Mar
18
We Made It!
Filed under Puerto Rico 2007
Hola de San Juan, Puerto Rico! Whadya know, my hotel has internet! Hooray! This is good for two reasons: 1) I can blog about my adventures; 2) I can transfer my 100+ daily photos from my memory cards to my portable hard drive. Again, Hooray!Parents and I arrived safely last night, shortly after midnight AST (which is the same as EDT because Daylight Saving Time is not observed here). Our hotel is is pretty nice; not glitzy, but it does its job of giving us a place to sleep. Above the 8th floor is the roof with plenty of lounge furniture to relax on; I’ll take advantage of that one of these mornings.
I am sure that I already have a tan, even after only one day here. After getting a good night’s rest and slowly getting going today, we finally hopped on the bus to Old San Juan. We spent the late morning through 6pm there, walking around and seeing plenty of historical sights, places and fortifications that the Spaniards had built. Ultimately impressive is El Morro, fully named Castillo San Felipe del Morro (morro meaning headland or promontory, which is what this fort was built on). What a great place for exploring, with 6 levels of fortification.
What was just as cool (or maybe even cooler) is that the land leading up to El Morro is this vast expanse of green in which families come on weekends to fly kites! So many kites were flying today, even some that stretched well beyond 500 feet, out over the ocean and past the fort. It seemed like a wonderful place to come to while growing up as a kid.
I should also add that I am well on my way to the “one piña colada per day” challenge while I’m here. My first piña colada was consumed during lunch today at the restaurant that claims to have invented the drink in 1963. I think I drank all of the alcohol within the first few sips, because it was REALLY strong, and after that, the rest tasted only like juice. Tasty though!
I didn’t know what to expect of the culture or people here, in terms of relating to Mexico or other Latino-populated countries. But I think this country is more infused with diversity than Mexico seems to be. We don’t stick out like a sore thumb, and thank goodness I don’t get cat-called at. However, we are in a highly touristy area during the peak tourist season, so who knows.
Tomorrow, we head to El Yunque Rainforest, one of the most visited places here, and to a beach for a couple of hours afterward. It should prove to be relaxing because we hired a driver and tour guide. Less decision-making = good.
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