deborah thomas
longweekendaway - october 6 - 9, 2006...san juan, puerto ricodebs world
thus begins the travel journal of a 47 year old torontonian lady with a passion to see the world - one longweekendaway at a time. the san juan trip was really born in cancun in feb '06...one day on the way to buffalo with a girlfriend to go shopping...(that's another story, or maybe the title of my first book!).
i am a health care administrator with a great job in a downtown teaching hospital. i have been fortunate enough to have lived in both barbados and trinidad and spent 3 consecutive 6 months of winters in sarsaota, florida. the travel bug has been a part of me since my first trip to acapulco in 1980! wow, 1980!...i am so digressing to the disco days that were such a huge part of my life then:)
as life beats to it's own rhythm, i have now been offered an opportunity to work and live in grand cayman. i will be packing up and making the transition mid-january 2007 - 12 weeks from today. join me as i take you from my most recent to trip to puerto rico 2 weeks ago weaving it's way through the past 30 years of my travels. hope you enjoy the ramblings of a travel addict!
cheers and happy reading, debs
Travel Blog Posts
in 14 days, i'll be at carli café concierto...
Published: October 22nd 2006Central America Caribbean
September 22nd 2006
...a very unique jazz supper club in old san juan! Pianist Carli Munoz grew up in Puerto Rico but at an early age covered a lot of ground musically and geographically. In 1969, he went to Los Angeles on a weekend visit and ended up doing studio work and tours with a variety of artists, such as Wilson Pickett, The Association, Jan and Dean, and the Beach Boys (for 11 years). Eventually Munoz was able to work with artists whose vision was closer to his own: George Benson, Chico Hamilton, Les McCann and Charles Lloyd. in December 1998, he opened his own jazz supper club, Carli Cafe Concierto in Old San Juan where you can enjoy gourmet tapas and exotic martinis under the stars - with a breathtaking view of San Juan Bay from the open ... read more
in 15 days, i'll be at la fortaleza...
Published: October 20th 2006Central America Caribbean » Barbados
September 21st 2006
...a UNESCO world heritage site in old san juan! La Fortaleza, built between 1533 and 1540, was the first defensive fortification built for the city of San Juan, and the first of a series of military structures built to protect the city. The construction was authorized by Charles V as a defense against attacks from the European powers of the day and Carib Indians. Since the 16th century, La Fortaleza has acted as the residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico, making it the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the Americas and has been the residence of over 170 governors hosting various dignitaries including President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline Kennedy who stayed in La Fortaleza in 1961. ************************************* ...ah, calypso music...probably my biggest appreciation! allow me to give a brief description ... read more
in 16 days, i'll be on a walking tour of old san juan!
Published: October 20th 2006Central America Caribbean » Puerto Rico » San Juan
September 20th 2006
...starting at San Juan Gate! Built around 1635, just north of La Fortaleza, several blocks downhill from the cathedral, was the main point of entry into San Juan if you arrived by ship in the 17th and 18th centuries. The gate is the only one remaining of the several that once pierced the fortifications of the old walled city. For centuries it was closed at sundown to cut off access to the historic old town. The city walls around San Juan were built in 1630 to protect the town against both European invaders and Caribbean pirates. The city walls that remain today were once part of one of the most impregnable fortresses in the New World and even today are an engineering marvel. Their thickness averages 20 feet (6m) at the base and 12 feet (3.6m) ... read more
in 17 days, i'll be at la bombonera restaurant, osj
Published: October 20th 2006Central America Caribbean » Barbados
September 19th 2006
...la bombonera - a 1902 cafeteria on Calle San Francisco in Old San Juan! You sense a real pride in Puerto Rico's history at La Bombonera - a tradition for more than a hundred years, a repository of memories and dreams about simple and inexpensive Puerto Rican dishes. Dignified waiters serve orange juice squeezed by a man behind the counter who squeezes the oranges in an equally ancient machine. Coffee is brewed from local beans in an ancient Rube Goldberg contraption, and pan de Mallorca, an eggy breakfast bun to die for, dusted with sugar and toasted with butter on the kind of griddle used in Miami to make Cubano sandwiches. You come to La Bombonera like the little old men who sidle up to the counter all day long for their regular pastries and coffees, ... read more
in 18 days, i'll be in condado, san juan at the hotel's tiki bar sipping a pina colada!
Published: October 21st 2006Central America Caribbean » Barbados
September 18th 2006
Puerto Rico - the birth of the Pina Colada...when actress Joan Crawford tasted the pina colada at what was then the Beachcombers Bar at the Caribe Hilton, she claimed it was "better than slapping Bette Davis in the face". This famous drink is the creation of bartender Ramon "Monchito" Marrero, now long gone, who was hired by the Hilton in 1954. He spent 3 months mixing, tasting, and discarding hundreds of combinations until he felt he had the right blend. Thus, the frothy pina colada was born. It's been estimated that some 100 million of them have been sipped around the world since that fateful time. Monchito never patented his formula and didn't mind sharing it with the world. BUT...1989 was just around the corner, as was the new love of my life and BARBADOS! well, ... read more
in 19 days, i'll be in OLD SAN JUAN
Published: October 20th 2006North America » United States » California
September 17th 2006
Known as "La Ciudad Amurallada" (the walled city) Old San Juan was founded in 1521. Old San Juan, almost 500 years later, is still surrounded by ancient walls of sand, gravel and limestone, its streets lined with deep-blue cobblestones used as ballast by Spanish ships. Centuries-old churches and meticulously preserved pastel houses huddle side by side within its seven-by-seven-block confines, yet OldSan Juan is more than just a living, breathing museum. It has plazas, parks, a Polo outlet and restaurants featuring cuisines from Transylvanian to French to Nuevo Latino to Italian. You could walk every block in an afternoon or spend a lifetime soaking in the details. And because Puerto Rico is easy and inexpensive to get to - and,of course, a Caribbean island where the average winter temperature is around 75 degrees - Old San ... read more
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