Blogs from Puerto Rico, Central America Caribbean - page 31

Friday, January 19, 2007 - Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico "So, you’re going upstairs later on?" Ricardo, my Hard Rock Café waiter asked me while delivering my second refill of cold Mt. Dew to my table. Meanwhile, I was struggling with my whole chicken, fried plantains and Spanish rice. "What’s upstairs?" I blinked. Surely he wasn’t talking about the deserted second floor of Hard Rock Café? "What?! You don’t know what’s going on? Why do you think people are packing up the streets of San Juan this weekend?" "Err … Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián?" Ah, of course. I put two and two together. He was talking about the biggest event of Puerto Rico, and Calle San Sebastián is relatively ‘upstairs’ from Calle Recinto Sur, where the HRC is located by the ferry docks. "Yeah, ... read more

12/18/06 We left San Juan harbor at 0900, having enjoyed being in the United States again, flying our Puerto Rican courtesy flag. Our beautiful San Juan filly, with all her horsepower, left the harbor and bucked straight into large swells (again). She handles them all very well, but it made for another couple of uncomfortable hours. Encountered our first lobster pots, or whatever they were, in one section, and suddenly realized that we missed the flying fish that had accompanied us so many miles of our journey. We continued east to Pasaje de San Juan, itching to go visit Isla Palominos, with its beautiful beaches, and located our destination, the El Conquistador Resort marina entrance. We found our slip, and backed in med style, in much quieter water, with the lasso technique (I’m getting the hang ... read more

Good Morning Sunshine. I'm in Orlando and normally there's lots of it. But today it's kinda cloudy. I was in bed looking at the ceiling and I began thinking about this trip to Puerto Rico that is beginning to feel more like a "need" than a "want. I'm thinking April. Is that a good time to go? Whats the weather like then? Have to check that. I looked up prices on expedia for 4/1-4/8/07. I want to stay in San Juan. Good location? I looked for something that includes airfare, hotel and rental car. There are a few different places and the prices started at around $1,007 up to $5,036. That of course will not include my meals, sight seeing, souvenirs...etc. Before I continue..is San Juan a good location to stay? And..is April a good time ... read more

...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

I just realized that I forgot to tell you in the last blog that the Chinese guy that did not want to use his headphones took off his pants and I had the privilege to watch him sleep in his red underwear for several hours... I don't know how I forgot to tell you that, that was the funniest part of the story!! Ok, back to this blog. On June 24th, many cities celebrate "La Noche de San Juan" it is really a celebration of the birth of Saint John The Baptist and of course, it involves activities near or in the sea. I remember when I was living in Gran Canaria, Spain, I loved it! We would go to the beach and watch a show of fireworks, laser lights, drink some beers or "ron miel" ... read more