just tanked. >> anthony: cuba lost 80% of its import goods which led to widespread hunger, malnutrition, and a nose dive for the already difficult quality of life on the island. >> jon: there was one place
where we could buy food which was a soviet-style place with food that was flown in. quite bad food. under fidel's rule, that's the way it was. >> anthony: it's like a cargo cult version of chinese food here. dumplings. the szechuan chicken dish that's about as szechuan as, well -- -- i am. what's going to happen? what's next? >> jon: the uptick in tourism after the december 17th announcement, the surprise announcement by raul and obama, in which they said, "we decided to make friends again." the surge in tourism and american interests in cuba is like this. you now have an island where every room is for rent because you can make $30 or $40 a day. that's more than a state employee makes in three months. >> anthony: there will be wealthy hipsters, women in tiny black dresses drinking ironic rifts on the mojito. lobby of the spanking new "w" hotel with [ bass ] in the