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

Yesterday morning started rather leisurely - it is vacation after all! I brewed coffee in the room, we made a rough plan for the day, and eventually moseyed on downstairs to ask a few questions at reception. 1) What are our options besides walking an hour to Old San Juan? 2) How do we get to the Bacardí rum factory and 3) Can we make a reservation at Pikayo, the hotel's famed restaurant? As it turned out, buses ran just up the street to Old San Juan for only $.75! The catch? There's no schedule! Thankfully one came within 20 minutes, and we much preferred the modern bus to sweating to death walking or a $15 cab ride. Once in town it was too late for breakfast and almost early enough to justify lunch, so since ... read more

During the Spanish colonial times most of the urban population resided in what is now known as Old San Juan. This sector is located on the western half of a small island called the Isleta de San Juan, which is connected to the mainland by two bridges and a causeway. The small island, which comprises an area of 47 mi² (122 km²), also hosts the working class neighborhood of Puerta de Tierra and most of Puerto Rico's central government buildings, including the Commonwealth's Capitol. The main central part of the city is characterized by narrow cobblestone streets and picturesque colonial buildings, some of which date back to the 16th and 17th century. Sections of the old city are surrounded by massive walls and several defensive structures and notable forts. These include the 16th century Fort San ... read more

Greetings from Viejo San Juan, PR. It's a little after 10pm and I'm struggling to stay awake. The worst news of the day is that I forgot my camera's usb cable, so I can't upload any photos. I'll try to buy another one here or have mine shipped to me in Bequia. So, for now all you get are these boring "no photo" blogs. SORRY! I arrived in SJ about 3:30. I'm staying at a hotel called "DaHouse". When the taxi driver dropped me off I couldn't even find the front door. I asked the bartender across the alley and he said "third door" When I got to the third door it was locked. About that time a couple of girls came out the door and I asked how to get in. "You have to ring ... read more

Spring break is crazy!!! I had a really challenging cruise a couple weeks ago. My teens were partiers which led to lots of problems for me. I’m also struggling with so many guests expressing disappointment in my program, when the main problem they have is the age restrictions - something that is not set by me but I am left to enforce. I’m trying to not let it drag me down, but it can be really difficult at times. Last week I had what surely must be record-breaking (or close to record-breaking) numbers. There were 410 teens onboard who fell into my age category and I had 230 of them regularly in my club. It was hectic, so many bodies filling the place. But the camp carnival girls really helped me out by doing ID-checking at ... read more

After Logan and I visited the forts in Old San Juan today, we walked along the path that follows along beside the city’s walls and the water of the bay. Passed through the San Juan Gate - the symbolic entrance to the city where ships once docked and people passed through when they arrived. More beautiful buildings and quaint little streets - the side of San Juan I adore. Bought some homemade sweets from a market vendor. And then we got back to the ship - completely exhausted, but as Lolo put it “historized”.... read more