Flying Down to San Juan

---

17 April 17, 2009

You may take all the precautions you wish. The more you protect yourself, the less convenient it becomes for you to pass through airport security. The wonderfully wired and thick PacSafe 200 DayPack makes the gear inside difficult to view on the scanner. So, all you have carefully packed in a certain order and layered for maximum protection of fragile items, including lenses, will be taken out one-by-one and given a thorough swipe test—a special swab that picks up chemicals such as those used in making bombs or bullets, I suppose, which are then put in a sniffer.

Afterward the TSA lady said, take all the time you need to repack. Thank goodness I was early for the flight.

San Juan! The food is still good and the coffee is great, however, things have gone downhill since we were here only a year ago. Empty buildings quickly deteriorate in the tropics and restaurants that seemed to be doing well in 2008 are closed with peeling paint.

Like Daytona, there are building projects that seem on hold and many empty businesses, but there are big, well-funded hotels still under construction; which is something Daytona doesn’t have. Still the walk down Ashford Ave is a bit depressing, Café del Angel and other moderate priced eateries specializing in Puerto Rican food are staying open. There are higher end restaurants that don’t seem to be pulling in the trade, with prices starting at $18 and going up to $50 for dinners, not counting drinks, appetizers and desserts, they will be waiting a long time for me to darken their doors.

As it is we spend 10 and 14 dollars apiece for dinner at our favorite spots. No one in their right mind can pass up the flan, in any of several flavors, at the local cafes—and a great dessert calls for a robust cup of coffee. So, we find ourselves spending about $40 at dinner time—at least it’s not 40 apiece.

The ambiance is still good. People bring their dogs to the beach. Some younger children run into the water in their underwear. Young men challenge each other to jump into the Condado lagoon from the roadway bridges—where there are signs forbidding the practice. Police seem to be everywhere, but they do not seem to bother enforcing much. A nightclub that specializes in strippers and lap dancing is conveniently located above the local Condom World.

The weather is variable, the trade winds blow from hard to soft. We can ignore the news and savor the moment. On the other hand, it’s Friday evening as I write this and the ship has not yet returned to the Pan American pier. Surely it will be there tomorrow morning?

For my technically challenged friends: If you click on a photo, you will see a larger view.

---

Photos

Even a Condom World can close
A new hotel is supposed to take this spot

Empty and molding
Abandoned, under construction and money ran out, due to be replaced--Who knows?

Condado Beach
A panoramic stitch from the park to the point. My hotel, El Canario by the Sea is the yellow building near the left