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Published: December 9th 2012
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This trip was somewhat of an afterthought. Where could we go that's warm, outside of the contiguous United States, can fly out in the morning and be on the beach by the afternoon, and somewhat affordable? Puerto Rico it was. I can say with certainty that if you're a fan beautiful clean beaches, a touch of Caribbean culture, eclectic shopping and beautiful architecture, then this is the place.
For me though, that word "vacation" still hasn't found a comfortable place in my vocabulary. Why take a vacation when you could be
traveling? Well, maybe because I have a husband who doesn't relish the idea of every trip we take involving a perpetual threat to the orphaning of our children.
"I insist that the next trip we take will be to some place
clean, got it Andrea?"
"Clean!? Our house is
clean, we might as well just stay home then," I rationalize.
Jeremy rolls his eyes more at the idea of our house being clean, than my dramatic reasoning.
Puerto Rico seemed like a healthy compromise, especially since we'd have the minions in tow. Using an apartment in San Juan as a homebase,
we were able to explore all corners of the island in a week.
Old San Juan is absolutely charming and easy to navigate. Many streets are automobile restricted so you can amble aimlessly without worrying about getting run down, which makes it a bit less exciting than Cairo but ultimately preferable when you've got kids tagging along.
Jeremy would take Nick to chase pigeons and eat pizza in the Plaza de Armas and I'd treat Erin to an afternoon of personalized instruction on jewelry shopping.
"Now, honey, when we see dad, we have to have a united front, ok?" I'd tell her. "Remember what we say?"
"Yes, we say 'But dad, these stones are
indigenous to the Caribbean
and they were on sale!'"
"Very good. Now make sure you pronounce
indigenous correctly or we won't sound believeable."
Lesson learned.
Little Nick's only concerns for the week were finding a bowling alley and going to the beach. Finding a bowling alley proved unattainable but I think the beaches made up for it. Erin had her heart set on going horse back riding. That was easy to organize. We ended up
at Tropical Trail Rides in Isabela where we joined a chain gang of either docile or skiddish horses. It couldn't be over soon enough as far as I was concerned. It felt like a two hour long spanking. When I wasn't getting my rear pounded or holding on for dear life when my horse would get spooked by a branch, I was fretting over my little boy toppeling off the side of his old horse.
What certainly should not be missed on a trip to Puerto Rico is kite flying in Campo del Morro. Bring a blanket, pack a lunch, buy a kite and spend the afternoon running through the grass expanse with the majestic El Morro fort as the backdrop. This was a completely blissful afternoon. If you come unprepared, its no problem. You can buy your kites, string and snacks all right there.
Puerto Rico really is a beautiful island. Its safe and clean and you can even drink the water! I definitely wouldn't hesitate recommending this destination for someone looking for a place to vacation, that is, if
vacationing is your thing...
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Brendan Vermillion
Yet Another Great Blog
I haven't commented on your blogs in a while, but I always read them and always! enjoy them. This one made me laugh, so I wanted to say thank you. I hope you have more great travels (vacations) to write about in the upcoming months.