After a very busy day and evening, I woke up with the pina colada blues. Our lovely casa made us an amazing breakfast each morning, but after a few bites I was more than done. Needless to say I was not in the best shape, but luckily I wasn’t alone in that, so we had a late start. I didn’t feel as bad just because it was absolutely pouring this morning. We finally left around noon to head back into Old Havana to visit Ernest Hemingway’s old stomping ground – La Bodeguita del Medio (or so we thought!).
La Bodeguita del Medio is situated about 15 minutes from El Capitolio – the capitol building in Havana. It is a very famous bar and restaurant known for being the birthplace of the mojito! It was also a frequent hotspot for many famous celebrities, such as poet Pablo Neruda, Nat King Cole, and supposedly Ernest Hemingway. Unfortunately, I found out that this maybe wasn’t really a spot that good ol’ Ernest frequented – he preferred El Floridita. And the quote autographed by the bar, “My mojito in La Bodeguita, My daiquiri in El Floridita” is more than likely a fake. Womp, womp. Despite the fact it was rainy, this place was popping! It was insanely busy in the actual bar part, however we were able to get into the restaurant and have a hangover lunch.
I ordered a traditional cuban dish called ropa vieja – which is shredded flank steak with a tomato paste. It was delicious and came with bread and a Sprite – something I desperately needed at the time. It’s nothing fancy but I do highly recommend it if you are ever at a a Cuban restaurant!
The rest of the day after El Bodeguita, we explored Havana in the rain. We ventured through Old Havana again, checked out the government buildings, oh and walked through Chinatown (barrio Chino). Yes, there is a Chinatown in Havana! In fact, it is one of the oldest Chinatowns in Latin America! However, you will find very few if any Chinese or Chinese Cubans in this area as majority fled in 1959 when Fidel Castro nationalized businesses there and things started to shift. It was kinda of eerie how quite and desolate it was walking through it all.
Despite the rough start to the morning and the dreary day, it was a fun day exploring Havana! Everywhere you look, you see something fascinating – the ruins, the colors, the cards, etc. I highly recommend just spending an entire day walking around Havana- you will not be disappointed.
