San Juan...Pina Colada...shopping and friends...

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My first and last visit to Puerto Rico was back in 2007...for playing some serious golf. I actually found out today that due to the time spent on the golf courses, I even forgot to visit some sites of the Old Town in San Juan.



While booking my cruise, I knew it would be my second visit to San Juan...not the best for me, but this was it. I would have preferred to visit another island for the first time. And as you all know, life can turn around, and this day ended up being more than a cool one....thanks not to the sites, but thanks to people I share the day with!



This is already our third stop on this week long cruise. And every night, it's party time with mainly the same people at our table. It's 8 of us and a different GO every night. The term GO hold for staff....what I did 20 years ago. We have a first drink to enjoy sunset around 5.30pm...than it's shower time, and we all meet again for some serious champagne on the back deck around 7pm. We than share our table for dinner before making it back to a bar, for some serious dancing till the late hours...and yes, some more champagne and even few cigars! I hadn't danced so many rocks for a while....always a great moment! Club Med has broadway style shows every night...but I missed all off them...guess we spent too much time at the table and by the bar with friends!



But let's come back to our day in San Juan. First, the very bad! Immigration has to board the boat...and clear every single passenger before we can disembark. Puerto Rico is not a States from the US, but they are in such close ties, that we are cleared by US immigration. They started by 8.30am....and it took them a silly 3 hours to clear 280 people...mad and inefficient for sure. Imagine how much money is wasted, as most people do one thing in San Juan, they spend!



First stop for us, a not very original one, shopping Mall of Las Americas, the biggest Mall in the Caribbean. We shared a taxi....kind of fun to see this group of adult friends behaving like teenagers on a school trip in a school bus! Well, the idea was...the boys will go on their own...too many ladies with us! Two hours later....Thierry and I were late, and we had beaten the girls by far in term of bags...isn't the world changing! Funny! But don't forget, we are Monday following Black Friday, and most shops are still at sales of 40%...not bad...not bad...



We dropped back our treasures to the boat which was at quay right in Old San Juan....time for a short drink by the pool before heading for a serious visit of Old San Juan. You know, adult visit...we walk, we even enter a church...we stop for few drinks...we visit a fort...we have more drinks...and all that with few shopping stops! Ah life....



We did visit the Fort...where I didn't even ventured 7 years ago....I know! This mojito was actually one of the best ever too. Than came the panama hat stop. That's the hat I want...but hey, it's just too big...Bernard showed up behind me, perfect fit for him. They had only one size, and we had a perfect laugh. I found my happiness later on....what you cannot find...can be hand made....so that was my solution!



Last stop in San Juan....the pina colada stop! Yes, it seems the cocktail is actually originating from Old San Juan. That was a good one, so we had more than one! We missed the sunset properly that night, and we even came back just few minutes right before the cruise would be sailing to our next stop.



You know what came next...shower...and it was already time for few bubbles....after a pretty amazing day! Thanks to Veronique, Catherine, Nadine, Bernard, Claude and Thierry for this really cool day!

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Shopping
Nice hat

[Maisondubonheur]

Thanks!
Thanks MJ, and Merry Christmas to you and Dave! Just had Bob on Skype!