Blogs from Old San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Central America Caribbean

A sunny day in San Juan. Breakfast of empanadas and coffee. Blogging at the pool. A nice swim. A hike to Old San Juan. Lots of chickens hanging out at the parks. Lunch at a nice place in Old San Juan. Then it was on to see Castillo San Cristobal and Castillo San Felipe del Morro. Blisters from the 8.7 mile hike. Weather was perfect with sun and ocean breeze and temperature 80 to 84 degrees. Rest and relaxation and dinner at the hotel tonight overlooking the ocean. Bus boy's name was "Ocean" too.... read more

Camera: Canon EOS M5 Lenses: EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM Accessories: Speedlite 90EX We got up at 4:00 am and got ready for the journey!!! It took us longer to finish packing and prep the house. The cats must have known something was up. They would not stay in the garage. Finally, Kim bribed them with some kitty treats and we got them to stay in as we closed the garage door!!! We hope they are still alive when we get back!!!! We could not tell if the roads were icy, so we took it easy and didn’t speed. We left the house a half hour late and the slow speed got us to the airport about an hour later that I would have liked, but ... read more

Cruising in the Caribbean can seem somewhat anti-climactic after having visited so many exotic ports around the world. But we were pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable we found all these tropical islands this time. I think that one of the biggest reasons was because the Whisper was the only ship in each port. The cruising season is over in the Caribbean by mid-April as most of the ships head to Europe or Alaska. Many of the merchants and locals seemed genuinely pleased to see the Silver Whisper arrive…potential customers! Our first port was in Bridgetown, Barbados which is considered the most British of the Caribbean Islands. It reminds me a lot of Bermuda with neat streets, a stable government and happy residents. We headed out on a sailing catamaran to follow the “turtle trail” along the ... read more

I told my friend Harper I was headed to Puerto Rico. He mentioned that he had visited Puerto Rico many times and loved it. Harper insisted I do the following while in Puerto Rico: 1. Stay in Old San Juan mostly while in Puerto Rico. 2. Visit Ponce in the south. 3. Try the Water-Bread. 4. Try the Black Beans and Rice (at Hotel El Convento (former convent)). 5. Visit the Rainforest 6. Visit the east side of the island and check out the resorts there. I completed my mission. Truthfully, Harper also said to visit the islands of Martinique and Saint Thomas while in Puerto Rico, but I had to return early for business. We ran into an antique shop owner who said that although there is no US Federal income tax here, study the ... read more

Prologue Prior to December 2012, I was self-employed which meant that I had more time on my hands and usually more money as well, so I qualified easily for status with American Airlines. Earlier this year, I realized that I was not on course to requalify for status. Around that same time, American sent me a 15% off coupon so I decided to make a mileage run. The next decision was – where should I go? I knew I wanted to explore a new place. I was tempted to go to New Orleans, but I found a cheaper fare to San Juan. A quick scan through the Lonely Planet led me to Posada San Francisco, a hostel offering private rooms for $30 in the heart of Old San Juan. With that, the deal was sealed. Saturday, ... read more